Elgato 4K60 S+ Review

Manufacturer: Elgato

UK Price: £389.99

US Price: (couldn't find it listed)

The full review is contained in the video, above, so I urge you to take a look at that. This companion piece offers my brief thoughts in written format.

In today's review, I had a look at the Elgato 4K60 S+ external capture device. Whilst similar to the 4K60 internal capture card in recording and capture capabilities, it has an impressive standalone feature that lets you record hours of 4K HDR gameplay without the need for a computer. 

It features a black aluminium chassis, air vents underneath to help with heat dissipation when in use, and it has a premium look and feel. With dimensions coming in at 142mm (L) x 111mm (W) x 32mm (H) and weighing 345g, the 4K60 S+ makes for a portable bit of travel kit to take to gaming events so you can capture your epic gaming moments. Just insert an SD card (not included) and hit record. 

Specifications: 

• Material: Aluminium
• Colour: Black
• Video Input: HDMI
• Video Output (Pass-Through): HDMI
• Supported Resolutions: 2160p30/60, 1080p30/60, 720p30/60, 576p50, 480p60
• Encoding: HEVC/H.265 HDR, AVC/H.264
• Onboard HEVC encoding
• Product Dimensions: 142mm(L) x 111mm(W) x 32mm(H)
• Product Weight: 345g (without cables)

• 4K60 S+ capture card (SD card not included)
• Power supply, 4 AC Adapters (Type A/B, Type I, Type G and Type C)
• 2x USB 3.0 cable, 
• HDMI 2.0 cable
• Quick Start Guide

Being able to have the freedom to use the 4K60 S+ downstairs in my living room on my PS4 Pro and capturing high-resolution gameplay without the need of a computer is a boon. It takes away the effort of having to move the PS4 upstairs to record Sony-exclusive games. Using it on the PC and for live-streaming is easy too. It was, however, difficult to find a position that I liked in my setup due to the wires, but recording with zero-lag passthrough is a major plus. 

When it comes to your recorded footage, files are easy to access and move across to folders within your PC meaning that you can edit them, or directly upload them to the platform of your choice without any hassle. One downside to editing is that the 4K Utility Capture software doesn't have any way to edit through the software itself. Another smaller one is that there's no high-framerate (>60fps) capture or ability to record at an intermediate 1440p. There's a 250ms capture delay, so if you want to make everything in-sync, I would recommend setting a delay on your webcam and microphone to around the same amount of capture delay the capture card has. 

The Good:

• Portability
• 4K60 FPS 
• Premium look and feel
• Zero-lag passthrough for consoles
• Real-time optimization
• Recorded files are easy to access
• Standalone recording using an SD card

The Not So Good:

• Expensive
• Lots of wires
• SD card not included
• No video editing software in 4K Utility Capture software

All in all, the 4K60 S+ is a solid external capture solution, but the near-£400 price, lack of bundled SD card, and inability to edit from the get-go take some shine off the overall proposition.