Smaller and lighter than the HD60S + with its 112x72x18 mm and 91 g, the HD60 X is also more inclined to integrate with sobriety into a configuration. Indeed, Elgato has chosen this time to place the HDMI and USB-C ports on the back of the device rather than on each side. This allows for a cleaner rendering and therefore more pleasing to the eye.
The device is just as black as the previous ones, with matte plastic for the shell and glossy plastic for the logo and product name, placed on the top and front sides. The set is discreet. As when it is placed between the console and the monitor, it knows how to be discreet. Personally I preferred the more rounded curves of the HD60 S+ and HD60S, but that’s a matter of taste.
As with its predecessors, we greatly appreciate dealing with pure plug & play: it’s simple enough to be disconcerting. One branch, it works, period.
From console to HD60 X to monitor, with USB-C/USB 3.0 output going to PC for content recording/streaming. Then just choose the resolution and refresh rate in which you want to encode, and off you go.
The Elgato HD60 X offers several resolutions for capturing:
- 2160p30
- 1440p60
- 1080p60
- 1080p30
- 1080i
- 720p60
- 576p
- 480p
Suffice to say that you are spoiled for choice, depending on your configuration / internet connection and your wishes. Above all, the Elgato HD60 X lets you enjoy leisurely gaming up to 2160p60 or 1440p120 with HDR on your monitor while it takes care of converting the signal for capture. All without slowing down, as long as your configuration can hold the load since it is indeed it which takes care of the encoding.
Comfort is maximum, especially since the device is VRR compatible. This ultra practical feature is currently only available on the Xbox side, with Sony working to integrate it into the PS5. It’s all about having a variable refresh rate to help prevent screen tearing. The HD60 X’s VRR compatibility allows it to record smoothly, even during the most system-intensive passages. In the end, you get a capture of excellent quality, no more unpleasant surprises when reviewing the images.
Elgato also offers the Stream Link, a very practical tool since it allows you to record in a certain resolution while broadcasting in another. It is for example possible to record in 4K HDR with the proprietary software while broadcasting in SDR with OBS at the same time.
Where Elgato still sins in my opinion is on the length of the cables, which deserve to be at least 1/3 longer for configurations that are not necessarily centralized. For example, if my PS5 is connected to a TV a few meters from my PC, the USB-C/USB 3.0 cable is far from long enough to reach the PC. In a case like this, we find ourselves pulling the cables as much as possible, the HD60 X finds itself in the middle of the room, almost suspended because of the tension of the cables, and we clearly lose both comfort and aesthetics.
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