Gamers are a competitive bunch, when they do something extraordinary in a game, they want everybody to see. This is where Game Capture devices come in, they allow you to record the gameplay directly from your console and allow you to share them with your friends or upload them on video sites like YouTube for everyone to see. Capturing gameplay, adding commentary and putting them on the internet has also become a career for some. Now due to the immense popularity of capturing gameplays, new capture devices are popping up ever so often in the market. Today we’ll be reviewing one of the front runners – the AVerMedia Game Capture HD.
The Game Capture HD comes packed in a glossy black box with a ton of items inside including the device itself, universal Component cables which can be used with the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, separate pair of Component cables for pass through, a remote for the device, an AC adapter and instruction manuals. Basically you get everything needed to record gameplay out of the box.
The primary selling point of the AVerMedia Game Capture HD is that it doesn’t need to be connected to a PC to record gameplay, all you need to do is connect an internal 2.5-inch SATA hard drive via an enclosure at the bottom of the device or an external hard or flash drive through the USB socket at the front. This comes in real handy when you want to record something at your friend’s or when you don’t have a computer nearby.
The AVerMedia Game Capture HD is a mid-range game capture device which can record video up to 1080i through Component. Unfortunately there is no HDMI input so getting that extra crisp 1080p quality won’t be possible, but you should worry about that if you’re getting this for casual recording purposes. Setting up the device is very easy, just connect the device to your console via the universal Component cables provided and then the device to your TV via the second set of Component cables. For audio your only choice is stereo through the RCA cables provided.
Thankfully there was little to no lag recording video during our testing, which for a device that doesn’t depends on a PC for encoding is great. Unfortunately though the Game Capture HD doesn’t record in-game chat, so if you want a voice over, you’ll have to do it via a computer. There is a work around for getting chat though, you could force chat through your console’s primary output so that its part of the game’s audio stream, by using this you will be able to record all audio sources while recording.
Now using the device is simple, just turn it on using the power button on the front of the Game Capture HD or by using the provided remote. After its on you can navigate the nicely designed menu to choose what you want to do. The menu is really easy to use and you can access various options using the remote, like formatting the attached hard drive or playing back recorded video. Video quality is pretty good, exactly what you would expect for the price. Video size is around 1GB for 10 minutes for recorded video which can be shrunk after converting the recorded .avi file to a more internet friendly container.
If you do plan on getting the Game Capture HD make sure to buy an extra AC adapter, mine stopped working after a few days so you may want to have a backup.
Unfortunately since the AVerMedia Game Capture HD only records on internal and external storage devices you can’t stream video or use a software like Xsplit to record video.
The AVerMedia Game Capture HD is a great game capture device for casual users, it does exactly what it should while being extremely easy to use. Everything you need comes right out of the box and setting up everything is a breeze. If you’re not that tech savvy and want something easy to use then the AVerMedia Game Capture HD is certainly recommended.
TechDeville awards the AVerMedia Game Capture HD 3/5 stars.
You can buy the AVerMedia Game Capture HD right now from Amazon.