Early Adopters for Vita Could Get $50 after Sony-FTC Settlement

Sony and the Federal Trade Commission agreed to a settlement involving the company’s misleading advertisements for the PlayStation Vita during the early part of the handheld’s life cycle. Early adopters will benefit from a payout.

Customers that purchased a Vita before June 1, 2012, and have proof of purchase, are eligible to respond to an email they will be receiving from Sony in the near future. They can either choose a $50 merchandise voucher or $25 in cash or credit. The aim is toward the launch campaign back in late 2011 that crossed into 2012 with the eventual North American release on February 15, 2012.

The FTC claimed that Sony misrepresented Vita’s Remote Play, Cross Save, and Cross Play features in commercials on TV and ads in numerous publications. While ads never tell potential customers the whole picture, the FTC deemed Sony as being too vague. In the complaint, the FTC gives the example of MLB 12: The Show, where it limits the player in saving their game on the PS3 and playing it on their Vita, and people had to own both a PS3 and Vita copy of the game.

Attempts of acquiring one of these advertisements are now impossible. Sony has either removed all the videos or set them to private.

All of the Vita’s special features weren’t consistent for every game, and Sony never clarified that while touting the handheld’s feature as a “gamechanger.” What are your thoughts on the settlement between Sony and the FTA?

Header image credit: US Gamer
Body image credit: PS Vita Hub