An on-board system in the forthcoming Xbox 360 may solve years of bad press and concern over the effects of "mature" content on malleable young minds. The device will feature parental controls - thus re-placing the onus where it should be - which will disallow content that Mum or Dad deems Little Jimmy or Jane shouldn't be playing with.
Details are vague at the minute, but the system is part of the extensive profiling capabilities of the machine, an ingenious protocol which sets up a unique identity for each player across all titles for the system - whether online or off. While some may shout Big Brother at these profiling capabilities, it should make the gamer's relationship with the apparatus more long-standing.
The parental control software is similar to a product profiled on CBSNews called V-Wallfly, which does for games what Internet and TV digital nannies do for their domains. When a product is put into the machine that doesn't meet the parental criteria, the game doesn't load and the kid is left with more suitable entertainment. The Xbox 360's safety guard also allows parents to decide whether their little darling can chat to or play with strangers on Live.
It makes sense that the Xbox 360 is the first machine to offer such a service; extensive scrutiny of their existing applications transfers nicely to a product such as this.
