Nintendo has announced today that it will offer in their next-generation console a "Play Control" system, similar to that offered in DVD players, to restrict the playing of games with certain ESRB ratings.

This new feature will password-protect the console, permitting parents or guardians to choose which of the E, E10+, T, or M ratings (no mention is made of AO, interestingly) the console will play while allowing those with the password to play games of any rating.

This feature could have the effect of lowering the resistance to releasing titles with more objectionable content on the system, since the control of what titles get played is now firmly in parents' hands. On the other hand, if indeed the industry did target teenage boys with so-called "mature" content, they would presumably be less likely to release these types of titles on Revolution since their market could shrink.