Videogame parental controls

USATODAY recently published a handy little guide to the parental controls on the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation Portable. The Nintendo and Microsoft controls are based on the Entertainment Software Rating Board's ratings (e.g., "E," "T," and "M" for "Everyone," "Teen," and "Mature"), which are explained on this page at ESRB.org. With Sony's controls, which are not ESRB-based, "you'll need to experiment to find the right restriction level," says writer Kim Komando. "Start at 1 and gradually increase the number if acceptable games or movies are blocked." Kim also tells how to set controls on the Web browsers in the PS3, PSP, and Wii consoles. Xbox has controls for its online service, Xbox Live.