Microsoft Will Help Parents Limit Video Game Time
The Family Timer is Microsoft Corporation's latest attempt to garner support for its Xbox gaming console. The
technology company has announced a deal with the PTA to promote a new feature that allows parents to set automated time limits on how long the console is used.
Microsoft cited a study that claimed nearly half of parents surveyed stated that setting responsible limits on the amount of gaming time created "tension". We think that's called parenting and while an automated solution (available via download next month) is a good way to help parents remember how much time is left, especially in large families, the best solution for most families is to work together to find the right amount of time for each child to play.
Credit goes to Microsoft for attempting to work with organizations like the PTA and the Boys and Girls Clubs, but education and diversity remains the most effective tool.
Labels: Microsoft, video games, XBox
The Wheels On The XBox Burn, Burn, Burn
Microsoft Corporation announced yesterday that an add-on
device for their XBox 360 game console can overheat. No fires, injuries or other problems have been reported, but the company received dozens of complaints that the unit overheated and smoke was visible.
The company said consumers could fix the problem with the "Wireless Racing Wheel", but cautioned consumers that they should not use electrical power when using the device until they received a repair kit. Microsoft did not say when the kits would ship, and the federal government has not issued a recall notice.
The new console from Microsoft has taken its share of abuse. With a larger Sony installed base and tremendous buzz around Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's XBox was best known for its "red ring of death", the lights that displayed when some units locked up. The phrase was a play on words based on computer user's referring to failures in the company's Windows operating system as a "blue screen of death".
Blue or red, unplug your XBox's steering wheel until it is repaired.
Labels: Microsoft, safety, XBox
