PS Vita Buyers Will Get Compensation Over Ad Claims

If you bought a PS Vita in the US before June 1, 2012, you should be getting compensation from Sony. That’s because it has settled a Federal Trade Commission complaint accusing it of false advertising.

The complaint centered on advertising relating to the Vita’s cross-platform features, particularly the implication that the features would work in full on all games. The FTC noted that in fact:

• the ability to play on a PS3 and continue on a Vita was only available on some games;
• where it was available it often had significant limitations; and
• it wasn’t made clear that you’d need two copies of the game to use the feature.

The FTC drew particular attention to the inclusion of Killzone 3 in the advertising, despite the fact that it wasn’t playable for remote play on the Vita. It also took issue with the advertising implying Vita owners could take part in live multiplayer gaming over 3G networks, which wasn’t the case.

An accompanying complaint accused advertising agency Deutsch LA of not only repeating the misleading claims, but of asking staff to make social media posts promoting the Vita without disclosing they worked for the agency, or that the agency was working for Sony.

As part of the settlement, Sony must e-mail. “all consumers it can reasonably identify as having bought a PS Vita before June 1, 2012” They’ll be offered the choice of a $25 cash refund or a $50 voucher for selected Sony products and services.