Xbox calls time on excessive gaming |
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| Written by Matt Chapman | |
| Thursday, 08 November 2007 | |
 "Just one more go, mum!?" Ahh, how we remember our youth on the Commodore 64 – yes we really are that old. Anyway, since the dawn of gaming parents have sought to limit the amount of time kids spend doing it, mainly to stop the medical condition known as squarus eyus. Now Microsoft is giving them a hand...
Redmond boffins have added a parental control feature called the Family Timer to the Xbox 360. This can monitor the amount of gaming and entertainment time the console is used for, on a daily or weekly basis, shutting it off if you reach the appropriate time limit. It won't just kick you off as you near that Halo 3 save point, though, and you'll get a notification warning you the session is nearing the end. “It’s Microsoft’s responsibility to provide parents with tools they can use to manage their children’s video gaming and online experiences, and we have made that a priority from the very start,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft [and chief meenie]. The idea for the Xbox 360 Family Timer comes from similar software in the Windows Vista operating system. The feature will be available as a download on the Xbox Live online service in early December. |
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