Sony will refund consumers over ‘deceiving’ PlayStation Vita ads

[kidhero99]

The FTC's complaint against Sony charges the company with making false claims about the PS Vita's "cross platform gaming" or "cross-save" feature. 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. 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. For example, with respect to "MLB 12: The Show," consumers could only save the game to the PS Vita after finishing the entire nine-inning game on their PS3. In addition, Sony failed to inform consumers that to use this feature, purchasers had to buy two versions of the same game – one for their PS3 and one for the PS Vita.

The FTC's complaint also alleges 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.

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. In reality, most PS3 games were not remote playable on the PS Vita. 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.

 

http://venturebeat.com/2014/11/25/sony-will-refund-consumers-over-deceiving-playstation-vita-ads/

 

I'll certainly be taking that $50 PSN credit.

[damon8r351]

Only if you bought one before 01 June 2012.

[xzero4812]

well im kicking myself in the pants for not buying 1 earlier. now only new lcd models are avail and original buyers getting a credit.

[Karnacharya]

Well, I got mine on November 23, 2012 as part of a Black Friday sale; I saved about $100 by waiting, so I guess I still came out ahead.

[DistantFox]

Did they say when we're supposed to get an email about it. I had mine since launch.

[kidhero99]

I bought it on release date of 2012 so I'm safe. 

[Killua-ID]

I purchased mine a few weeks after release day, but created 3 different accounts since that day, because of that false advertisement. So how will they handle this? I dont even know, if my E-Mail of my first account is still accesable, or not...

 

Edit: In addition to that, I live in the EU. Will we also see a refund 50€ worth?

Edited November 25, 2014 by Killua-ID

[CasaDeBen]

Damn I got mine July 17th, 2012

[merciful84]

Off to my purchase history I go...!

Ok 2 things:

 

1. Motorstorm RC was a free download in the Playstation Store before the June 1st 2012...does this count?

2. The instant game collection titles that we got with our subscription to PS + (Uncharted Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Tales from Space: Mutant Blob Attacks)...do these count?

 

I bought my Vita on launch day, btw

Edited November 25, 2014 by merciful84

[bearranza]

Hoping Sony goes by Trophy dates. I don't have my receipt anymore but I definitely bought my Vita in February of 2012 according to my trophy list. 

[merciful84]

They should be able to track mine either by my protection plan registration or Welcome Park trophy dates

[Satoshi Ookami]

 

 

Edit: In addition to that, I live in the EU. Will we also see a refund 50€ worth?

What is Europe?

Even if this actually reached EU, Sony wouldn't offer refunds.

[Nelson_]

People may be happy with this, but i think it will have a good impact on Sony budget for games development.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Nelson_Otaku

[DaivRules]

Here is the page from the actual FTC, not someone covering the news: http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/11/sony-computer-entertainment-america-provide-consumer-refunds

 

 

Did they say when we're supposed to get an email about it. I had mine since launch.

 

"The Commission vote to accept both proposed consent orders for public comment was 5-0. The FTC will publish a description of the consent agreement packages in the Federal Register shortly. The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through December 29, 2014, after which the Commission will decide whether to make them final."

 

Edit: In addition to that, I live in the EU. Will we also see a refund 50€ worth?

 

The FTC is based in the USA, I doubt you will be affected.

 

Hoping Sony goes by Trophy dates. I don't have my receipt anymore but I definitely bought my Vita in February of 2012 according to my trophy list. 

 

 

They should be able to track mine either by my protection plan registration or Welcome Park trophy dates

 

Sony can see when a Vita first accessed the PSN, but there are no details for sure yet. Stay tuned to the link above for news from the source.

People may be happy with this, but i think it will have a good impact on Sony budget for games development.

 

Every corporation has a percentage of income set aside for legal issues. For everyone that chooses the credit option, this surely costs Sony significantly less than the refunds as they're just giving out their IP. With Sony's structure, PS4/PSTV/Vita/PS3 current sales trends and restructuring as a company to focus less on less profitable divisions, I don't think this will have ANY impact on Sony's budget for games development.

[Dreakon13]

Well... that's a lot of false claims.

[DaisyVilla102]

I think the moment you signed in to PSN on your Vita, that device got recorded on your account. I reckon the only thing that may prevent someone from getting the refund would be if they used an invalid email to register their PSN ID. Hmm... well, then there's also that grey area of purchasing before the cut-off date but not signing in until after. (EDIT: This will probably be covered by the "reasonably identify" portion of the settlement. [Thanks, DaivRules, for the link to the FTC posting].)

$50 notwithstanding, I'm pretty happy about this. I bought the 3G version AND subscribed to the AT&T service, and that was 99% worthless.

Edited November 25, 2014 by DaisyVilla102

[AlphaLiquid-X]

I bought the 3G version at launch, but never subscribed to the AT&T service (because AT&T service here blows). So, I won't be complaining at a free $50 credit.

[Demigod]

I got the 3G at launch and activated my AT&T service the same day. I guess something good came out of that.

[antithesis]

The thing is, all of Sony's claims are valid. Cross-save works. Cross-purchase works. Remote Play for PS3 works. MP over 3G works. The shit all worked, it's the game publishers and poor games sales that let them down.

 

The only claim that proved to be false was Remote Play for Killzone 3, which is a daft oversight given it was central to the promotional campaign. That said, we can Remote Play every game on PS4, so it's swings and roundabouts.

Edited November 26, 2014 by ant1th3s1s

[skinner49]

I got mine about a year and 4 months ago. Drat. Oh well.

[D-Tron]

July 1st, 2012 was when I got mine.

Dammit....

[DarkStar83x]

Got mine Halloween 2012...damn!

Edited November 26, 2014 by DarkStar83x

[SUPERVIRAL]

Really. I got mine June 4 2012

[Dr_Mayus]

I got mine for free at launch day...so do I still get 50$

[DaisyVilla102]

The thing is, all of Sony's claims are valid. Cross-save works. Cross-purchase works. Remote Play for PS3 works. MP over 3G works. The shit all worked, it's the game publishers and poor games sales that let them down.

 

The only claim that proved to be false was Remote Play for Killzone 3, which is a daft oversight given it was central to the promotional campaign. That said, we can Remote Play every game on PS4, so it's swings and roundabouts.

I never tried MP over 3G, but at the least I was unable to 1) check messages, 2) look at or update online trophies, 3) download updates for games [but the game still knew I needed an update and wouldn't run without it], or 4) see my friends list. The only use I got out of it was that it would let me play games (for example, Rayman Origins) that required me to be connected to PSN. I suppose one could argue that the commercial never came straight out and said "every single feature of PSN will still be available over 3G", but for me the implication was there. Between AT&T and Sony, there certainly were no warnings that PSN functionality would be severely limited. And at $15 per month for 256MB of data, one would expect more bang for one's buck. Even if it was only one "bang" per month, so to speak, at that amount of data. (Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. --sorry, couldn't resist it!) :-P

I'm not saying I thought it was a class-action lawsuit-worthy issue, only that I'm not going to feel guilty about redeeming that $50 credit, unlike how I felt about other similar situations.