Most parents are concerned about the content of the video games their children play, according to a new European survey by Microsoft. The most worried parents are the Italians (83%), followed by those in the UK (76%).
Considering the sheer number of kids playing unsuitable games here, I find that stat a little laughable although it’s quite possible they are ‘concerned’ but completely fail to act on that concern when they are buying games for their cherubs. Advice: check the bloody rating on the front of the box.
Microsoft has established itself – rightly or wrongly - as the ‘responsible’ console vendor, with new parental controls for the Xbox 360, and now the Play Smart, Play Safe Index survey of 4,000 parents in the UK, France, Germany and Italy seems to be trying to cement that position.
“It's a fantastic time to be a kid in the digital age, but it’s also time for all of us to come together as responsible parents and business leaders to ensure our children are safe as well as challenged and entertained,” said Chris Lewis, Vice President, Microsoft EMEA. "In line with the research results, Microsoft is making available today a new Family Timer feature - already built into Windows Vista - that will enable parents for the first time to set the appropriate amount of gaming and entertainment time on the Xbox 360 - on a daily or weekly basis.”
Despite many parents claiming that one hour of gaming a day is plenty for kids, only half of the parents surveyed felt in control of how long their kids play games.-Martin Lynch
xbox microsoft xbox 360 console
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Competition is hotting up in the fledgling high high-def TV market with Virgin Media this week halving the price of its V+ HD set-top box to £75.
It's a 160GB PVR with three TV tuners that can record two programmes simultaneously and still allow you to watch a third. The usual PVR functions of pausing/rewinding live TV apply and to avail of HD telly you'll have to subscribe to one of its monthly TV packages.
The new price is being used as a lure to those that haven't already opted for the Sky HD offering.
James Kydd, managing director of marketing and brand at Virgin Media commented: “With so much going on at Christmas, people can miss out on the telly they want to watch. All our customers have access to On Demand – just like a video store in your front room that never goes out of stock - and Virgin Media's V+ box gives customers the added freedom to control their own TV schedule. What more could you want this Christmas?”
Buyers before December 31st will also get it installed for £75, half the usual price of £150, while those that flex their plastic before Dec 12th are promised installation in time for Christmas. Promises, promises.-Martin Lynch
[Virgin Media via Mad.co.uk]
TV HDTV PVR
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With celebrities driving hybrids and the anti-car lobby growing in strength every day, it may be time to look into this alternative fuel malarkey.
If you already have a diesel car, you could do worse than making your own biofuel in the garage using the FuelPod2. The FuelPod2 stands 140cm tall and 60cm wide, and boasts the ability to make up to 50 litres of biodiesel a day from waste cooking oil. Of course, no matter how many deep fried chips you eat, you’ll never have enough waste oil for the FuelPod2 so, you might want to check with your local restaurant or kebab shop before spending £2,056.
Still, the result is a much cheaper fuel you can use instead diesel, which won’t ruin your engine and places you on the frontline in the fight against global warming. If you'd like a quick promotion to Green Captain, then dump the car and opt for the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bike.-Martin Lynch
[Greenfuels via Red Ferret]
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There’s still a little confusion here but it looks like today’s software update for the Xbox 360 will include support for the hugely popular DivX video format.
Microsoft has said nothing ‘official’ – hell, if you ask them, they will deny it – but according to the latest entries on its own Xbox Team blog, DivX support is mentioned in an FAQ regarding video support. Here’s the relevant Q&A [No.16].
Q: Why don’t some of my older versions of DivX® files play?
A: Since we only support Mpeg-4 compatible codec implementations, we will not be able to play video files older than DivX® 5.0.
So, DivX support seems imminent. This is a big plus for many gamers since the DivX format is the most popular format for good quality, compressed TV and movies. DivX recently announced forthcoming support for the PS3.
Other key features of the firmware update will be parental controls, the addition of Xbox Live Arcade Hits – a series of discounted games, a news ticker on the dashboard for seeing any new updates and Xbox news, and some interface tweaks.-Martin Lynch
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Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
