Tested: IOGEAR UpStream 4K Game Capture Card makes recording team chat easy

IOGEAR is a well-known name in the PC gaming space, and it recently launched its latest UpStream 4K Game Capture Card that has a few notable unique features. The main thing that sets this capture card apart from many on the market is its support for consoles thanks to having two 3.5mm jacks for full team chat recording, without any extra wires or adapters needed, making it a solid choice for capturing both console and PC gameplay.

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IOGEAR UpStream 4K Game Capture Card hands-on look

Earlier this summer, IOGEAR added the UpStream 4K Game Capture Card to its lineup of HDMI capture devices. Made specifically to focus on consoles and gaming PCs, this capture card has really lived up to its potential. While it might not natively support 4K high refresh capture, like one would want for, say, recording Xbox Series X content, it’s perfect for live streaming, which is exactly what it was meant to do.

The capture card itself has HDMI in and out with up to 4K60 HDR, 1440p144, and 1080p240 passthrough so you won’t miss a beat when gaming. On the capture side, it can record and stream 4K30, 1440p60, or 1080p120, which is more than enough for any modern streaming platform. Plus, the native chat support means that you can also let your team communication be piped through to the live stream, which is something that many traditional capture cards aren’t able to do.

Here’s a closer look at the spec sheet:

• Supports team chat recording for game consoles like Xbox or PS5 without the need for extra wires or adapters
• Compatible with OBS software like StreamLabs and Xsplit
• All cables for party chat are included with capture card
• HDCP-protected content passthrough switch

Electronicsforward’ Take

The latest UpStream Game Capture Card from IOGEAR is honestly one of the more feature-packed devices that I’ve come across. I’ve long used Elgato gear for streaming or capture, and while it works seamlessly with a lot of devices, it generally falls short when it comes to capturing team audio, which is where the UpStream shines.

You’ll find that there are two 3.5mm ports on this device, one for the gamepad and one for your headset. Essentially, you’ll plug your controller into the gamepad port for team chat to travel from the controller to the capture card, and then you plug your headset into the other port. This will let you monitor audio from the console and your team at the same time.

While this makes for a lot of connections, five to be exact, you’ll now be able to play your favorite game, stay in contact with teammates, and stream all at the same time. That’s something most other capture cards just can’t offer.

Setup of this card was also quite simple, as all I had to do was plug it in, install the software to manage volume on my headset and controller, and I was off to the races. It was that simple. Plus, if I wanted to capture in my native resolution of 1440p, I was easily able to configure it for that, though OBS required me to type that in as a custom resolution. But, once that was set up, I was capturing in 1440p60 while gaming in 1440p at 100+ FPS on my desktop with ease, and there was little-to-no lag on the system when doing so.

My setup didn’t have a console involved, however. Instead, I had my gaming desktop with one DisplayPort cable going to my monitor and then the HDMI output of my GPU going to the capture card. I set Windows to mirror the displays, and there was truthfully no difference in experience when gaming. Doing the setup I did, however, did make audio a bit more complicated as trying to route things in Windows is never easy, but for those who do use this card with a console, setup will be an absolute breeze.

Given this capture card has a list price of $129.95 at Amazon, it’s hard not to recommend it for console gamers. If you’re not playing on a console, then really any old capture card will get the job done. But, if you need to be able to capture party chat while gaming on PlayStation or Xbox, then the IOGEAR UpStream 4K Capture Card is honestly the device to buy.

Buy the IOGEAR UpStream 4K Game Capture Card

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