If You Bought A PS Vita, You Might Be Eligible For Compensation

The US Federal Trade Commission announced this week that Sony has been ordered to pay partial refunds to consumers after an investigation concluded that advertisements misled consumers of the PS Vita’s abilities. It is the FTC’s responsibility to regulate consumer products sold in the US and, in this case, take action against any company that uses deceptive practices to sell their goods.

When the Vita hit the market in early 2012 (late 2011 in Japan), its release was joined by an ad campaign that promised the Vita would change the gaming industry with its revolutionary technology. Gamers who bought the Vita before June 2012 are eligible to receive a small portion of the $250 they spent on the hand-held console. Sony will contact these buyers to offer the choice between a $25 check and a $50 credit in Sony products.

These three claims by Sony in its early marketing materials were the primary focus of the FTC complaint:

1- With ‘remote play’ gamers can play games already on their PS3 from any location with a Wi-Fi connection.
2- With the ‘cross platform gaming’ or ‘cross save’ features gamers can play a game on their PS3, pause or save it and continue the game seamlessly on their PS Vita.
3- With the 3G version of the PS Vita, gamers can play live multiplayer games through access to a 3G network.

The FTC concluded that the television, internet and in-store advertisements were false: the PS3 was not designed to support remote play, and as such, most games are not remote playable through PS Vita. Users cannot pause a game on their PS3 and continue where they left off on the Vita. Those who spent the extra $50 plus monthly fees for the 3G version cannot actually engage in live multiplayer gaming, but turn-based gaming instead.

The money offered is really nothing compared to the selling price of a new PS Vita at release, but the settlement sets an example to other entertainment companies who may embellish their advertisements to try to win over buyers. The FTC’s Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, Jessica Rich, says:

“As we enter the year’s biggest shopping period, companies need to be reminded that if they make product promises to consumer they must deliver on those pledges. The FTC will not hesitate to act on behalf of consumers when companies or advertisers make false product claims.”

Read the entire report by the FTC on PS Vita here.

We leave you with this hilarious commercial that Sony just pulled down from PlayStation’s European YouTube account this week. Sony was the target of criticism over the allegedly sexist content, and decided it was best to stay away from controversy. Yes, its marketing was misleading in the beginning, but this recent commercial seems innocent enough.