Risky business

You may recall that a few years back, Sony was embroiled in a legal minefield over its marketing of the PlayStation Vita. If you're interested, and have a head for legal mumbo-jumbo, you can take a look at the US Federal Trade Commission's original charges through here.

For the rest of you, though, the basic gist is that the Japanese giant was accused of making false claims in its advertising, particularly surrounding the handheld's cross-play features. What's more, several members of the Deustch marketing firm posted positive Tweets about the system, without acknowledging their relationship to Sony itself.

The company has recently settled the matter, and is offering to give those of you who purchased the system before 1st June 2012 "either a $25 cash or credit refund, or a $50 merchandise voucher for select video games, and/or services". Speaking of legal jargon, our fairly rudimentary understanding of this situation leads us to believe that the proposed compensation will only be offered to those of you who reside in the USA.

If you are eligible, you should receive an email notifying you of how to proceed. Are you a Vita early adopter? Do you feel that Sony's initial marketing strategy was misleading? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source ftc.gov, via prnewswire.com]