The Federal Trade Commission was dealing with a complaint regarding Sony “deceiving” customers in PlayStation Vita ads. Early advertisements for the handheld gaming console talked about some hardware and software features that didn’t quite work as advertised. Naturally the FTC got involved over these claims of false advertising and now Sony has agreed to provide refunds to customers who purchased a PlayStation Vita before June 1st, 2012.
One of the features mentioned in an ad was the Vita’s ability to pause any PS3 game and allowing players to pick up from where they left off thanks to the “cross-save” feature in Vita. The ads made it feel like this feature worked with every PS3 title when in reality it was only supported by a few PlayStation 3 games.
Another tall claim that landed Sony in hot water was the implication that 3G wireless could be used on the PS Vita to play multiplayer games, that feature didn’t work at all. Additional items are mentioned in detail in the FTC’s full complaint against Sony.
Sony is now required to avoid making any similar misleading comments in advertisements in the future. The company also has to refund $25 in cash or credit, or send a $50 merchandise voucher to any and all Vita customers who purchased the handheld before June 1st, 2012. To all eligible customers Sony will send an email to notify them about the refund.
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