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Should parents buy their children a Nintendo Switch?
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Video game fans across the country lined up outside Target, Walmart and Gamestop today all for the sake of one thing the Nintendo Switch. But will families embrace the system? - photo by Herb Scribner
Video game fans across the country lined up outside Target, Walmart and Gamestop today for one thing the Nintendo Switch.

But will families embrace the system?

The new console, which launched Friday in stores nationwide, isnt available online, which has forced people to head to their closest Best Buy or Target to pick up their system, USA Today reported.

Its also the reason so many people preordered the device, according to The Verge.

You can find your own Nintendo Switch by contacting your local tech store.

The system, which costs $299.99 on its own (there are bundles available), drew mixed reviews on Friday, according to The New York Times' roundup of critical reviews.

For example, The Seattle Times said Nintendo needs to make a hit with the new console if it wants to rebound from previous failures with its Wii-U device.

The system already finds itself in a corner, according to The Seattle Times, as its purely a gaming console without Netflix or app capabilities.

It comes at a time when people find gaming in other places, like their mobile devices. After all, a survey from the NPD Group found that 63 percent of children play games on their phones rather than through PCs or video game consoles.

Thats why Ian Sherr, a writer for the tech website CNet, isnt sure whether his child will love the Nintendo Switch in the same way he enjoyed his own Nintendo system when he was young.

Sherr wrote that he looks back fondly on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Nintendo video game console that rose to popularity in the mid-1980s. (Its so big today, in fact, Nintendo launched the Nintendo Classic console, a mini-version of the NES, to appease cult followers of the NES device.)

Sherr said he played his original NES system for hours without end.

Now, almost 30 years later, he has his own son. Hes worried his son wont like the Nintendo console as much as Sherr enjoyed the NES.

I'm looking at the likely device my son might use when he's ready to start playing his own games in a few years, Sherr wrote.

There are some qualities of the Switch that excite Sherr, like the fact that it has some mobile-esque games included with the device. Hes just unsure if the Nintendo console has the staying power to hook his son, whos still a few years away from gaming.

Opinions aside, Nintendo has worked to make its new device family-friendly. According to the Phone Arena, the new Switch has an iOS and Android app that explains to parents standard behavior when it comes to letting their children play games online.

In fact, the video includes Bowser and his son Bowser Jr., who talk about the Switch Parental Controls app, which allows parents to control how much time their children spend on the app.

While other consoles require you to set up these restrictions on the console itself, Nintendo has taken it a step further by allowing parents to bypass the Switch altogether and manage gameplay from a mobile device, Nintendo Wire explained.

These controls especially the idea of letting parents control how long their children plays should make for a lot less stress, wrote Andy Robertson for Pocket-Lint.

The system also comes packed with family-friendly games at an affordable price, Robertson wrote.

Less money, less stress and more fun games mean an overall better experience for the family, the website explained.

On balance the Switch is a very exciting proposition for families, Robertson wrote. Not only does it have a great line-up of exclusive games, but the new controllers and ways to play will excite gamers of all ages. It offers innovative ways to play and does so with a streamlined approach that is both well thought through and excellently delivered. Add to this ... top notch parental controls and this is a system likely to be in high demand by mums, dads and their children.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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