Corsair has announced the Elgato Game Capture 4K S, a more affordable video capture solution for live streamers and content creators. Unlike its bigger sibling, the 4K S focuses on the features that most users would need, taking into consideration the most common hardware. If you want a simple and easy-to-use solution to save your gameplay, the 4K S is a great starting point.
The 4K S is an external capture solution built for high-quality gameplay recording. It handles real-time capture up to 4K 60fps for those wanting high-fidelity recordings, or up to 1440p 144fps / 1080p 240fps for those preferring smoother motion. Note, however, that HDR capture is only supported on Windows and up to 1080p 60fps.
Furthermore, the Elgato Studio App includes a low-latency preview that lets you monitor your recording with delays as low as 30ms, in addition to its thumbnail creation and streaming capabilities. Better yet, the 4K S can passthrough up to 4K60, 1440p144, or 1080p240 VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) HDMI signal to your monitor, without any additional latency. That said, a high-refresh UHD passthrough would have been welcome as 4K160 monitors are becoming cheaper and popular.
The 4K S can take input from Mac, PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch 2, making it a universal solution for content creators. These recordings can be saved directly to a PC or Mac via the USB 3.0 Type-C port. The 4K S is Plug-and-Play with Windows 11, macOS 13, and iPadOS 18, so you can get going right away. Though the brand’s Elgato Studio is good, you are free to use any capture software you like, including OBS, Streamlabs, TikTok Live Studio, or even Zoom. That said, for the best performance, Elgato recommends a system powered by at least an Intel Core i5, an AMD Ryzen, or an Apple M1, alongside an Nvidia GTX 10 Series or equivalent.
The 4K S is a compact device measuring 17mm x 112mm x 72mm and weighs 90g. You can easily tuck it behind your keyboard or monitor, plus its simple design fits most setups. In the box, you will find a 1.5m USB Type-C to C cable alongside a 1.5m HDMI 2.0.
The Elgato Game Capture 4K S is available now at $159.99 / €179.99 / £149.99, backed by a two-year warranty. For reference, its bigger sibling, the 4K X, comes at $249.99, meaning that you can save $90 if you don’t care about 4K 144fps capture and passthrough.
