The Slingbox is a device used to watch your television content anywhere there is an Internet connection. Pretty spiffy. Another company, Spawn Labs, intends to do the same thing for video games with the addition of a social element.

Imagine a friend in California wants to play Xbox 360 with you, but you’re away in New York. If you have your computer with you you can install the Spawn Player application, connect to your 360 and play a game with your pal that way.

The Spawn HD Pro Box, available for $199 at their site, allows you to do this. These boxes transmit HD-quality (720p) image quality through the Net to your computer. Games can be played with the input device of the user’s choosing.

OnLive and OTOY are similar services that combine video games and the Net, only they use servers to store their content. Spawn Labs takes an existing console and transmits it online. A potential snag is making sure you have the game you want in the system before you go anywhere.

Potentially, Spawn Labs could use this tech for video and even mobile devices and handhelds.

Tim Torres  (186 Posts)

Senior Reviews Editor Tim Torres loves video games and loves to write about them. He also loves movies, comics, animation and acting. He does not hate Final Fantasy VII.