It’s nearly three years since HDMI 2.1 consoles like the Xbox Series X and PS5 launched and we’re finally seeing HDMI 2.1 capture cards appear on the market. AVerMedia is launching its $299.99 Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (what a name) HDMI 2.1 USB capture card today, offering streamers and gamers the ability to play the latest consoles with 120Hz options turned on and still capture at 4K/60fps.
Streamers have been eagerly awaiting 4K/60fps capture over USB, as right now there are limited options for capturing this resolution and frame rate over USB, especially as Elgato’s 4K 60 S+ was discontinued late last year. Most have had to opt for PCIe capture cards instead.
AVerMedia’s latest capture card supports up to 4K/144Hz pass-through, complete with HDR and VRR support. So it’s now possible to play at 4K/144Hz on a gaming PC and then capture footage at 4K/60fps on a streaming PC, alongside support for playing at 4K/120Hz on the latest generation consoles and capturing at 4K/60fps.
AVerMedia is also supporting some other pass-through options for different resolutions and refresh rates, but not all of the HDMI 2.1 spec initially. Only 1080p/240Hz is supported right now, alongside just 1440p/144Hz at launch. A firmware update is promised for October 19th that will enable 1440p/240Hz, but there’s no such promise from AVerMedia for 1080p/360Hz yet. “Support for other additional resolutions will be added gradually,” says AVerMedia. So, if you have a 360Hz e-sports G-Sync monitor then you might be waiting a while before you can use it fully with pass-through on AVerMedia’s Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1.
The Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 also comes with Gaming Utility software that controls the LGB lighting on the device and can sync it up to other RGB ecosystems. It also comes with a party chat feature that lets you record voice chats during gameplay.
While AVerMedia and MaxSquare have both launched HDMI 2.1 capture cards, Elgato still hasn’t officially announced its own HDMI 2.1 USB or PCIe cards to add to its popular range of capture cards.
