There comes a point in ever gamer's life where they wonder, Is there a way I could record my awesomeness and put in online for others to bask in said awesomeness? I probably should be focusing on recording videos of my kids, but where's the fun in that? I'm sure when they turn eighteen, they won't ask me for a film of when they were babies, they'll be asking what my Elder Scrolls characters looked like, or how good was I at Gears? Right?
That isn't anything like how it turned out to be, and the reality was that it was one hundred times easier.
After perusing several capture card manufacturers, I ultimately decided on the Roxio Game Capture. The reasoning behind this being, how many gamers want to spend $400 plus on a HD capture card? Sure, some will, but if I were paying for one, I'd want something cost effective, so if it does turn out to be outside of my realm of comprehension, I won't be left broke and penniless.
The Roxio Game Capture retails at $99.99. This, for me, is akin to a “Capture Card for beginners,” offering value for money alongside outstanding quality. Yeah, it doesn't record in 1080p, nor does it need to. I wanted to show the world the games I'm playing, and I can do this with greatest of ease.
Setting up the card is simple. So simple, I came up with two experiments to see just how easy it is.
The first test is, can I do it? If I can do it, then it's more than likely going to be a breeze.
Here's how to set it up: Coloured wires go into coloured sockets and USB goes into USB on the card and the USB on my PC (or Laptop in my case).
There is no need for novices to worry, it's so easy a two year-old could do it, literally!
The Roxio Game Capture also comes with an installation CD containing two programs. The first lets you toy around with the quality as the picture is displayed on your PC. To record, or take screencaps, you press the giant button saying capture. Again, this program has been streamlined for ease of use, something that is a must for all us capture card newcomers.
The second, and the one that alone is worth the price-tag, is a video editing software program.
I can make graphics, I can sometimes write coherent sentences, but Movie Maker-like programs have been outside of my comprehension. That was until now. The Roxio video editing software, and I hate to repeat myself, is so easy to use.
Once my video has loaded, I want to cut it down and remove the bits showing my dashboard or menus or GamerTag, or anything that will detract from the overall appearance of my footage. It's also worth noting that I never, ever read manuals. I'm a guy, and we don't have time for instructions. In front of me is my video and an obviously placed pair of scissors. Hey, I know scissors, they're used for cutting! Clever me ...
So with my three parts of video cut down to watchable lengths, what's next? With my video finished, it's time to save. My options now are save it as a beautiful high-RES video on my PC and upload it to sites manually, or I can click the YouTube icon and let the program do all the work for me. The quality suffers slightly, but it means I don't have to do any more work on my video.
Why can't all PC programs be this helpful?
In Closing
If you're looking for a HD capture card, you're in the wrong place. If you're new to capture cards or want a product that's the best value for money on the market, then this is the card for you. You won't find an easier, more user-friendly capture out there, and for the price, the quality is outstanding.
Enough of me telling you, instead, let me end by showing you what I'm talking about:
This, is the first video I ever created:
And this is the fourth:
For more, check out the Roxio homepage here.
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Position: Editor-in-chief
Born in Cyrodiil but raised in Ferelden, more commonly know as England. Wesley Copeland is a passionate writer with more opinions than an ostrich.
