Xbox One users are being warned about an internet prank that could ruin their consoles. The prank message, which originated on 4Chan, falsely claims console users can enable backward compatibility on their systems by taking advantage of a so-called 'hack'. The message instructs players to input a series of button combinations and select various menu choices in able to make games from predecessor Xbox 360 playable on the recently-released device. However, doing so could wreck the new console and render it inoperable, warn developers Microsoft.
Tweeting the warning, director of programming for Microsoft's Xbox Live network, Larry Hryb, said:
The prank originated from 4Chan, a website notorious for playing 'tricks' on gullible gamers, while the misleading and potentially harmful message has since been hauled down.
It is not clear at this stage how many susceptible gamers have followed the bogus advice but the message (above), which was crafted to appear as though it was an official statement from Microsoft, was widely shared on game forums and through various social media channels. However, tech news sites excerpted messages posted to the 4Chan thread which indicate several people have destroyed their console, which currently retails at £429 in the United Kingdom. This prank is just one of several to have originated from 4Chan - the site was the source of a fake advert purporting to come from Apple back in September claiming iPhones updated to iOS 7 would become waterproof.
Did you fall foul of this prank? Know someone who did? Let us know in the comment section, below.