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Elgato interview: New capture products at CES 2020

The stream kings have a few aces up their sleeve for 2020, including 4K capture and impressive lighting.

Chris Jarrard

January 23, 2020 6:00 AM

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The folks at Elgato have spent years helping PC and console players get professional-looking results for livestreams and video game capture at affordable prices. Like most other consumer electronics companies, Elgato was on-hand at CES 2020 in Las Vegas to show off some of the newest equipment they have designed for streamers. Some of these devices are upgrades and refinements to some of their most popular products.

The Shacknews street team was on the ground in Las Vegas during CES 2020 and got the opportunity to visit Elgato’s exhibition and spoke with their representatives about these new products.

The star of the show is certainly the new 4K60 S+ capture device. Following the launch of last year’s 4K60 Pro MK.2 PCIE capture card, the 4K60 S+ provides much of the same functionality without the need to be tied down to a desktop PC. Making full use of the USB 3.0 spec, the 4K60 S+ can make high-quality capture from 4K sources at refresh rates up to 60Hz and is capable of capturing HDR. With consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One offering many HDR games and loads of PC titles doing the same, the need for a portable capture device that doesn’t compromise on quality is there. 

Unlike the PCIE capture card, the 4K60 S+ includes a dedicated HEVC encoder that compresses the raw video capture on the fly and allows output via USB or it can write to an SD card within the device. For users with laptops or traveling video game press folks, this technology can be a game-changer. A mic input jack is included for recording voice chat audio. The only major feature that the new portable device lacks versus its PCIE cousin is the ability to passthrough 144Hz/1440p signals.

Elgato was also showing off its new Key Light Air at the show, offering professional-looking lighting for streams. Anyone who has spent time trying to produce video content knows that cameras produce their best results when the subject is properly lit and the Key Light Air delivers the goods. It can be controlled via desktop and mobile apps or it can integrate with Elgato’s Stream Deck products.

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Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.