Both Microsoft and Sony say they're under no obligation to pass tariff refunds on to customers

Left: Microsoft logo on an office tower exterior in downtown Vancouver. Right: The glass facade of Sony's headquarters in the Swiss city of Schlieren, on a cloudy late summer afternoon.

Tech tariffs imposed by the Trump administration were ruled unconstitutional back in February, though the saga is far from over. Many companies have since sought refunds, and consumers battling rising hardware prices are wondering whether they'll see those recouped costs trickle down. Well, as far as major players Microsoft and Sony are concerned, the answer is 'No.'

To rewind a smidge, consoles have been climbing in price for some time now. An Xbox gamer filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Microsoft back in July, accusing the company of passing on the cost of tariffs to consumers. A similar lawsuit was filed against Sony back in May. Now, lawyers from both companies are arguing that their respective sides are simply under no obligation to pass on tariff refunds to customers.