Rumor: 360 Update Adding Timer?
There's a rumor going 'round that the fall firmware update for the Xbox 360 will contain a brand new parental timer that will allow the folks to set a password-protected usage timer on the console that will limit the amount of time the child is allowed to play it.
It's an interesting concept, and one I would've thought kid-friendly Nintendo would've come up with first. There's just a couple problems with it. Firstly, I certainly wouldn't want to be the one who had set the timer that caused the console to shut down just as Little Timmy was about to finally take down that final boss, causing him to have the tantrum to end all tantrums. And second, odds are that Little Timmy is going to be a lot more savvy than the parental units when it comes to hacking it for more time or even just guessing the password outright.
Still, it's a step in the right direction, and it'll make it easier for parents to make sure that Little Timmy stops playing Guitar Hero and finishes his homework.
Rumor: Xbox 360 Fall Update to Bring Parental Timer [Kotaku]
Wootini
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 4 September 2007
· Comments (4)
Other stuff like this: microsoft, rumor, timer, update, xbox 360
interesting, but could i just get a sleep timer. i mean one that will turn off after i pass out after eating a tub of cookie dough ice cream while watching connie and carla for the umpteenth time. i mean is that possible? but if this will work for that too, i'm all for it.
i'm imagining it may work in the same fashion as when a controller battery dies, i.e. soon after the rumble feature stops working. you know, the screen where it sorta pauses the game. or perhaps it may even ask if you want to save, assuming that the game does have a save feature. or perhaps, and i guess this would be the most sensible path, like 5-10 minutes before the console shuts down, an alert pops up telling you that it is about to do so, so get your saving in now, or enter that password, whatever, something like that.
The 360 already has a sleep timer. By default, it is set to shut down after 6 hours of no activity. You can change it on the settings blade, I just don't remember where.
the sleep timer doesn't seem to work for dvds, plus six hours? i mean i'll be up by that time again, not really but i would like to have the option for like 30 minutes, or something for when i do watch dvds. as opposed to "inactivity" which apparently never registers on dvd play time
I believe the Game Boy Player actually had a timer like this built into it.