Xbox 360 parental control works for Xbox games [update1]

[UPDATE: The MS Retail Site was wrong; the 360 does handle parental control for original Xbox games correctly. Thanks, Sara!]

It looks like a patch is in order for the Xbox 360 to enable parental control for non-360 Xbox titles. Here's what Microsoft's online retail training site had to say [note: you need to be a qualified retail agent to log in and check it out]:

"Because original Xbox games do not include the same encoded data as Xbox 360 games, so the Xbox 360 will not be able to read ESRB ratings from original Xbox games. A software release to enable the reading of the ratings of original Xbox games will be availablea [sic] few months after the launch of Xbox 360."

In the mad dash to get as many original Xbox titles up to speed for the 360, parental control may have been left behind in the next-gen BC features list. So a word to the wise 360 early adopters out there (and maybe those who end up with an early system later on): update your 360 online, or you might have little Timmy pulling a Tommy Vercetti while you're away.

[Thanks, Nick]