Pros
High high quality video recording
Easy to stream and file
PCI-E interface permits lag-free view
Easy to make use of software program
Cons
Expensive
PCI-E interface limits portability
Lag-free view has restricted makes use of
Key Specifications
Review Price: £159.95
Instant Gameview lag-free recording
60fps 1080p recording
Hardware h.264 video encoding
Simultaneous recording and streaming
Supports PS4, Wii U and Xbox One
HDMI in and HDMI out
What is the Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro?
The Game Capture HD60 Pro is a high-end seize system for effortlessly recording and concurrently streaming video games out of your PS4, Wii U, Xbox One or every other video games console with HDMI output.
It distinguishes itself from the remainder of Elgato’s vary, and that of many different seize playing cards, because of its inclusion of a lag-free Instant Gameview. This means you may theoretically play the sport by way of the seize software program because of there being no lag – helpful when you’ve solely obtained one display screen and wish to monitor your capturing.
This is joined by 1080p 60Hz seize, steady recording permitting you to pause and rewind as you play (flashback recording) and assist for streaming through a variety of providers together with Twitch and YouTube.
Related: PS4 vs Xbox One
Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro – Design and Features
Unlike the remainder of the Elgato sport seize vary and most different sport captures units, the HD60 Pro is an inner PCI-E card, somewhat than a USB system. This is what permits it to supply its Instant Gameview mode however it additionally makes it a far much less versatile system.
While one thing just like the Game Capture HD60 could be plugged into any previous laptop computer and thus open the door to it getting used wherever spherical the home, or spherical another person’s home, the HD 60 Pro is shut away inside your PC. While you definitely can nonetheless transfer your PC round, it’s a tad harder to take action.
The card itself is constructed on a black PCB with matching matt-black-painted steel IO plate and canopy. It’s an image of non-more-black gaming gear, except for the HD60 Pro emblem. Also included is a low profile IO plate so you may set up this card in both full measurement or low-profile circumstances.
Under that cowl – it’s only a cowl, not a heatsink – there’s an MStar MST3367CMK-LF-170 chipset, a Vatics Mozart 395s {hardware} h.264 encoder, an ITE IT6621FN HDMI interface and a couple of x 2Gb Samsung K4B2G1646Q DDR3 reminiscence chips, amongst others.
The card makes use of a PCI-E x1 slot so ought to work with any motherboard from the final a number of years, although customers of mini-ITX PCs that embrace a graphics card will clearly need to look elsewhere as these motherboards solely embrace one PCI-E slot.
On the IO aspect it merely has an HDMI enter that may take the feed out of your console or different enter system and a second HDMI for plugging into your TV or monitor.Related: Best Gaming Laptops 2016
Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro – Setup
Assuming you’re accustomed to putting in any type of PC growth card, set up of the HD 60 Pro is a doddle. Just slot the cardboard in, plug in your enter and output feeds – one HDMI cable is supplied within the field – and also you’re able to energy your PC on.
Thankfully, not like many USB units, the cardboard doesn’t require you to leap by way of hoops, ensuring to put in the drivers earlier than plugging the system in. You can safely set up the drivers, that you simply’ll need to obtain, after you’ve put in the cardboard.
In reality there isn’t actually a driver per se however simply the Elgato Game Capture software program, which wraps all of it up in a single.
Related: Best PS4 Games
Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro – Software
The Elgato Game Capture software program is self-explanatory for probably the most half. In the highest left is the video feed that may present the stay feed coming in out of your console. Depending on whether or not you’ve chosen Instant Gameview or the constant-record choice this may both be an instantaneous feed or barely delayed because the software program data the scene earlier than displaying it.
Under this are the recording controls, with clear buttons for beginning recording or rewinding and pausing the stay feed alongside a screenshot button, elapsed time and storage readouts, and a streaming on/off button. It’s down the suitable hand aspect that every one the varied settings could be discovered. You can tweak seize settings, setup stay streaming for the varied providers supplied, modify sport audio ranges, setup a stay commentary and tag your recording.
It’s a contact irritating that you must soar into the considerably hidden away principal settings menu to alter issues just like the recording storage location and whether or not to make use of Flashback recording. There’s additionally a reasonably restricted set of recording choices, although in some ways that is really within the HD60 Pro’s favour because it retains issues easy – it data in 1080p at 60Hz and all you might want to fear about is what high quality stage you wish to select.Also included within the software program is a primary set of enhancing controls. It presents an inventory of your recordings which you’ll be able to then slice up into sections, permitting you to edit them via slicing out the bits you don’t need.
However there’s no method to be part of clips collectively or swap sections of a clip round. In a reverse of the previous baking mantra, you may take away however you may’t add.
Once you’ve trimmed your clip to your liking there are sharing controls for simply importing your clip to the likes of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. It additionally has choices for outputting the video to a format suitable with iPads, iPhones and Apple TVs, or simply to a different file.
Overall it’s a principally a properly thought out little bit of software program that makes it simple to simply get on with the duty of recording, streaming, enhancing and sharing your gaming exploits with out a lot of the same old trouble related to enhancing and recording video. Related: Best PC Games 2016
Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro – Performance
Largely my expertise with the HD60 Pro was flawless, with it merely working right away, having no downside recording and streaming and the software program remained fairly responsive all through.
The solely slip-up was that, at first, I couldn’t get Flashback recording to work correctly with the software program solely ever recording brief, stuttering clips. However, after switching it on and off once more it labored flawlessly.
Comparing the 2 seize modes – Flashback and Instant Gameview – the distinction is kind of clear between the marginally laggy expertise of the previous and the moment really feel of the latter. With Instant Gameview you actually can sport by way of the software program, although with no fullscreen choice it wouldn’t be probably the most immersive expertise. Great for monitoring what’s happening although.As for the standard of captured footage, I discovered it to be superb. In the bottom high quality setting there’s a transparent blurriness and lack of element that positively detracts from the watchability, significantly when there’s a number of motion on display screen. Certainly it could not be superb for additional enhancing.
However, within the top of the range setting the picture is sort of fully freed from compression artefacts, with each ounce of element retained. Of course you do pay for the element when it comes to storage. A 30-second clip on the lowest setting makes use of round 50MB, whereas the highest element setting makes use of 200MB. Lowest recording high quality (1080p, 60Hz)
Highest recording high quality (1080p, 60Hz)
As for streaming, my expertise utilizing Twitch was flawless – forgetting my Twitch password apart – and it’s a breeze to start out and cease streams as soon as arrange.
A key benefit of those captures units is that in addition to offering a method to suck in that video feed out of your console, additionally they present {hardware} video encoding, taking an enormous quantity of pressure off your CPU. Sure sufficient, when simply recording the Elgato solely bumped CPU utilization as much as round 15%.
In reality streaming was the extra CPU-taxing of the 2 duties, utilizing up 27% CPU. Meanwhile each collectively hit round 30%, which nonetheless leaves loads of processing energy to get on with different stuff on the identical time.
Related: Best Games 2016
Should I purchase the Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro?
This is a distinct segment product. With the most recent consoles together with means to file and share brief video clips this type of system is admittedly for these devoted to recording and streaming massive gaming classes.
That’s true of any seize system however it applies double to this PC-bound card, which isn’t as transportable or versatile as a USB-based unit. Triple if you additionally think about its standout function is much more area of interest – how crucial is it that you may see a very lag-free model of your sport from the recording software program?
Also, it’s price noting that you should use this system to seize any video content material, simply as long as it’s not copy protected. So there are doubtlessly another skilled makes use of there.
Nonetheless, contemplating it’s priced at a whopping £159.95, that is just for a choose few.
But for these whom this system matches the invoice, it delivers with aplomb in terms of ease of use and efficiency. Recording and streaming is close to easy and high quality from each is great.
Verdict
If you’re critical about capturing your console gaming classes then the Elgato Capture HD 60 Pro is a superb selection. It data and streams to a top quality and its distinctive instantaneous gameview function is helpful if a lag-free feed is necessary to you. For many customers, although, a less expensive USB-based seize system will suffice.