User friendly UI.
Excellent quality capture.
Simple streaming function.
It can stream and record at the same time.
Sleek design.
Very demanding to run at full spec.
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 is a sleek and subtle device that will fit almost anywhere, it’s easy to set up and is very user friendly. The hardware requirements to run the HD60 at max crippled my computer and crashed my entire system to a blue screen. Even though the “Editing” function is as basic as trimming the clip, the overall quality and accessibility of the device should be applauded. If you are a relative newcomer to games capturing then being able to record and/or live stream gameplay means that YouTube is your oyster. This is a great little device and I recommend it to anyone with a high spec rig.
It wasn’t long ago that if I wanted to capture any game footage, I got my Samsung HMX-F90 camcorder and just pointed it at my television to record my gameplay. The fact that I used this technique until a couple of months ago will possibly let you understand that I am not what you could call “techno-savvy”, in fact if it wasn’t for a helpful YouTube tutorial then I would never have figured out how to stream content in the first place.
Times have changed and I have gotten my grubby little mitts on the new Elgato Game Capture HD60. The main difference between this new model and the previous Elgato device is that the HD60 can capture gameplay at full HD 1080p and do it all at 60 FPS, throw in the one click share button and it’s a YouTuber’s dream. The Elgato Game Capture HD60 can be used with the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Sony’s PS4. Unlike its predecessor this device can’t be used with the PlayStation 3 or any older console that still uses AV cables. The device itself is sleek and small so it will fit in with most workstations and looks rather unassuming.
To connect the HD60, it ships with a USB and HDMI cable and it really is as simple to set up as that. There are 2 USB ports and it supports 1080p60, 1080p30, 1080i, 720p60, 720p30, 576p, 576i and 480p resolutions and weighs 106g/3.7oz. That’s all very interesting, I’m sure you will agree. The most important factor in any games capture device is how it runs.
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 works on lower spec computers but unless you have a pretty sophisticated rig then you can’t expect to use the HD60 to its full potential. You will need:
Game Capture HD60:
- 2nd Generation Intel Core i5 CPU
PC:
- Windows 7 SP1 or later
- 4GB of ram
- Built-in USB2.0 port
- Stream Command – 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 CPU
Mac:
- OSX 10.9 or later
- 4GB of RAM
- Built in USB2.0 port
My own computer isn’t top of the range but it is certainly above average. The biggest problem I had when I was using the HD60 was that if I tried to record at too high a setting (anything over 50%) my system would crash within minutes and I would get the fabled Blue Screen of Death. After looking through the help pages on the Elgato site I was none the wiser. The only suggestion I could find to explain the problem was that I was using an old version of the software, that wasn’t the case and after some trial and error I established that the crash was occurring simply because my PC couldn’t handle the strain. While this did initially annoy me I found that even capturing the footage on the lowest setting available was still producing nice, clear images. In fact there was no time when I was using the HD60 that I captured poor footage directly to my hard drive. Even with the demanding requirements to operate the new Elgato device the result of operating at the lower range was impressive. With the one click share button you can upload your newly captured gameplay directly to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Apple TV to name but a few.
The HD60 will also let you stream footage directly to YouTube, TWITCH, USTREAM and RTMP as long as you have an account with the sites themselves. It is relatively uncomplicated and It literally only takes a few seconds to link your accounts and start streaming. Once again I’m fully prepared to say my internet sucks and the stream was rendered at 480p with a pretty low quality. I have the same problem when streaming through my Xbox One on the TWITCH app so the device wasn’t to blame. The process is entirely pain free and even with my very limited knowledge of all things technical, I managed to get everything working smoothly. Adding a watermark is as simple as clicking an option and adding commentary only required a PC microphone.
Unlike most of its brethren the Elgato Game Capture HD60 doesn’t have to choose to record gameplay or stream content live. You are able to do both with this machine but I did notice that there is a reduction in the quality that I recorded footage at while I was streaming.
The User Interface itself is idiot-proof, there really isn’t much of a chance to go wrong. You have a big read “capture button” to start your recording, another button to Stream and one to add commentary along with the various volume gauges of the game and commentary volume. It is a total “plug in and play” device that is excellent for beginners and people who aren’t familiar with game recorders. You can also play videos back in the “Editor”. This may be overstating things as the extent of what you can do only goes to trimming the start and end times of the file. It is not enough to satisfy the video editors amongst us but is perfectly suitable for people interested in streaming and uploading gameplay to YouTube.
In conclusion I found the new Elgato Game Capture HD60 to be an incredibly capable machine. While my above average PC was unable to fully utilise the functions available with the new HD60 I was still able to capture great video content and with a little trial and error managed to get the set up that would work for me. When the HD60 was ran at anything approaching its full capabilities my system would crash in seconds requiring a full reboot. Unfortunately the help on the Elgato site isn’t as specific as I may have hoped and it came down to my own perseverance to stick with it. The only other gripe I have is that the “Editor” wasn’t as in-depth as I had hoped. The Elgato Game Capture HD60 is on sale for £139.95 on their website and is comparable to what you will spend on similar devices. With the experience I had, I have no issue recommending this device to anyone that is looking at recording gameplay from their favourite games or all the streamer’s out there. High quality capture at full 1080p and 60 frames per second…. What’s not to love?
The Following Video Was Captured With The Device..
