If you bought a PS Vita before June 1, 2012, didn’t return the Vita for a full refund, and live in the US, then listen up – Sony has agreed to a settlement in its case brought by the Federal Trade Commission in relationship to Sony’s false advertisements for their Playstation Vita. The settlement will give these buyers an offer that includes free games, cash, or credit, depending on what the buyer chooses.
According to the complaint, Sony falsely advertised many of the PS Vita’s features, including Remote Play, accessibility of PS3 titles, and the ability to play in live, multiplayer games.
“Sony claimed, for example, that PS Vita users could pause any PS3 game at any time and continue to play the game on their PS Vita from where they left off,” the FTC stated. “This feature, however, was only available for a few PS3 games, and the pause-and-save capability described in the ads varied significantly from game to game.”
It continues to say that “Sony’s PS Vita ads falsely implied that consumers who owned the 3G version of the device (which cost an extra $50 plus monthly fees) could engage in live, multi-player gaming through a 3G network. In fact, consumers could not engage in live, multiplayer gaming.”
Despite Sony agreeing to the settlement, “SCEA [Sony Computer Entertainment of America] neither admits nor denies liability in connection with this matter.”
Those who are eligible and want to receive one of the settlement packages will have to fill out the PDF here. The settlement offers three options for the buyers to choose from:
1. a $25 check
2. $25 credit to a PSN account
3. Merchandise Voucher [or Entitlement] good for $50 or more in value of merchandise
If you want to go with the third offer, then you have three more options to choose from. The Merchandise Voucher can get you one of three game bundles: an Adventure/Action Bundle, a Family Friendly Bundle, or Variety Pack Bundle, which comes with a little of both:
Remember – if you accept one of these offers, then you have also waived any rights to any future settlements, if there are any. You can see the full terms of the settlement offer here.
