It's much easier to come out on top in a multiplayer game if your opponents suddenly disappear, and that seems to be happening at the moment on PS4 thanks to rogue private messages.

As VG247 explains, PS4 owners are reporting via Reddit that their console is bricked when a new private message, or even the notification of a new message pops up on screen. Attempting to delete the message using the mobile app doesn't solve the problem. The only fix is to factory reset your console.

Although not a console killer, it's more than a little frustrating to know your PS4 can be taken down with a message. For now, Sony hasn't commented and therefore the exploit can continue to run wild. You can stop it happening to your PS4, though, with a quick settings change.

Simply navigate to Settings > Account Management > Privacy Settings and locate the Messaging settings. Change the option to either just friends or no one at all. That way you can't receive the rogue message (unless you have terrible friends). As to how this is happening, the most likely cause is a character, or set of characters Sony's messaging system can't handle or acts on in some way that renders the console unusable.

I suspect before the day is over Sony will have confirmed the problem exists and a fix is underway. Hopefully the fix also appears before the day is over, but I won't hold my breath.