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Perhaps the easiest way to explain Spawn Labs’ console game streaming device, the HD-720, is “Slingbox for gaming.†You buy the box, you hook up your consoles (Xbox, 360, PlayStation 2, PS3 and/or GameCube), and then you can stream/play those console games over an Internet connection on your laptop wherever you are. When you look at this way, it’s actually not a terrible idea, especially for those hardcore gamers who want to be able to play their favorite console games from anywhere in the world at any time. However, there are a number of serious issues worth considering before you start placing your orders.
First is the issue of latency. Now, Spawn Labs says the box is capable of streaming 720HD video with a comparable amount of latency to that found on typical consoles. However, considering that lag still crops up when playing online multiplayer matches, this is one claim that will definitely need to be examined extensively in the wild before being believed. One of the box’s other key features is that it lets your friends play multiplayer games with you from their computers. They just install the free software, and you grant them access to play on your console.
Essentially, this means that people don’t even need to buy a console or pay for Xbox Live to play 360 or PS3 games online or offline. Even crazier though is that you could just get a bunch of friends together and have everyone chip in some cash, and everyone would be able to play a brand new shiny console for the price of a single game rental. Of course, if it’s a single player game, only one person would be able to use the console at a time, so that could cause some conflicts.
Also, for 360 owners, this means you no longer need an Xbox Live subscription, because you can just authorize a bunch of friends, and then play “local†multiplayer all you want. Of course, you wouldn’t want to be hosting sessions of MAG over a single box, but for games like Left 4 Dead or smaller multiplayer sessions, it definitely seems like it could be a solid way of enjoying free multiplayer (like your PS3 counterparts already enjoy) from anywhere.
Then there’s the issue of what games you’re able to play, since you either have to play the games stored on your console’s hard drive, or keep playing whatever game disc is currently in your system. I guess if you have a big enough hard drive or if you only want to play one game for as long as you’re away from your console, then this wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s easy to see how it could cause issues with some gamers.
I have to say though, one of the box’s best features is the ability to play any game with any controller you want. Although, while this seems easy enough when it comes to playing a 360 game with a PS3 controller, or vice versa, it isn’t exactly clear how this would work if you wanted to play a GameCube game with a 360 controller for instance.
Clearly, Spawn Labs’ magic console streaming box has some issues to sort out, not the least of which is the $200 price tag ($230 if you want to play Xbox or PS2), which will most likely turn off quite a few gamers right from the start. But it has some good ideas, and assuming it works the way it says it does, I could see it catching on with a very specific type of gamer.
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First is the issue of latency. Now, Spawn Labs says the box is capable of streaming 720HD video with a comparable amount of latency to that found on typical consoles. However, considering that lag still crops up when playing online multiplayer matches, this is one claim that will definitely need to be examined extensively in the wild before being believed. One of the box’s other key features is that it lets your friends play multiplayer games with you from their computers. They just install the free software, and you grant them access to play on your console.
Essentially, this means that people don’t even need to buy a console or pay for Xbox Live to play 360 or PS3 games online or offline. Even crazier though is that you could just get a bunch of friends together and have everyone chip in some cash, and everyone would be able to play a brand new shiny console for the price of a single game rental. Of course, if it’s a single player game, only one person would be able to use the console at a time, so that could cause some conflicts.
Also, for 360 owners, this means you no longer need an Xbox Live subscription, because you can just authorize a bunch of friends, and then play “local†multiplayer all you want. Of course, you wouldn’t want to be hosting sessions of MAG over a single box, but for games like Left 4 Dead or smaller multiplayer sessions, it definitely seems like it could be a solid way of enjoying free multiplayer (like your PS3 counterparts already enjoy) from anywhere.
Then there’s the issue of what games you’re able to play, since you either have to play the games stored on your console’s hard drive, or keep playing whatever game disc is currently in your system. I guess if you have a big enough hard drive or if you only want to play one game for as long as you’re away from your console, then this wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s easy to see how it could cause issues with some gamers.
I have to say though, one of the box’s best features is the ability to play any game with any controller you want. Although, while this seems easy enough when it comes to playing a 360 game with a PS3 controller, or vice versa, it isn’t exactly clear how this would work if you wanted to play a GameCube game with a 360 controller for instance.
Clearly, Spawn Labs’ magic console streaming box has some issues to sort out, not the least of which is the $200 price tag ($230 if you want to play Xbox or PS2), which will most likely turn off quite a few gamers right from the start. But it has some good ideas, and assuming it works the way it says it does, I could see it catching on with a very specific type of gamer.
more here