Spawn Labs’ HD-720 Game Slinger Now Shipping. Any Good?

Spawn Labs reckons that it’s created the Slingbox equivalent for video game consoles, and now the Spawn HD-720 is ready for you to blow $200 on. It’s supposed to let you play a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 from remote locations, such as your computer desk or someone else’s house. You feed the audio, video and controller inputs on your Xbox 360 or PS3 into the box. Then, you install Spawn Labs’ software on a PC. Finally, plug a USB game controller into your computer, and you’re able to control a video game console from afar. But does it work?

I haven’t tried the HD-720, but the folks at Joystiq got some hands-on time last November. Basically, the product works, but it’s laggy. Controlling video games from afar is no problem, and the visuals are only slightly worse than they’d look on a television, but if you’re trying to play a twitchy shooter like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the Spawn HD-720 won’t get the job done. For games that don’t demand lightning-fast reflexes, such as an RPG or strategy game, or even a slow-paced shooter, the product could come in handy if you’re always getting kicked off the TV. Of course, considering that the HD-720 costs $200, plus $40 for additional controller adapters, you might just consider buying an Xbox 360 arcade and a memory card for your saved games. [via Engadget]