The eagerly anticipated Sony PlayStation 4 has been slammed by users after an update BROKE their pre-release version.
Sony is believed to have released around one million PS4 consoles ahead of next week’s official worldwide launch.
But thousands of angry gamers have flooded online forums with moans about the £349 machine.
They have spoken of an update issue which has left more than 4,000 brand new consoles ‘bricked’, gaming jargon for unusable.
One user said: “I can’t believe this. I’ve been waiting seven years for this to come out and it is broken almost immediately – the blue light on top has turned into the red line of death.
“It’s about as useful as a brick. Sony better replace it, otherwise I’m going to find the person responsible for this mess and throw my broken console at them.”
The fourth PlayStation console is being released in direct competition with Microsoft’s XboxOne on November 29.
A number of gamers managed to get their hands on a pre-release version of console from the Japanese electronics firm.
In an official statement, Sony said: “We are aware that some people have reported issues with their PlayStation 4 systems in the US.
“We are closely monitoring for additional reports, but we think these are isolated incidents and represent a very small percentage of total units shipped to consumers to date.”
The US Sony office added: “A handful of people have reported issues with their PlayStation 4 systems.
“This is within our expectations for a new product introduction, and the vast majority of PS4 feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We are closely monitoring for additional reports, but we think these are isolated incidents and are on track for a great launch.
“There have been several problems reported, which leads us to believe there isn’t a singular problem that could impact a broader percentage of systems.
“The number of affected systems represents less than 0.4 per cent of shipped units to date, which is within our expectations for a new product introduction.”
The problem is believed to be caused by the system overheating when the fans stop working.
This leaves the console unable to turn on, and with a bright red light shining from the top of the black box – dubbed the ‘Red Line of Death’ after a fault which affected almost 50 per cent of Xbox 360 units.
