Xbox 360 theft is a terrible thing for gaming addicts. So, imagine one gamer’s jubilation after he managed to track down his stolen console using only its wireless controller.

After the robbery, victim Ryan Ketsenburg, a student from Missouri State University in North America, turned on his former Xbox 360’s controller – why it wasn’t stolen along with the console, we don’t know – and discovered that it could still connect.

For the record, Xbox 360 controllers have a 30ft wireless range and become locked to a specific machine once the Detect Wireless Controller button has been pressed.

This led Ketsenburg to the conclusion that his Xbox 360 must have been stolen by someone nearby, according to a report by local newspaper The Standard.

With his controller by his side, Ketsenburg then went exploring his apartment block and was eventually led to a room on the fifth floor where his console was discovered.

Unfortunately for Ketsenburg, the thief had wiped the Xbox 360’s hard drive, so all his precious gaming statistics have been lost.

Ketsenburg plans to get his own back though. “I'm going to try to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.