AVerMedia GC513 Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus Capture Card, 4K Pass-Through, 1080p60 Game Streaming, Recording, for Windows 11 & MacOS 10.13 or later

Its not a elgato but it works just as well and does what it is intended to do. Also good pricing

Needed this to record gaming without a computer. After you record you can then take it to the computer and edit your session and upload to whatever platform you like.

Except for my user error of causing a ground loop in the audio output which Ms. Chung with Avermedia tech support helped me find a fix for in a ground loop isolator, this Nifty little gadget is straightforward in setup and the updates are downloaded from their webpage, after the initial installation of that app it has an auto update that I didn't expect to see but is a nice surprise.Ill be using this and the ground loop isolator to record with till I burn myself out.

BLUF: This is an excellent device for the money, and a good Swiss-army knife for a consultant or QA team to have around. It comes with all the cables, too, and they're not bad.I bought this to record workstation demos for clients; software-only recorders are not reliable under high CPU loads, and this will record independently to a MicroSD card (U3, V30 or better).I cannot find an English manual for this thing. There is a FAQ, but a proper manual is missing from both the box and the web site. This is important, because there are some "magic button" combos that you will have to figure out by trial and error without it-- including some very frustrating things like "headset mute".Some information you may find helpful:YES, it records HD (1920x1080) video at high framerates.NO, it will not record 4K video.YES, it will reliably run under power from a normal (500mA) USB-A port. (The manufacturer suggests bringing a USB power bank along if you're using a laptop, which is actually not a bad idea.)YES, it really will record totally independently of the host system; all it needs is power and an HDMI connection. There is a big glowing button you whack to start and stop it-- that's it.YES, it will also work as an OBS Studio device (one video capture device that also brings in audio; you don't need a separate audio connection).YES, it will record HDMI audio. However, the levels are a little low.YES, the headset jack is 4-position (TRRS) 3.5mm, supporting a microphone. If the mic doesn't seem to work, hold each of the volume buttons down for a few seconds until the mute clears.YES, you can hear the HDMI audio passthrough in the monitoring headset.YES, you can hear your own headset mic in the headset. It is, in my opinion, way too loud relative to the HDMI video, so you may want to move the boom out a bit.YES, there is a mode to use it as a glorified card reader. This was done so that you didn't need to load and unload cards all the time-- I suggest USING IT THAT WAY, and taping over the card slot once the card is installed.YES, there are some low-latency drivers available; NO, you don't have to use them. The issue is a little complicated; see the website.When used as a standalone capture device, the native format is ".MOV".The device is physically quite a bit smaller than I expected, and quite light. Build quality is good.Grab one. I couldn't find anything else that was even close for twice the price.

I have used several of these type of HDMI capture devices. Many here at Amazon have free returns, so I was able to order a few and then do a comparison. This is one of the devices I am keeping.Most computers have HDMI *out*, in order to connect the device to a monitor. However, if you want your computer to capture video, e.g. you want to digitize some videotapes, or you want to capture your game console to record your gaming (either for yourself, or if you want to have your own YouTube channel), then you need an HDMI *in*, which this is. This captures the incoming video, compresses it (without using the computer's CPU), and presents to the computer as a video in device, much like a webcam (although likely much better video quality). From their, your computer can record the video directly to your hard-drive (no worries about running out of space), or stream it via Zoom, Teams, Skype, or other video chat programs.Now, what makes this device unique among its competition, is that it works fine on USB 2.0 ports. Most of its competitors being sold today require USB 3.0. If your computer has USB 3.0, there are lots of choices to consider. But if you have an older computer without USB 3.0, then you probably want this. It can work with USB 2.0 because it converts video to a smaller bitrate, one that can be carried by the slower USB 2.0. I found the quality of recordings made with this device to be very good, certainly "good enough" for most purposes. I have successfully paired it with an older camcorder via its HDMI port, as a much upgraded webcam replacement for video conferences.Even if you have USB 3.0 on your computer, but the price, or delivery time, of other devices makes this attractive, I would recommend you give this consideration. (COVID19 has made devices like this scarce, with widely fluctuating prices to match.)I haven't used this devices other capabilities. I believe that most of the complaints here of the computer-free recording has to do with the quality of the SD card used, but haven't actually tried it myself. Same with the audio features, likely user error. If you are having difficulty with those, make sure you seek tech support before giving up on the hardware. AVerMedia has been in this space for a while, and generally have a good reputation.

I bought this for a budget editing pc, and it works great