On January 28th, China Daily [via Bloomberg] reported that China's Ministry of Culture is debating on lifting the console ban. If the lift would take place, Chinese citizens will have the ability to buy a console for the first time in almost 13-years.
The measure was initially put in place back in 2000 to protect its people from the psychological and physical problems they might cause. Even though they haven't been allowed to play via console, Chinese gamers can play on their computers.
In order for the ban to be lifted however, it will need to be unanimously agreed upon by the seven Chinese ministries. The Ministry of Culture is now discussing the best course of action.
The news caused a wave of excitement in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, giving Sony a 9.1% and Nintendo a 3.4% boosts. The highest in almost a year for Sony's stock and since December for Nintendo. Microsoft is not listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
In Naoko Fujimura & Mariko Yasu's report on Bloomberg's website, they quote a discussion with Satoshi Fukuoka, spokesman for Sony's Japanese division of the PlayStation:
"Sony has always regarded China as a promising market for the game operation and has been studying and preparing for possible business opportunities."
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Jennifer Leach is a video game/film/comics/tech journalist who also writes for Attack of the Fanboy, and is Founder of the nerd news website, Another Castle. You may follow her Another Castle Twitter or Facebook for more updates on all things nerd.
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