You might be wondering, “Since I can stream directly from my current generation console, why do I need an Elgato capture card or to run OBS through my PC?”  Well…StreamerSquare already posted a handy guide for streaming directly from your PS4.  But you may want to boost your streaming experience for your viewers by using a PC and OBS.  What do I mean by boost?  If you’ve watched any of the bigger streamers on Twitch, you’ll notice they have pop-ups for their followers and subscribers and even death counters and any other numerous things happening on their stream while broadcasting.  And sadly, those wonderful extras cannot be obtained without using your PC and some sort of streaming software.

So why OBS?  Because it’s free and it’s awesome.  It’s very, very simple to use and there are handy OBS setup guides to get you started.  So if you just started streaming, this is one of the best applications to use, because it won’t burn a hole in your pocket.  NOTE: The guide below assumes you have read all the articles available on how to setup your OBS software to stream through Twitch.  If not, please do that first, and then come back here to setup your consoles.

Why the Elgato Game Capture HD?  Numerous reasons.  It’s fairly cheap on Amazon and it’s very versatile.  It can be used for the Xbox360, PS3, Xbox One, and the PS4.  NOTE: there is an updated version of this card called the Game Capture HD60.  And there are two major differences.

1) The HD60 will not work with the PS3.  So if you’re looking to do anything with the last generation of consoles, do not buy this card.

2) It also records 60fps 1080p.  The regular HD only records in 30fps.  Now, most people will look at that and say, “Well I want the 60fps.”  And you would if you were just going to make YouTube videos.  But when streaming to Twitch, most people’s Internet service cannot handle streaming 60fps without having the stream become choppy.  So be sure to check your upload speeds before you go ahead and spend any money.  And most importantly, most games on console aren’t 60fps.  So why spend the extra cash?  And again, if you’re going to use your PS3 to stream any games, then you’ll definitely want the regular Elgato HD card.  Why?  Because it comes with a special connection cable (more on this in the PS3 section below).

SETTING UP THE PS4 OR XBOX ONE OR XBOX360:

So OBS is installed and setup to stream to Twitch and your console is just sitting there, itching to be used…what do you do?

1) First step is to download the current Elgato software from their site.  This allows you to change settings in OBS and your PC to read the capture card.

2) Connect your console to the HDMI IN port of the Elgato.  The Elgato supplies you with this cable.

3) Connect your TV or Monitor to the HDMI OUT port of the Elgato.

4) Connect your Elgato to your PC with the supplied USB cable.  BOOM. You’re done.  Yes, it’s that easy.  Now for the settings.

OBS SETTINGS:

Open up OBS and in your streaming “Scene” create a new “source” called “Elgato” that way you can easily find it.  Right click on the Elgato source you just created and click the properties.  In the properties box, choose the Elgato Game Capture under “Device.”  Again, if you’re having trouble navigating within OBS, head to their site for setup guides on Sources and Scenes.  You’re almost done.  While still in the properties, check the “Use Buffering (milliseconds)” box and place a “0” in there.  Why?  Because if you don’t, after a few hours of streaming or recording through OBS, your webcam video and microphone audio will un-sync.  This is a bug within the OBS software, but can be fixed by putting a zero in the box.  Click the “OK” button at the bottom and you’re done.

CONFIGURATION SETTINGS:

The last thing is changing the configuration of the Elgato card.  But this ONLY works if your card is actually running within OBS.  So to get that going, click “Preview Stream” in OBS.  Wait for the capture card to load and then go back into the Properties of the Elgato by right clicking the source again.  Next to Device, you’ll see a “Configure” button.  Click that sucker.  This will bring up the Elgato software you installed on your PC.  Click the “Input Device” box and select either the Xbox One or PS4 or Xbox360 (note: since both the PS4 and Xbox One are 1080p, it really doesn’t matter if you select PS4 while having an Xbox One plugged in.  Or vice versa.  They’re the same thing in the Elgato’s eyes).  You’re done.  Keep all the rest of the settings the way they are within the Elgato software, because it’s OBS that’ll take care of how many FPS and video output to your Twitch stream.  Hit the done button at the bottom and enjoy streaming from your console.

SETUP FOR PS3:

So the above was easy right?  Sure it was.  Now comes the hard part.  The PS3 doesn’t allow video for capturing.  Why?  Because it wants to make your life difficult.  But help is on the way.  Remember the special cable I mentioned above that came with the Elgato?  Well now is the time to use that baby.  WARNING: do not have a HDMI cable connected to your PS3 or this setup will not work.  Disconnect it now if you do.

1) First step is to download the current Elgato software from their site.  This allows you to change settings in OBS and your PC to read the capture card.

2) Connect the PS3 to the Elgato using the supplied “special” cable.  It’s really a Component/D-Terminal cable that you’ll see in the PS3 settings.

3) Connect your TV or Monitor to the HDMI OUT port on the Elgato using the supplied HDMI cable.

4) Connect your Elgato to your PC with the supplied USB cable.

5) Now you have to reset your PS3’s display settings to read the “Special” Elgato cable.  To do that…head here for the setup.

Now follow the same instructions under OBS SETTINGS above.  Then follow the same instructions under CONFIGURATION SETTINGS above, except you’ll be selecting the PS3 under the “Input Device” box within the Elgato software.  Boom!  Done!  Easy right?

SPECIAL NOTE: You can’t switch from your current generation console to the PS3 during the same broadcast, because of all the different settings within the Elgato software and the “special” PS3 cable.  So if you plan to do half a broadcast in PS3 and half a broadcast in any other console, you will have to shut down the stream, change your Elgato software settings, and then fire the stream back up.  So plan ahead and let your viewers know.

Good luck with all the setups.  The good thing is after the initial settings, you won’t have to change anything in the future.  The bad thing is if you have a webcam and a microphone, the challenge of getting your audio to sync with your video is an entirely different beast.  So my next article will deal with that debacle.  Any questions, feel free to message me on Twitch or leave a comment here.  Until next time…enjoy streaming!

twitch.tv/hankbananas  Gaming with a hint of sarcasm.