Gamers who bought a Sony PS Vita console before June 2012 are now entitled to a partial refund, after regulators in the United States ruled the firm had made misleading claims in early advertising campaigns.
Sony has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission entitling early Vita adopters in the US to a $25 cash refund or $50 in credit towards games and services.
The FTC had previously taken umbrage with Sony’s so-called “game changing” features the gaming giant claimed would allow PS3 users to pause their games and pick up where they left off on the PS Vita.
However, unlike the unilateral approach with the next-gen PS4 console, Remote Play was only available for a few PS3 games, and that experience varied from game, according to the FTC’s ruling.
The report said: “The complaint further alleges that Sony also falsely claimed that with the “remote play” feature, PS Vita users could easily access their PS3 games on their handheld consoles.
“Sony also misled consumers by falsely claiming that PS Vita users could remotely play the popular PS3 game, Killzone 3, on the PS Vita. In fact, Sony never enabled remote play on its Killzone 3 game title, and very few, if any, PS3 games of similar size and complexity were remote playable on the PS Vita.”
Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, added: ”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.”
As part of the settlement, Sony is barred from making such claims in the future.
Read More: Do the Xbox One and PS4 still need a killer exclusive?
Via: The Verge
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
