Elgato currently has four external game capture cards available with the HD60, HD60 S, HD60 S+ and 4K60 S+. So, what are the main differences between these four products?
You can find out in this comparison guide between the four external Elgato game capture cards.
Quick Summary
When compared to the other external capture cards, the Elgato Game Capture 4K60 S+ is the only product that can capture gameplay videos at 4K and 60 frames per second. So, it is the best at recording videos for PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation 5, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. You can also get a very good gameplay experience when capturing as the gameplay passthrough is 4K and 60 frames per second with HDR. Last but not least, the 4K60 S+ can record video directly on a SD card.
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 S+ is the second best at capturing footage from 4K capable consoles. Although you can record in 4K, you are limited to 30 frames per second. With that said, you can still play at 4K and 60 frames per second with HDR. The HD60 S+ also come with Instant Gameview, a feature not found in the 4K60 S+ that lets you get a live view for your gameplay capture, your webcam reactions as well as your live audio commentary.
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 and Elgato Game Capture HD60 S are both designed for 1080p console capture. Thus, both are best suited for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox One S.
We recommend getting the HD60 S over the HD60 as the S version comes with the faster USB 3.0 connection in addition to supporting the aforementioned Instant Gameview feature.
HD60 vs. 60 S vs. HD60 S+ vs. 4K60 S+ Comparison Chart
You can take a look at Seeking Tech’s comparison table between these external game capture cards below.
Elgato Game Capture HD60 | Elgato Game Capture HD60 S | Elgato Game Capture HD60 S+ | Elgato Game Capture 4K60 S+ | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Supported Capture Resolutions and Frame Rates | 480p (720 x 480) at 60 FPS 576i (720 x 576) at 50 FPS 576p (720 x 576) at 50 FPS 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS 720p (1280 x 720) at 60 FPS 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS | 480p (720 x 480) at 60 FPS 576i (720 x 576) at 50 FPS 576p (720 x 576) at 50 FPS 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS 720p (1280 x 720) at 60 FPS 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS | 480p (720 x 480) at 60 FPS 576p (720 x 576) at 50 FPS 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS 720p (1280 x 720) at 60 FPS 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS 4K (3840 by 2160) at 30 FPS | 480p (720 x 480) at 60 FPS 576p (720 x 576) at 50 FPS 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS 720p (1280 x 720) at 60 FPS 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS 4K (3840 by 2160) at 30 FPS 4K (3840 by 2160) at 60 FPS |
HDR10 Capture? | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Supported Consoles | PS3 Xbox 360 Nintendo Wii U PS4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch PS4 Pro Xbox One S Xbox One X PS5 Xbox Series S Xbox Series X | PS3 Xbox 360 Nintendo Wii U PS4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch PS4 Pro Xbox One S Xbox One X PS5 Xbox Series S Xbox Series X | PS3 Xbox 360 Nintendo Wii U PS4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch PS4 Pro Xbox One S Xbox One X PS5 Xbox Series S Xbox Series X | PS3 Xbox 360 Nintendo Wii U PS4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch PS4 Pro Xbox One S Xbox One X PS5 Xbox Series S Xbox Series X |
Hardware Encoder | H.264 (AVC) | None | None | H.265 (HEVC) |
Maximum Capture Bitrate | 40 Mbps | 40 Mbps | 40 Mbps | 140 Mbps |
Interface | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 3.0 |
Flashback Recording Support? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Live Commentary Support? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Unlimited Capture Support? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Instant Gameview Support? | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Gameplay Passthrough | Up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second | Up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second | Up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second with HDR | Up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second with HDR |
SD Card Support? | No | No | No | Yes |
Compatible Operating System | Windows 10 (64-bit) macOS Sierra | Windows 10 (64-bit) macOS Sierra | Windows 10 (64-bit) macOS Sierra | Windows 10 (64-bit) |
Pricing | Check price on Amazon. | Check price on Amazon. | Check price on Amazon. | Check price on Amazon. |
Supported Capture Resolutions and Frame Rates
The Game Capture HD60 and Game Capture HD60 S support 576i and 1080i while the Game Capture HD60 S+ only supports 1080i. The Game Capture 4K60 S+ does not support interlaced resolution.
With that said, the Game Capture 4K60 S+ is the only product that can capture in 4K at up to 60 frames per second. You can also capture 4K with the Game Capture HD60 S+, although you will be limited to 30 frames per second.
You can find the complete lists of supported resolutions and frame rates for all four external capture cards in this versus guide below:
Game Capture HD60:
- 480p (720 x 480) at 60 FPS
- 576i (720 x 576) at 50 FPS
- 576p (720 x 576) at 50 FPS
- 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS
- 720p (1280 x 720) at 60 FPS
- 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS
- 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS
- 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS
- 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS
Game Capture HD60 S:
- 480p (720 x 480) at 60 FPS
- 576i (720 x 576) at 50 FPS
- 576p (720 x 576) at 50 FPS
- 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS
- 720p (1280 x 720) at 60 FPS
- 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS
- 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS
- 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS
- 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS
Game Capture HD60 S+:
- 480p (720 x 480) at 60 FPS
- 576p (720 x 576) at 50 FPS
- 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS
- 720p (1280 x 720) at 60 FPS
- 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS
- 1080i (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS
- 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS
- 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS
- 4K (3840 by 2160) at 30 FPS
Game Capture 4K60 S+:
- 480p (720 x 480) at 60 FPS
- 576p (720 x 576) at 50 FPS
- 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS
- 720p (1280 x 720) at 60 FPS
- 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 30 FPS
- 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 60 FPS
- 4K (3840 by 2160) at 30 FPS
- 4K (3840 by 2160) at 60 FPS
HDR10 Capture
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 S+ and Elgato Game Capture 4K60 S+ are the only two cards to support HDR10.
Supported Consoles
All four capture cards can record videos from videogame consoles that use the HDMI output. These include the new PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X systems.
You can take a look at supported gaming consoles below:
- PS3
- Xbox 360
- Nintendo Wii U
- PS4
- Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch
- PS4 Pro
- Xbox One S
- Xbox One X
- PS5
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Series X
Hardware Encoder
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 comes with a built-in H.264 (AVC) encoder while the Elgato Game Capture 4K60 S+ comes with a H.265 (HEVC) hardware encoder.
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 S and Elgato Game Capture HD60 S+ do not use any hardware encoding.
Maximum Capture Bitrate
The Game Capture HD60, Game Capture 4K60 S+ and Game Capture HD60 S have a maximum capture bitrate of 40 Mbps.
The Game Capture 4K60 S+ has a much better max capture bitrate at 140 Mbps.
Interface
The HD60 uses the USB 2.0 interface while the HD60 S, HD60 S+ and 4K60 S+ use the USB 3.0 interface, which provides more bandwidth for capturing gameplay videos.
Flashback Recording
All of the capture cards in this comparison support Flashback Recording, a feature that lets you rewind the captured video to where you want to start the recording process.
Live Commentary
The cards also support Live Commentary, a feature where you can add your voice input along with the captured video.
Unlimited Capture
Furthermore, the Elgato products support Unlimited Capture, which lets you record for as long as possible provided you have enough space on your computer’s storage drive.
Instant Gameview
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 S and Elgato Game Capture HD60 S+ are the only products in this comparison to feature Instant Gameview, which provides an instant preview of the captured footage, which also includes your reactions (captured from a separate camera) and live commentary.
Gameplay Passthrough
The Elgato Game Capture HD60 and Elgato Game Capture HD60 S have gameplay passthrough support at up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second.
Both the Elgato Game Capture HD60 S+ and Elgato Game Capture 4K60 S+ have a gameplay passthrough support at up 4K resolution, 60 frames per second and HDR.
SD Card Support
The Game Capture 4K60 S+ is the only card in this group to support SD cards as you can store captured videos directly to the memory card without using a computer.
Compatible Operating System
The Game Capture HD60, Game Capture HD60 S and Game Capture HD60 S+ are compatible with Windows 10 (64-bit) and macOS Sierra.
The Game Capture 4K60 S+ is only compatible with the Windows 10 (64-bit).
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