Sony has reaffirmed its commitment to the protection of minors from the effects of violent videogames with the announcement of in-built parental controls for its next generation PS3 console.
Sony joined Japan"s biggest retailers, publishers and developers in a discussion with the Tokyo government last week, designed to establish a universal approach to the issue of violent videogames and their alleged associated effects on children.
The city"s government, along with several prefectural governments across Japan, is considering a wide-reaching change to its current rating system and preventing the sale of certain software to minors, in a similar fashion to European practices.
Microsoft, also present at the talks, has already confirmed that its forthcoming Xbox 360 console will have an adaptable parental control systems in place, allowing parents to dictate what content can be played on the console.