One enterprising consumer pulled a slick move when he was able to use European law in order to get a partial refund for his PS3 from Amazon. Sony’s decision to remove the OtherOS feature on the PlayStation 3 angered some consumers, because that’s what happens when pull a bait and switch with your products. Despite the rage, Sony has decided to be a bitch about things and is refusing to refund any retailer who tries to keep their customers happy.
“The PS3 is first and foremost a games console and our marketing materials for the console reflect this,” justifies PR boss Dave Wilson. “The console packaging and the in-box manual for the console do not refer to the use of Linux on the console. Rather, the console packaging states that the product’s design and specifications are subject to change without notice and that the system software within the console is subject to a limited licence between SCE and the consumer, and this licence permits SCE to update the system software and services offered from time to time.”
I have to call a little bit of bullsh*t on Wilson’s statement that the PS3 is marketed first as a games console. After all, it was Sony itself that called the thing a computer, with former SCE boss Ken Kutaragi saying: “Speaking about the PS3, we never said we will release a game console. It is radically different from the previous PlayStation. It is clearly a computer.”
But then, Sony’s schizophrenic and perpetually confused marketing department is nothing new.
It is true that the system’s box and manual makes no specific mention of Linux, but it’s not a cut-and-dry situation. The OtherOS feature was a selling point, and that feature has been removed. Even if Sony manages to skirt around European law and protect itself, it still looks like a massive, veiny, red-raw dick in the process. So, congrats to Sony for acting completely classless, even if it manages to do so within the law.
Sony refuses to sanction PS3 refunds [Thinq]
