Gamertell

The idea of a one console gaming system in the future has been drawing mixed reactions across the internet lately.

The creator of God of War, David Jaffe, started a blog asking readers why having a one console system is a bad idea. Nothing wrong in that. The single system debate that has been circulating the web since October 19, 2007, when EA’s Gerhard Florin told BBC News that having one console gaming system would make it easier on game developers having to create compatible copies of their games for multiple systems.

Somehow, many of the headlines on the internet paint Jaffe as an advocate or supporter of the one console game system idea, leading to even more blog posts questioning Jaffe’s original post…

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In the Xbox 360’s most recent update (December 4, 2007), Microsoft included the Family Timer. As its name implies, it is a virtual timer you can set to limit the amount of time the console is used.

Certainly meant to make the system even more family friendly, Microsoft conducted its own survey. According to the completely biased, corporate sponsored surveys, 62 percent of the 800 US parents surveyed said they would use a timer and 75 percent “welcome built-in technology or software to monitor the time their children spend playing video games.” Of course, The Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii all have some parental controls in place.

The Family Timer is all on screen through the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live menu. After the timer has been set, on-screen warnings pop up (yay, more popups) to warn gamers that the system will soon shut down. It is supposed to give them enough time to save the game but, as all gamers know, that is not always immediately available. ("Just a few more minutes, I need to get to a save spot, mom/dad/automated babysitter.") Once the timer runs out, the system shuts down.

To get to the timer you go to the Xbox Dashboard, to System, select Family Settings and then select Console Controls. It’s the sixth item down (labelled “Famiyl Timer,” of course). You can set the limits to Daily, Weekly or Off. You then select an amount of time in 15 minute increments from 15 minutes to 24 hours (for the Daily option) and hour increments from 1 to 168 hours (Weekly option).

The Xbox 360’s other settings include limits for Game Ratings, Video Ratings, Access to Xbox Live, Xbox Live Membership Creation and Marketplace and Inside Xbox. These are all part of Microsoft’s “Safety is no game. Is your family set?” campaign which also includes involvement from Best Buy and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

No matter how many of these nice features companies include, please remember that the best parenting is educated and involved parenting. Try all (and I mean all) the games your kids are playing and see how well they play with others. Though the timer will help limit excessive gaming, simply setting a hardcore time limit might not be the best solution for every family.

UPDATE: The timer gives a popup warning at 5 minutes prior to shutdown. Also, the time left is displayed in the Xbox Dashboard, so you can press the Xbox logo button on the controller to see it. When set, it appears at the top of the dashboard in the upper right corner next to a mini family logo. When your time expires, the Dashboard pops up and three options are available: Add More Time, Suspend Time or Shut Down Console. The first two require the parental pass code (a four-button sequence). If you shut down and simply restart the system, you get 2 minutes on the clock.

Read [Loot Ninja] Site [Is Your family Set?] Site [Microsoft]

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For months I had been blaming my dog - not for that - for turning on my game systems when I wasn’t looking.

I figured she was sniffing around or walking by the consoles and either her nose or her happily waging tail hit one of the easy-to-press power buttons. I hadn’t seen it happen but I knew neither my dog nor gremlins were playing my Xbox 360, PS3 or my Wii. (I’d kicked the gremlins out years ago.)

To power up the Xbox 360, you simply glide your finger over the unlit ring whereas for the PS3 you glide your finger over the small icon above the ready light on top of the console. In offering these easy-to-use, sensitive-to-the-touch…

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I received an official list from a Nintendo rep this morning (August 9, 2007) concerning the Wii Firmware ver. 3.0 update. The update took place Monday (August 6, 2007) evening/Tuesday morning (August 7, 2007) and included the following upgrades…

UPDATE: Another response from Nintendo has been posted and I noticed something interesting on the Nintendo FAQ page concerning music CDs/DVDs.

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