Microsoft's Xbox 360 has a new toy coming for Christmas: advanced parental controls. The update allows parents to set time limits on play and the system will turn itself off when that limit is reached.

The article doesn't go into detail, but unless it saves the game first, I expect parents to stop using the auto timer for a more traditional "turn that off and do your homework!" after the first temper tantrum when little Johnny looses his progress on the last level of game X.

Read it here.