Good news to gamers who bought the PlayStation Vita gaming console before June 1, 2012. Sony is required to partially refund buyers because of the false and misleading ads it released during its U.S. launch campaign in late 2011 and 2012. The refund is part of the settlement of the charges filed by the Federal Trade Commission, which cited several false claims Sony made about the PS Vita.
Sony released the PS Vita in the U.S. in February 2012 as the successor of PlayStation Portable. Before its official launch, the Japanese OEM manufacturer enticed users through various attention-grabbing ads claiming that the PS Vita will revolutionize their portable gaming experience. This includes the PS Vita's "remote play," which supposedly enables players to continue their gameplay from PlayStation 3 to PS Vita through "cross platform." The FTC charges say that this was misleading since this feature is available only for certain game titles, which Sony did not explain, confusing the consumers.
Sony agreed that it will pay gamers who bought the game console prior to June 1, 2012 — those it can reasonably identify — with $25 cash or credit or $50 voucher for game titles or services. Sony has to send an email to gamers to notify them about the refund.
Meanwhile, the FTC charges also cited that Deutsch LA, the advertising firm in charge of Sony's ads for the PS Vita launch, knew or should have known that the ads were misleading. Moreover, the advertising firm further misled consumers through social media posts by encouraging its employees to create a hype around the PS Vita. As part of the resolution, Deutsch LA is barred from doing such thing for their future projects.
FTC warned other companies that it will not hesitate to act on behalf of consumers when companies or advertisers make false claims.
"As we enter the year's biggest shopping period, companies need to be reminded that if they make product promises to consumers -- as Sony did with the 'game changing' features of its PS Vita -- they must deliver on those pledges," said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
