November 10^th, 2005 (10:09am) - "Disc Read Error" might sound familiar to PS2 owners. It might bring back memories of frustration, or outright rage. Well, Sony has announced a plan to help ease your pain.

Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony of Canada, and Toys R Us of Canada have a proposed settlement for a class action suit regarding the problem, and while it looks likely be accepted, it has yet to be approved of by the courts.

According to the unapproved plan, gamers who have recently purchased, repaired, or lost the use of an affected PS2, are eligible to receive a check for $25 ($31 Canadian), a free PS2 game from a specified list, or a free or reduced cost repair or replacement (at SCEA’s discretion) of an affected system.

A Sony representative says:

"While we are convinced that there is no problem with these models and that we would win if we defended this case through trial, we have agreed to settle these lawsuits to avoid the extraordinary high cost of cumbersome class action litigation."

Don’t think that just because you own a PS2 that you’re entitled-- claims must be accompanied by proof of the purchase and/or repairs. Claims must be made over the future settlement Web site or mailed and postmarked by February 16, 2006.

The approval of the courts could come anywhere between April 28, 2006, and May 11, 2006, in the U.S. and Canada respectively, so it’ll be a while before anyone sees the benifits of this.