Elgato 4K S review

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Grab a headset and a controller, and have a strong enough internet connection, and you're ready to stream on a PS5 or Xbox Series X. You can simulcast to Twitch and YouTube at the same time without restreaming from a different platform, but it's certainly good enough should you be tied to one platform.

You technically can record 4K on PlayStation, but the console doesn't play too nicely with it. It forces clips to be recorded in WebM, and you have to manually record and change it to 4K in settings, which means you can't retroactively record in 4K.

To view those 4K clips on PS5, you have to close any apps or games that are open. Things are a bit simpler with the Elgato, and comparing both sets of footage with Nvidia's ICAT (Image Comparison Analysis Tool), they look nearly identical to me. The Elgato comes off a bit brighter, and PS5 feels a tad deeper, but to most, these will look essentially the same.

So, you can record 4K on PS5 without a capture card with some effort. If, however, you want to stream, add a webcam, and transition from scene to scene, you will still want a capture card for that. No matter which device I have it plugged into, the Elgato 4K S performs very well in passthrough mode. Though the max capture is 4K resolution at 60 fps, 1080p can get all the way up to 240 fps in passthrough mode (down to 120 in capture). Placing my PC monitor right next to my TV and comparing the two, both perform with nearly no latency, and I still manage to be as okay as I usually am at Fortnite.

The passthrough is so good I've found myself opening up the Elgato app and playing some console games on my PC, just because I don't fancy turning on the big 50-inch TV I use for console gaming. I've played hours worth of Killing Floor 3, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with no problems at all, and I see myself continuing to do so in those moments when my partner wants to use the main TV for something else.

Elgato's software is intuitive and easy to use, if a little barebones. You plug in your device, open up the app, and now you have the ability to record and take screenshots of whatever you are playing. You can adjust resolution on the fly, which is pretty handy should you have storage concerns (same), and this links out easily to the Elgato forums if you run into any problems.

Coming in at $160, this is a competitive price for a 4K capture card, and at MSRP, I would almost never go for the Elgato Game Capture Neo for $40 less. That extra cost is worth it to me for 4K over 1080p capture, and a higher fps passthrough (with the latter limited to 60 fps).

In and of itself, this little capture card rocks. It's small, easy to set up, relatively pain-free and offers good quality recording. It also offers near-instantaneous passthrough. However, it's more expensive than the AverMedia Live Gamer Ultra S GC553Pro, while not offering 5.1 audio. Given the passthrough is so great on this, the more immersive offerings of 5.1 sound would certainly be welcome, especially when you get it from the GC553Pro for cheaper.

At MSRP, the only reason I could think to put the Elgato over the GC553Pro is for its software or the position of its outputs. I prefer having the USB-C and HDMI ports all on one side, like the Elgato, but I don't think I could possibly argue that's worth $10 more.

With both capture cards seeing discounts in the sales, I think it will be a toss-up for best capture card, but as things stand, it sits just inches behind its rival. This is arguably the best Elgato mid-range capture card you can buy right now, but that's still not enough to put it in first place against the stiff competition.