Recently, the U.S. Senate voted on a measure that will have an effect on all buyers of electronic devices, including gaming machines. A Senate panel approved legislation that pinned April 7, 2009 as the deadline for television stations to make the switch to HDTV digital broadcasts. If passed, the bill will also assign $3 billion for converters for pre-HDTV sets.

This bill, should it become law, could influence the upcoming console war. Sony and Microsoft have both put a great deal of emphasis on the HD capabilities of their next generation systems. It is also expected that the PS3 and Xbox 360 will help accelerate the adoption of HDTV sets.