The problems related to the content of some video games have become much more serious lately, especially after the huge scandal around the sex scenes in GTA: San Andreas. This seems to be one of the reasons why Microsoft has decided that the future Xbox 360 gaming consoles will come equipped with an age restriction feature.

Thus, if the age of children using the console is entered in advance, software that has an age restriction above that age cannot be viewed. The Xbox 360 reportedly is the first home game console to provide such a feature, the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported Thursday.

Microsoft officials said the console reads data from the DVD when the software is loaded, including the age restriction for that software. The age restrictions on the console follow the four categories classified by the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization -- age 12 and up, age 15 and up, age 18 and up, and all ages.

In addition to being able to restrict the viewing of DVD software, the Xbox 360 also can be programmed in advance to control access to voice-chat sites. It remains to be seen just how popular this measure will turn out to be among the young users, and whether some means to "go around" this protection means will appear.