Roxio Game Capture Pro HD review: Capturing gameplay of the highest quality despite the reasonable price tag
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Your support makes all the difference.Roxio wowed the world in March 2011, with their first entry into the video game capture card market. The Roxio Game Capture was an inexpensive solution for gamers wanting to record and share their gameplay online.
Capturing footage of gaming exploits is an increasingly popular way of both sharing your experiences and reviewing games. With the popularisation of websites such as Twitch.TV, such equipment enabling users to capture, edit and test gameplay is becoming essential hardware.
For capture card virgins, the Roxio Game Capture was the perfect starting point. It allowed gamers to try out recording, editing, and uploading gameplay, without needing to sell a kidney to afford one.
Fast forward to November 2012, and Roxio are back, hoping to recapture and replicate the success of the Roxio Game Capture with its vastly superior sibling, the Roxio Game Capture Pro HD.
There are two areas Roxio have focused on: the first being cost. The reason the first iteration was so profitable was the fact it was affordable. The same can be said for the Pro HD. At £129.99, it’s one of the cheapest high-definition capture cards available.
The second area of focus is quality. Websites such as YouTube follow an unspoken etiquette. Videos need to be of the highest quality and edited with the utmost precision if they’re to attract as many subscribers as possible. While there are YouTubers who only make videos for themselves, friends or family to view – thus quality and precision aren't issues – the gaming community is rife with talented amateur producers crafting videos in true high-definition, something the Roxio Pro HD does in crystal clear 1080p.
If you’re not a YouTube user and want to showcase the in-game action as it happens, one of the greatest new features comes in the form of live streaming. The Pro HD allows streaming from the console directly to Twitch.tv, and the best part: it actually works.
Not everyone will want to spend hours capturing, editing, and uploading. Some might just want to plug in and play and have a stream up and running in minutes so that others can bask in your moments of gaming glory. Planning a night playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on Xbox LIVE? Thanks to the Pro HD you can share your night, live, with other Twitch.tv users.
Setting up the Pro HD, be it streaming or capturing, is child’s play. If you’ve successfully managed to hook up a home console to your television, then you’ll be more than qualified to set this up. The capture card itself is the same size as a Nintendo 3DS, which fits neatly next to any flatscreen television - essential for anyone whose cabinets are filled with consoles and a plethora of games.
The only critique I have of the setup is that the Pro HD package doesn’t come with a PlayStation 3 component cable. The reason being Roxio are aiming to keep the costs down so that the HD Pro is still affordable. It’s a very minor gripe, one I could solve myself for around £3 online, but a gripe nonetheless. That being said, if the lack of a £3 cable is my biggest complaint, we’re on to a winner here.
Also bundled is the easy to use, effortless to master, Roxio capture software. It’s here where you’ll be able to record edit, and take screenshots of your videos.
The editing suite is as robust as ever. Complete with video tutorials, this version even comes equipped with a voice masking option. Another must for anyone wanting to commentate while remaining anonymous online.
At first glance, editing looks akin to that of Windows Movie Maker. It’s not until you start playing around with your creation that you realise there’s actually a deep amount of modifiers and options available.
Summary: The Roxio Game Capture Pro HD ticks all the right boxes: The picture and video quality is clean and of the highest standard; editing is straightforward without patronising the user; streaming works without a hitch and, best of all; it’s cheap. Roxio could have easily slapped on a two-hundred plus price tag like the majority of the high-end capture cards and people would have paid it without hesitation. Instead, they’ve produced another inexpensive capture card without sacrificing quality.
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