New console owners unable to log on to PlayStation Network

A glitch has stolen Christmas, according to owners of new PlayStations.

Recipients of the console have reported being unable to log into PlayStation Network (PSN), the service through which users can play games online.

The system relies on an authentication email which many gamers say they have not received, rendering them unable to log into the network.

Ask PlayStation, an official Sony account, tweeted this afternoon: "Apologies as we continue to investigate the delayed e-mails for new PSN account validation and password resets. Thanks for your patience."

Phantom Squad, a hacker group, had claimed before Christmas that they would target PSN and XBox Live, Microsoft's rival service, with DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks.

These take the form of overloading servers with hits until they are unable to respond to requests for information.

XBox Live is functioning as normal.

Sony did not respond to requests for comment.