Elgato’s new external capture card records 4K gaming at 60fps, costs $400

(Image credit: Elgato)

Elgato appears to have beaten AverMedia to market with an external capture device capable of recording 4K resolution gaming at 60 frames per second, along with HDR support. AverMedia teased just such a device ahead of CES, but Elgato has gone and launched one. Well, sort of.

Announced at CES, Elgato's new 4K60 S+ is available to order for $399.99 direct from Elgato or on Amazon, but it really amounts to a preorder. Amazon is quoting a ship time of 1-2 months, and Elgato's checkout page indicates it will go out in 3-4 weeks. In other words, Elgato has left the door ajar for AverMedia to step in and ship a similar capture solution first.

Either way, the 4K60 S+ is coming. Up to this point, recording 4K gameplay at 60 fps required an internal capture card, and of a course a PC to go along with it. There are external solutions capable of recording 4K gameplay, but as far as I'm aware, they all top out at 30 fps.

The 4K60 S+ is also unique in that it does not require a PC. Users can record 4K HDR content at 60 fps directly to an optional SD card. Elgato says onboard HEVC encoding keeps the file sizes manageable, while the pass-through offers zero lag.

While a PC is not required, it can still be used and offers certain advantages.

"When connected to a PC, 4K60 S+ records unlimited footage directly to a hard drive and takes advantage of versatile Elgato software features such as Flashback Recording to easily save gameplay retroactively and Live Commentary to record microphone audio as a separate track," Elgato says.

By "unlimited footage," Elgato is really saying it will continue recording so long as you still have storage space on your HDD or SSD. Still, there is the potential to record a lot more gameplay compared to a lower capacity SD card. Elgato also says the 4K60 S+ is compatible with popular broadcasting software, including OBS Studio.

When using a PC, Elgato says you will need a 6th generation Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 7 processor, 8GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 10-series GPU or better, and a USB 3.0 port.

Paul Lilly

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).

Latest in Capture Cards
AverMedia X'tra Go GC515 capture dock on a blue background with a Black Friday Deals logo
The game-recording, streaming, and TV-beaming handheld dock that turned my Legion Go into a proper console is at its lowest ever price for Black Friday
Elgato's Game Capture Neo external capture card set-up.
Elgato Game Capture Neo review
Avermedia X'tra Go GC515 handheld gaming PC dock and capture hub, top-down
AverMedia X'tra Go GC515 capture dock review
Avermedia Live Gamer Mini capture card in use.
Avermedia Live Gamer Mini capture card review
Photo of the Avermedia Premium Go series of GaN chargers, with HDMI 4K output, USB hub, and 1080p capture in the Elite Go
Power your laptop, while capturing its video output, with Avermedia's new 100W GaN charger
Elgato's HD60 X
There's still time to buy Elgato's excellent HD60 X capture card with a rare $50 discount
Latest in News
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021
Storm trooper hero
Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam