Iogear’s latest capture card offers an affordable way to record 4K gameplay

theverge.com:

Iogear’s latest capture card offers up to 30Hz 4K gameplay capture or 120Hz 1080p capture for $129.99. That makes it significantly cheaper than Elgato’s equivalent card, the recently announced HD60 X, which has an MSRP of $199.99 and offers similar recording specs. Other features of the so-called UpStream 4K Game Capture Card with Party Chat include the ability to pass through (but not capture) 4K HDR footage at 60Hz, 1440p footage at 144Hz, and 1080p at 240Hz.

Capture cards like these are aimed at content creators like Twitch streamers and YouTubers, giving them a quick and easy way to retrieve their gameplay footage ready to be broadcast online. The UpStream 4K Game Capture Card is an external device, so it connects to the broadcast PC via USB. But it’s able to capture content from a range of different devices, including Xbox consoles and the PS5. Iogear says the card is compatible with broadcast software including Streamlabs and XSplit and that it can also record party chat between players.

The UpStream 4K Game Capture Card also has a workaround for footage protected by HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), which is typically used to prevent cards from being able to capture movies and TV shows. Some capture cards will fail to display video when it’s HDCP protected, meaning they have to be unplugged if you want to take a break from playing games to stream Netflix, for example. Iogear’s workaround is a toggle switch that allows it to simply pass through this protected footage. You won’t be able to capture it, but it’s easier than having to unplug your card entirely.

Iogear’s new capture card may be able to capture a similar range of resolutions and frame rates as Elgato’s HD60 X, but it doesn’t appear to