Capture card to PLAY console at my PC

[Shark00n]

Hey guys!

 

I own a Nintendo Switch and love playing Zelda on it. But I sold my TV and so have been stuck in handheld mode.

My PC monitor only has a single DisplayPort input and I don't really fancy those HDMI splitters with DP adaptors.

 

I would also LOVE to be able to play the Switch in its native 1080p in a borderless window while I'm in Windows 10. Allowing me to better control the game and its volume, minimize the window. How awesome would it be to play Zelda BOTW with a guide right next to it? My screen is a 1440p ultrawide so I have the space.

 

I really don't want to get a second monitor just to play the Switch, so I went out and got a Razer Ripsaw. Capture card very similar to AverMedia LGX. It has HDMI passthrough which was what sold me, but I wasn't smart enough to figure out the 'passthrough' part is to another HDMI out port, to connect to a TV.

So I gotta play with the hand that's been dealt. Started messing with OBS and it was pretty easy to get a really playable game just with the preview window, and had really snappy gameplay.

 

I have no interest in streaming my bad Zelda moves, nor in recording it, I just wanna game at my PC...

 

Anyone know of a better way (or software) than OBS that allows this? The Ripsaw is USB 3.0 and the Switch usually outputs 720p 60fps or 1080p 30 fps so it should have enough bandwidth...

OBS is just cumbersome, so many settings, so many options to stream or record, and if fills a big portion of the screen above and below the preview window.

I tried with VLC but it's way to laggy. Razer's Cortex drops a whole lot of frame. I don't think its preview window is designed for this.

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

@Blacer I just saw your thread, did you find a solution?

[Kyle_N]

I'm looking for something like this too (but to use with an Xbox One). From what I can tell, pretty much any low-latency capture card works for hardware (which you've already got covered), but it's the software that's hard to find. 

 

If you find anything on your own, make sure to post back here!

 

Also, how's the latency with the Razer capture card? Do you think it'd be usable for a FPS or racing game, or is there a noticeable delay? 

[PlayStation 2]

OBS is basically the best option to show what your capture card is previewing in real-time.

Maybe you could figure something out with VirtualDub but I'm not sure myself.

[Shark00n]

19 hours ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

OBS is basically the best option to show what your capture card is previewing in real-time.

Maybe you could figure something out with VirtualDub but I'm not sure myself.

Trying VirtualDub now, thanks for the hint!

Looks like the best solution so far. It seems as quick as OBS's preview window but VD has minimal clutter and is much easier to set up. Just open it, File - Capture AVI , then go to Device and select Razer Ripsaw or whatever card you may have. In Audio, Enable Audio Playback and you'll get sound with your image.

 

Everything seems snappy and in-sync, but I only testes for a few minutes.

 

19 hours ago, DOGC_Kyle said:

I'm looking for something like this too (but to use with an Xbox One). From what I can tell, pretty much any low-latency capture card works for hardware (which you've already got covered), but it's the software that's hard to find. 

 

If you find anything on your own, make sure to post back here!

 

Also, how's the latency with the Razer capture card? Do you think it'd be usable for a FPS or racing game, or is there a noticeable delay? 

Zelda is very playable with the Ripsaw, provided I get the right software.

 

Haven't tried any other games yet. Going to test with Mario Kart and maybe a Xbox One.

 

 

Screenshot doesn't show the game... Weird... Some sort of copy protection?