The latest Xbox 360 rumor became reality as Microsoft confirms it will be delivering a new parental control feature for the console call the Xbox 360 Family Timer. As with the original Xbox console, the Xbox 360 already supports a user permission feature in the form of Family Settings, allowing owners to set what levels of access certain users (i.e. children) can have to game and DVD playback on the console, and even Xbox Live.

Designed in the vein of a similiar feature present in the company's Vista OS, the Family Timer grants users the ability to set daily or weekly limits on gaming and entertainment time for any number of users on a given 360 console. Users will receive notifications whenever a session is about to end, and the console will turn off automatically if the pre-set time limit is exceeded. We can easily imagine said user will not be able to take enjoy any more such sessions on the console until the requisite amount of time has passed.

The Timer is announced with the blessings of the Parent Teacher Association and Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice, and will be ready for download via Xbox Live sometime next month.

Independent research sponsored by Microsoft has shown that at least 45 percent of parents say that enforcing rules about their children's media consumption creates tension at home. Nearly all families (99 percent) have some rules, but less than half (47 percent) have comprehensive rules concerning access, content and time. The research revealed that only 16 percent of families actually put media-use rules in writing, and 40 percent of parents involve children in related discussions. These new resources should help parents address the issue of media time with their children.

"We’ve seen a tremendous response to the robust parental controls offered on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista, and the Xbox 360 Family Timer will continue to deliver on our promise to provide safer, balanced and fun entertainment for everyone," [Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft] said. "Professionally, I am proud of my division's work in this area, and personally, as a parent of three school-aged children, I know how important it is to be engaged in an ongoing dialogue with my family in order to uphold our household screen time rules."

Parents who really want to drive the point home with their children can also print out a copy of the "family PACT", a "family gaming agreement" which basically spells out the rules on media use, degree of parental involvement, what sort of gaming and entertainment content children are allowed to have access to, and when they are allowed to enjoy them.  Microsoft has further information for parents here.

Getting in touch with the parents of younger gamers is a step more gaming companies are wanting to take, thanks to negative press for gaming as a hobby these days.  Even Nintendo is getting into the habit of revamping gaming's image with parents with an online resource of their own.