Multi-Purpose VGA Box

The Multi-Purposed VGA Box offered at Lik-Sang.com allows gamers to use a PC monitor to play games with their Xbox. The product connects the monitor with both your PC and your Xbox. This can be a very useful product for anyone who needs an extra screen to host LAN parties, but it can also be a bonus to anyone that is forced to wait on other members of the household hogging the TV.

Upon opening the blue box containing the Multi-Purposed VGA Box, I was a bit shocked that it was lacking an instruction manual. At first glance, the product looks like it would be hard to install. There are 16 slots for wires to be plugged into, but to my relief, not all of them are used. After I looked at the product for a few seconds, I realized that it would be a breeze to set up. The drawing located on the back of the packaging was sufficient enough to let me install the product in just a matter of minutes. Now, I was ready to go.

I used the device to play Xbox games on my LCD monitor. At first things looked really bad. The colors were far off from what they needed to be. After some tinkering with the visual controls offered by the VGA Box (Brightness, Contrast, Color, Hue), I got the games to look basically like they needed to be. By this, I mean that everything was playable just not exactly beautiful. While the Box didn’t make anything shine graphically, it can get the job done by providing an extra screen for your gaming needs.

Pressing a button on the front of the Multi-Purposed VGA Box allows a user to switch almost instantly from Xbox to PC. This is a great and convenient feature that I am definitely a fan of. Once I started using the PC through the VGA box I noticed that I was squinting at the screen. Upon a closer look, I realized that the text on the screen left a shadow that really messed with my eyes. This is why I recommend that you do not leave this product plugged in while using your PC extensively. The setup is simple enough for you to just undo and redo the wiring when you need the device.

Besides allowing you to share a monitor between your Xbox and PC, the Multi-Purposed VGA Box also allows you to share speakers. This feature worked perfectly, and I saw no difference in the quality of sound through the VGA Box. In addition to using the product for Xbox gaming, you can use it to have other electronics plugged into your monitor. This can be anything from other consoles to VCRs. You can have devices plugged in simultaneously, because the product features two Component-In slots and two S-Video inputs. You can easily switch from device to device using the source button, and you can still switch back to your monitor with the button on the front.

Overall, this device can be very useful if you need an inexpensive ($50) extra screen for your Xbox. It allows you to switch between your PC and Xbox with relative ease. The only hiccups are the shadowed text while working on the PC and the slightly-off colors seen while playing the Xbox. I recommend this product if you could use an extra place to play your Xbox, because it is cheaper and more space-saving that an extra TV. The only thing you have to remember is that things might not look as pretty, and you might not want to leave the product plugged in too long for PC usage.