Adaptec Gamebridge 1400 (play console games on your PC!) - Now $10 at Fry's - review!

This may have been covered but:

I went to Fry's and had no trouble getting a 1410 for the $20 price, except for finding it. I checked in video games and then in video cards with no luck - found out they they put them with networking stuff (switches/hubs/routers). Wrong bridges, Fry's!

They also had about a hundred (no kidding) of both the 1400 and 1410. This is definitely going to continue to drop until they're rid of them.
 
This is an incredlibly newbish question but.... does this require a system to play? Is the unit capable of reading disks? I know nothing about it, but I do know I would love to play PSOne games on my lappy...
 
[quote name='Maxim726X']This is an incredlibly newbish question but.... does this require a system to play? Is the unit capable of reading disks? I know nothing about it, but I do know I would love to play PSOne games on my lappy...[/QUOTE]

Yup, it needs a console. This is just a way to get the audio and video feed from a console (or anything with RCA connections, really) to a computer. For PS1 games, you'd probably be best served using Bleem, a PS1 emulator.
 
I was under the assumption that Bleem only played specific games... Am I incorrect? Is it free? Thanks for your help- really appreciate it.
 
[quote name='Maxim726X']I was under the assumption that Bleem only played specific games... Am I incorrect? Is it free? Thanks for your help- really appreciate it.[/QUOTE]
You might be referring to the Bleemcast!, which allowed certain PS1 games to be played on the Dreamcast. Per the Bleem wiki article, Bleem should work on most games but doesn't work on any OS using the Windows NT kernel (including XP). They recommend trying ePSXe, although that requires a PS1 bios dump. I don't think the CAG mods want me saying much more, though I will say that owning a bios dump is probably completely legal if you own a PS1.

Answering another of your questions: Bleem isn't free, but there is a demo version available to try.
 
Sorry if this was posted (but I tried searching). Anyways, does anyone know, it lists it using USB 2.0, if I don't have 2.0, will it work? Or is it too slow then and will cause lag?
 
[quote name='nwaugh']They recommend trying ePSXe, although that requires a PS1 bios dump. I don't think the CAG mods want me saying much more, though I will say that owning a bios dump is probably completely legal if you own a PS1.[/quote]Well, you're technically supposed to dump the bios yourself. Anyway, ePSXe is the PS1's ZSNES. It's the best out there right now, even though there hasn't been any real development on it in years.

If anyone needs help setting it up, drop a PM my way.
 
[quote name='ummmmmm......']i was wondering is this only online or can i ask them for the deal in store?[/quote]

i checked my frys and i bought one a few weeks ago for 15 i believe. pretty sure 15 ya. it's the 1400 not 1410. i figured it was a good deal and i didnt even see this thread. i never got around to opening it and messing around with it.

they had a huge stack i'm pretty sure it was ONLY the 1400 model. i definitely will go back tomorrow see if i can get the 1410 version.

EDIT:
and for the OP ya i originally bought this JUST to record old vhs/hi8 video tapes. the gaming recording came next since i used to play some games professionally and i never owned something like this and the games being able to play on pc monitor is just icing...even tho i'll never really use that feature.
 
In case the idea hadn't crossed one's mind, I should also note that the screenshot feature on this cheap little device is perfect for capturing a Mii, bright and clear. Never resort to taking a photo of your TV screen again!
 
[quote name='ummmmmm......']thanks for the reply. can i ask one more question? what section of fry's did you find your's in????[/QUOTE]

My local Fry's puts them in the game dept. along with PS2/PS3 accessories.
 
The store in Orange County had them in the computer area (the aisle with blank CDs, disk drives, etc)

[quote name='ummmmmm......']thanks for the reply. can i ask one more question? what section of fry's did you find your's in????[/quote]
 
So, you must have the computer on to play games? I've been looking for a cheap way to play PS2 games on my monitor (without having to route it through my PC)
 
I bought this back when it was $25, and didn't open it until today. It's funny I tried to get it to work this morning, and in the evening it shows up again at CAG (and for $5 less).

Anyway, I have a problem: I have the 1410, and I installed everything on my laptop. When I hooked up a video source to it, the video and audio is extremely choppy...it's totally unwatchable. Anyone has experienced this problem or know a solution to fix it?

Their online support is ridiculous. Asked me for a TSID that comes with the package, but mine doesn't work. Asked me to enter the serial number instead, and mine doesn't work either. And according to the website, calling customer service costs $199 per call!
 
[quote name='Garfield']I bought this back when it was $25, and didn't open it until today. It's funny I tried to get it to work this morning, and in the evening it shows up again at CAG (and for $5 less).

Anyway, I have a problem: I have the 1410, and I installed everything on my laptop. When I hooked up a video source to it, the video and audio is extremely choppy...it's totally unwatchable. Anyone has experienced this problem or know a solution to fix it?
[/QUOTE]

What are your laptop's specs (including chipset)? Could be a driver or hardware issue that your USB bandwidth isn't good enough for some reason.
 
Arrgh. I want the TV tuner one, but the item is messed up on the site and I can't add the item to my cart :whistle2:(. I even tried calling the phone line, and it puts me on hold for 5 minutes blaring some really loud J-pop music, then it cuts off. It did this to me twice. Any advice?
 
[quote name='chair_home']Arrgh. I want the TV tuner one, but the item is messed up on the site and I can't add the item to my cart :whistle2:(. I even tried calling the phone line, and it puts me on hold for 5 minutes blaring some really loud J-pop music, then it cuts off. It did this to me twice. Any advice?[/QUOTE]
Knock over a magazine rack.
 
I tried this device over the break to play Star Ocean 3 Director's Cut on PS2, and I also used Hori's VGA box as a comparison.

1410 handles the TV function very well, but when playing SO3, there are lot of lags during the battles. Compared to the Hori's VGA box, the picture quality is a bit better with no gauss problems.

So I'm kind of curious how other people had no lagging problems with their gamebridge device. I would like to someday use this device other than Hori's VGA box to play PS2. (Gamebridge is more portable.)

I'm using HP Pavilion ze2000 notebook, 1.6ghz AMD Sempron, 1gig of DDR memory, integrated 128mb ATI Radeon.
 
So the lag varies? What's it like? Anything else running at the same time?

There is lag when it's working correctly, but it should be far less than a second, and always be the same. Some people probably wouldn't even realize it's there.

I wonder if integrated graphics hurts it?

The system I use it on is a Pentium 4 2.4Ghz/533Mhz with a Geforce 4.
 
sups guys, i bought the device and tried to install it. i'm having problems.

the congfiguration works but the intervideo home theater does not want to open. am i doing something wrong. please help.
 
i bought the tv tuner version a while back and there is no lagg. im assuming some ppl might be having problems because they might not have a fast enough pc that handles its but other than that, the adapter works as advertized
 
sorry if this has already been posted, but does anyone have any sample videos they've uploaded while using this? i'm just curious about the quality of this.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']What are your laptop's specs (including chipset)? Could be a driver or hardware issue that your USB bandwidth isn't good enough for some reason.[/QUOTE]

When I go to Device Manager and look under the "Advance" tab for my USB host controller, the GameBridge appears under the "Bandwidth-consuming devices" with 397% under Bandwidth used.

I'm pretty sure I have USB 2.0 Can somebody that is able to get this thing to work properly check what's the bandwidth used on your system? Many thanks in advance.
 
[quote name='chair_home']Arrgh. I want the TV tuner one, but the item is messed up on the site and I can't add the item to my cart :whistle2:(. I even tried calling the phone line, and it puts me on hold for 5 minutes blaring some really loud J-pop music, then it cuts off. It did this to me twice. Any advice?[/QUOTE]

It doesn't appear to be listed on their website, which is a shame because I want the TV tuner version. And I can't drive my eponymous Karmann-Ghia because the lifter is bad, so I can't physically go to my Fry's.
 
If anyone is able to pick one of the 1410's up for me, please CML and let me know if we can work out a trade for one.

No access to a Fry's, have just enough $ for a wii, and really want the TV Tuner version.

Thanks!
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']So the lag varies? What's it like? Anything else running at the same time?

There is lag when it's working correctly, but it should be far less than a second, and always be the same. Some people probably wouldn't even realize it's there.

I wonder if integrated graphics hurts it?

The system I use it on is a Pentium 4 2.4Ghz/533Mhz with a Geforce 4.[/QUOTE]

Lag is consistent. I guess the best way to describe it is that my screen shows interlacing problems? That's the best way I can explain it. The motions look smooth on TV, whereas on the laptop, the motions seem to skip.
 
[quote name='ummmmmm......']sups guys, i bought the device and tried to install it. i'm having problems.

the congfiguration works but the intervideo home theater does not want to open. am i doing something wrong. please help.[/QUOTE]

Remember to update to the latest direct x. i had BSOD when i tried to open intervideo without updating direct x.
 
[quote name='Garfield']When I go to Device Manager and look under the "Advance" tab for my USB host controller, the GameBridge appears under the "Bandwidth-consuming devices" with 397% under Bandwidth used.

I'm pretty sure I have USB 2.0 Can somebody that is able to get this thing to work properly check what's the bandwidth used on your system? Many thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]

I have USB 2.0 and to my surprise, my device also consumes 397% of bandwidth. Yet, I don't get teh out of bandwidth error.

Just out of curiosity, for those people who aren't noticing any lags when playing games, how much USB bandwidth is the device using?
 
sups guys, i downloaded the current drivers, i still can't open te movie player. i can open the config no problem but the movie player part won't open. any ideas?
 
I was able to actually get the TV Tuner one for about the same price through ebay. I bid $16 on one that had about $9 shipping, but I lost. Then I get a "second chance to buy" email, and I bought it for the $16.00 (then the extra $9) I bid. So for basically the same price as I would've paid, I bought it off of ebay. I'll let you know if everything goes well. Its kind of a weak alternative to buying off of frys.com, but there aren't many other options.

The only thing that really sucks is that earlier today, I caved and bought the regular one, so I hope I can cancel that order before it ships... but I don't think I did in time.
 
So, when I try running a program like FRAPS, my laptop seems like it is gonna wtfasplode. Will I have the same problem if I try using this? (Yes, I know FRAPS records PC, but I heard some people saying a higher end PC will run the software/record better.
 
For those recording gameplay videos using DScaler, do you have sound when you playback the file? I tried recording a game and the video was recorded perfectly, but nothing for sound. While playing a game, there's sound, but not in the recorded file. What settings do I need to use to get sound in the recorded file?

For what it's worth, I have my ps2 composite cables plugged into the gamebridge.
 
[quote name='lilpetamoix']Lag is consistent. I guess the best way to describe it is that my screen shows interlacing problems? That's the best way I can explain it. The motions look smooth on TV, whereas on the laptop, the motions seem to skip.[/QUOTE]

That doesn't sound like lag. It sounds like your system isn't keeping up with the output from the device for whatever reason. The lag is just that what you're seeing is slightly behind what your system is outputting (well under a second), which is unavoidable on USB devices like this.
 
[quote name='camerica19']Has anyone tried playing Gears of War online with this? I just ordered one, hopefully it can keep up with that.[/QUOTE]

If you're using a regular monitor, a FAR better choice would be to connect your 360 directly to the monitor. That won't have lag, and will be in HD.

If you're using a laptop, you can connect your 360 through this, but it won't be in HD (you'd need to buy the S-Video cables to get the best image you can from it), and it does introduce some lag from the conversion process. So it wouldn't be ideal.
 
[quote name='Mysteriouskk']I love this device. So far I've made 2 video reviews for 2 video games. Check out my Crackdown Video Preview here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wLhWvQ14Y4A

Youtube definitely makes the quality lower, but the original is pretty clear.[/quote]
And even that looks pretty awesome.

Great job on the preview!

Can't wait to get mine!
 
seems that the 1410 version has been taken off the site? :cry:

I want the version that has the cable part of it too, do you think they arn't selling it anymore, or they took it off to fix the problem of the link not working (I tried different times yesturday as well as today and just redirected to me to the main site)
 
I got my 1400 yesterday and have been playing around with it. So far it looks like a fun little toy.

Has anyone had trouble getting the Genesis to display correctly? The Gamebridge works great with my NES, SNES, and some other consoles I tried, but not my Genny. I tried both my Genny 2 with the composite cable and my JVC X'Eye with the standard composite out and no dice.

The image looks like it's doubling and flickering off to the right, and there are some weird bands that move vertically. I downloaded DScaler and messed with the interlace modes since I thought this might be a interlace problem. But no dice there. Does anyone know if there is a setting with DScaler to get a Sega Genesis working with the Gamebridge? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Weird. I'd love to know if there's something different about how the Genesis outputs. Maybe it only happens in some games?
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']Weird. I'd love to know if there's something different about how the Genesis outputs. Maybe it only happens in some games?[/quote]

I thought that too, but tried a couple different games with the same results. I wanted to get some video of Beggar Prince, and then tried Lightening Force and Sonic to see if it was just the game. No luck.
 
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