Elgato 4K60 S+ Game Capture Card Review

How Much Does it Cost?

Let’s not beat around the bush here, it’s bloody expensive. Clocking in at £389.99 it’s the plaything of the enthusiast and the professional content creators out there. It’s available on Amazon here. Of course, you’re getting the portability, the built-in card writing system, the zero-lag passthrough, and the biggest (and most expensive aspect) the onboard HEVC encoder. You get what you pay for really, but it’s still expensive whichever way I shine it.

Overview

There’s no doubt that the Elgato 4K60 S+ is an impressive piece of hardware. It plugs in and does exactly what it says on the box. They even have their own 4K capture software that’s fairly easy to use, albeit not quite perfect. For example, the record button, I can record and it’ll start a new file, or I can pause the current one. However, a simple STOP button seems to be lacking and I can’t figure out why. The button on the front of the unit isn’t a “button” either it’s more of a touch control and doesn’t really help either. I want a feature to stop the capture at will, but maybe that’s just me.

Elgato Vs Elgato?

This is the next one, as I’m a PC gamer most of all, so for me the 4K60 S+ is a bit of a mess. I can get the fantastic 4K60 HDR10 capable 4K60 Pro PCIe card for about HALF the price of this one. Of course, that’s typically for a two-PC pro streaming setup, but hey, if that’s what I need, then that’s what I need. Of course, being completely portable, the 4K60 S+ is very impressive, as it has a built-in encoder allowing it to record compressed, full-quality 4K HDR footage on the fly, even to an SD Card, and that is very cool. If you’re heading off to an event to play Street Fighter on an Xbox One X, and you need to stream or capture it, this will get the job done right.

Software

The Elgato 4K Capture software is easy enough to use. The actual device is just shown to Windows like a camera anyway. This means that you can fire up virtually any video editor and use it as a capture device. At the same time, you can use OBS, Twitch, and all the usual platforms to stream directly, they’ll all see it as the right sort of camera. However, for just snapping some clips and video to edit later, the Elgato software ticks all the right boxes.

Should I Buy One?

For most casual gamers and streamers, it’s likely overkill. The HD ones are much cheaper and friendlier to use. However, if you strive for the absolute best capture and stream quality, and you need it ready to go wherever you go, then the 4K60 S+ will get the job done every time.