Chinese authorities are reviewing a decade-long ban on video game consoles and considering the possibility of lifting the ban and "opening up the country's video game hardware market", as reported by China Daily.
The report comes from a government source, which told China Daily that they "are reviewing the policy and have conducted some surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of opening up the game console market."
The source, who asked not to be named, also added that "since the ban was issued by seven ministries more than a decade ago, we will need approval from all parties to lift it."
The ban of video game consoles in the country was instated in 2000, when seven Chinese ministries collectively agreed on the banning of manufacture, sale and import of game consoles in China due to fears of potential harm to the physical and mental development of the young.
Since then, major video game companies such as Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have reportedly made several attempts to enter the Chinese mainland market officially.
Currently, the closest successful introduction of video-game related products is Microsoft's Kinect, which was allowed to be sold in mainland China in October last year, but its use is for medical treatment and education only.
Sony Computer Entertainment also set up a branch in South China's Guangdong province in June last year, suggesting the start of strong change in relation to video games in China.
By Nathan Misa