D-Link DWL-810

X-Box Live Wireless

By Keith Schleicher

How Well Does it Work?

Again, I was skeptical of a wireless solution, but I figured it was the best solution for the way my home was set up.  So I tried several different games using this configuration. 

Capcom vs. SNK 2 

Fighters need to have lightning quick response times.  When I played it, I felt like the person was sitting right next to me.  I never felt that I lost a match due to lag between the router and the bridge. This game can be plagued by lag though, and isn’t the best choice for online play. 

ESPN NFL Football 

Football is another game of timing, with juke moves, shoestring catches, and last-second Hail Marys.  The wireless performed well, with the players moving as I wanted them to, calling the plays with ease, and the throws done to where I wanted them.  I could not tell the difference between this and a hard connection. 

Return to Castle Wolfenstein 

Shooters have been a staple to the online community since the original Quake (or even before that with Doom).  However, playing a shooter on a console with friends usually meant several buddies bunched up on the couch, each with their own controller, playing the game in a screen a quarter of the size of the entire television set.  As much fun as it was to blast buddies and trash talk them, the small screen, and the “cheating” factor of looking at others boxes to see where they were, just wasn’t as satisfying as playing online on your PC. 

RtCW has become one of the fastest growing games for Xbox LIVE play.  The voice communicator really enhances the experience, and gives the players a better sense of teamwork. 

The connection performed flawlessly.  The voice communications sounded great, the players ran around without a hint of lag from the wireless connection, and the people that I played with couldn’t tell that I had a wireless connection.  Each time I played this I was amazed at how well the wireless connection held up. 

Crimson Skies 

Although this could be considered a shooter, it is more of a third person action game.  With action happening all around, shots have to be on target.  The experience with Crimson Skies is fast, and the LIVE action never stuttered with the intense action. 

Conclusion 

The cost of wireless might be the biggest factor in holding someone back.  The DWL-810 is  in high demand because of the new online console revolution, and the price of $60 reflects that.  However, if you are serious about online console gaming, and you don’t have a convenient way to connect your console to a router or directly to your high speed connection, then the wireless option is definitely worth looking into.

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