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gamebridge.jpgThanks to intern Errol Pierre-Louis for this review!

Need a device that that can turn your PC into a gaming/entertainment center? The Adaptec GameBridge 1400 ($69.99) and GameBridgeTV 1410($99.99) are adaptors that let you play and record console games on your PC; the GameBridgeTV also lets you watch and record TV shows on your computer.

Either Gamebridge works with the PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, and GameCube. Setup and installation are simple. Once you have the device installed, just hook up your console to the 4-in-1 cable and hit Play. The interface is easy to figure out.

A feature I really enjoyed is Record: Instead of just gloating over a single in-game replay, you can really rub it in by sharing saved MPEGs of your gaming dominance. With the GameBridgeTV, the television connection works just as well. You can use your PC to do anything you already do on your TV, and also record TV content as a video file. You can even record VHS tapes and convert them to DVD disks.

You're definitely going to want more than the 1.3-Ghz processor and 256MB of RAM listed in the system requirements. I used the GameBridge on a 2-year-old laptop with a 2.66 Pentium 4 and 512MB of RAM, and the game lagged when I was recording or doing anything other than just playing a game. But with a souped-up gaming PC or laptop and the GameBridge, you might never want to play on your TV again.




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Posted by: Jonathan
July 6, 2006 11:28 PM

Is it different than just connecting your console using RCA ports to a TV capture card?


Posted by: cmangis
July 7, 2006 11:04 AM

This device (both versions) is about the ability to play console games on your PC; the TV tuner feature is an extra.


Posted by: Matt Waldron
July 19, 2006 1:48 PM

Most video capture cards have at least a second or two delay between the time that something actually happens and the time it shows up on the screen. That makes most video games almost impossible to play. I've seen this product in action (http://www.networkworld.com/video/013006ct-gamebridge.html?tab=cool_tools) and I'm pretty convinced that the delay is negligible.


Posted by: Justin
August 12, 2007 3:06 PM

Is there a similar gadget that allows a Wii to be hooked up to a laptop?


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