If you want to start streaming on Twitch, this needs to be on your Amazon Prime Day wish list

Get yourself an Elgato capture card in the sale this year, you really won’t regret it

Tuesday 31 May 2022 09:10 EDT

You need to buy one of these little gadgets if you want to be the next Twitch sensation (The Independent)

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Streaming video games on Twitch is fun, strangely rewarding, and incredibly entertaining. Nothing beats having an audience cheering you on as you depart on your Herculean mission to hunt down Manaphy in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, or if you’re big enough, go wild with the emotes when you take down that bush camper in Fortnite.

But one thing I realised when I first started dabbling in the world of Twitch streaming was that I couldn’t just start. I needed stuff, and that wasn’t because I felt I had to have the same gadgets and gizmos as Tyler “Ninja” Blevins in order to make my set-up look as professional as possible before going live.

I’m a big proponent of start now or you never will, then get better as you go on. Oh, and also not needlessly spending money. The problem is, if I wanted to start streaming games off my Nintendo Switch right that second, I physically couldn’t.

Unlike Microsoft’s Xbox series X and Sony’s PlayStation 5, which let you broadcast your gameplay straight from the console themselves, the Nintendo Switch doesn’t have this capability. And even then, you can’t use Streamlabs or OBS to add fun overlays or alerts when streaming directly from any console – PS5 or otherwise.

I needed an external capture card, and for the best streaming experience, I knew I needed to get one from Elgato.

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Bad news? These things aren’t cheap. Good news? Elgato capture cards are frequently on sale during big-ticket sale events such as Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, which is when I bought the Elgato HD 60 S+ (£169, Amazon.co.uk) at a discount. It still remains one of the best purchases I’ve made to this date.

Even if I don’t stream now as much as I thought I would, the convenience of being able to stream my Nintendo Switch to my laptop instead of my TV, and game at my desk is a real joy.

I expect Elgato’s range of capture cards to go on sale again this Prime Day, and if you’re looking to start streaming, these should absolutely be at the top of your wish list.

Capture cards aren’t the only things set to go on sale this Prime Day. Other gaming gear, the latest tech products, TVs, Apple gadgets and Amazon devices are also due discounts this year.

If you’re intrigued to find out when exactly the event is going to take place and what you can expect from the event this year, have a read of our extensive Prime Day shopping guide. But if you’re interested in getting an Elgato capture card and are curious about what kind of discounts to expect, I’ve got you covered.

Elgato HD60 S+: £169, Amazon.co.uk

The Elgato HD 60 S+ is the best capture card for most gamers and Twitch streamers, especially if you’re just starting out. It’s a small plug and play USB-C device that allows you to capture gameplay on your Switch, Xbox or PS5 and stream it onto your computer.

The HD 60 S+ is able to capture 1080p gameplay while providing 4K 60FPS passthrough or 2160p with HDR. It basically extracts your live gameplay data from the HDMI cable and sends it all back via the USB-C to your computer. It works brilliantly and delivers stunning picture quality. The only issue is that it converts the incoming 4K 60FPS HDR signal into 1080p 60FPS HDR, so you won’t get the same 4K resolution passthrough on your PC.

On Black Friday, I was able to pick this up for £129.98, giving me a 25 per cent discount. With the new model out (more on this below), I’m hoping for an even better discount on Prime Day this year.

Buy now

Elgato HD 60 X: £189.99, Amazon.co.uk

Released in April 2022, the HD 60 X is the latest plug and play capture card from Elgato, and is a successor to the Elgato HD 60 S+. So what’s different?

This is a capture card designed for next-gen gaming. It can capture up to 4K 30FPS or 1080p 60FPS. The new HD60 X also supports up to 4K 60FPS HDR passthrough, including VRR (variable refresh rate), new for this model. That means you’ll be able to stream super buttery smooth content.

If you’re playing games at an extremely high refresh rate, the HD 60 X also supports 1440p 120 FPS or 1080p 240FPS passthrough, good for streaming any 120FPS titles. While I don’t know whether this one will be going on sale this Prime Day, considering how new it is, I’m quietly hopeful.

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