I’ve had a few friends tell me that I need to start streaming when I play games. Not sure about all the ins and outs of it though. I have 2 PC’s but neither of them is super beefy. Ones an AMD FX 6100 and the other is an i5-6600K.
I don’t have a capture card or a decent recording mic. Not sure if Twitch would be better or Mixer? Mixer is newer so I guess the climb wouldn’t be so steep? Im sure Twitch is next to impossible to break into now.
I wouldn’t mind streaming some classic console stuff and some old arcade titles once I get my arcade cabs up and running.
What would you guys recommend equipment-wise that won’t put me in debt forever, but would do the job decently enough so that I don’t look like I’m trying to stream with two cups and some string?
I also wouldn’t mind doing some couch coop style streaming. Get something to record 2-3 people in a room at the same time all playing fighters or something together.
But like I said. No idea what all I’d need to do that.
Suggestions from any current streamers? Or don’t do it at all?
Not looking to get rich or even make money. Just wanna do it for fun.
If you are going to stream from xbox you can always just use the mixer or twitch apps and your headset. That would be a good starting point before spending money.
As far as products go…
I love Elgato capture card products. If you are playing at 1080P a Hd60 or HD60s are fine. If you plan to use a camera their green screen is the best on the market. I also have their Stream Deck but that would be something you get if you stick to streaming.
I use a Logitech C920 for camera. Under $50 and all the quality you will need.
For software I use Xsplit but I have a lifetime sub. I would suggest trying OBS first. It is free and should do more than you will need it to.
I would think with a capture code that does it’s own encoding and your i5 you should be ok. Just make sure you check min specs for the capture card. You can always post what you would like to buy here and we can give feedback also. There are also ways to by pass a capture card by stream xbox to your pc and then capturing it with OBS.
I have always streamed for fun. I rarely get viewers but what I do end up with is a catalog of hilarious moments with GRG.
Edited to add: I prefer Twitch over Mixer do to the options I have to create clips and some other things. That being said Mixer is a great product with a mature audience for the most part. Twitch chat can be more toxic IMO but if you are like me you want have any viewers anyway.
I dabbled a bit with OBS and it seems simple enough. A few youtube tutorials and I’ve got it set up already for basic stuff. Just gotta work on some graphics.
I was looking at the elgato HD60 pro for the cap card with a HDMI switch so I can swap between all the major consoles, and I’d be using a converter to hook up classic consoles to it, or I’d use emulators. I do have a dedicated pc that I can use for just the streaming/encoding. I plan on upgrading it next year at tax time, as well as getting a cap card and mic.
Basically I’d have the stream pc setup with the cap card. Gaming PC & all consoles would go to an HDMI switch that would run to a splitter. From the splitter to the monitor/tv I’m playing on, and to the cap card in the capture PC. Webcam would be hooked up to the capture PC.
My big tech hiccup would be chat/voice audio. Game audio all goes through the HDMI cables. But what about chat audio and my voice. I’d need my gaming chat party on Xbox and PC to hear me, as well as the viewers in Mixer & Twitch. I’d prefer to do that with one headset/mic if I can. I don’t have the space/money to buy an expensive mic and a mixer. Unless that would make things easier? And then I’d need to do some financial planning. I’ve heard the Blue Yeti’s are excellent for both single person use, or can cap a whole room at once if set up right without the need for a mixing board. But how to make that work with a console? Or would that just be for the sake of the twitch/mixer audience and I’d use a regular console headset/mic combo for that? If so…how then can I hear the stream audio to make sure that’s all kosher? So many questions…so many cables/adapters/splitters I’m sure.
Ultimately though. I’d like a setup I can rig to run games by myself, or if I have a friend over I can move the webcam and a mic up to capture us playing couch coop stuff or fighting games. Or film my arcade cabinet once I get that setup.
I don’t mind planning to spend some money on it. It seems like a fun hobby and it’s something I’ve wanted to try for a while. And I have some ideas to do stuff no one’s doing yet that I’ve seen. I’ve just gotta get my room/area setup to do it. I don’t know of anyone that streams actual real arcade games being played. Emulators sure. But not full runs on an actual arcade cabinet.
I’ve watched a few audio tutorials for streaming, and they are all way complicated and involve mixers and other crazy hardware I have no idea how to use. Anyway to get around all that/simplify it and still get a decent quality stream?
I need simple, but decent quality. That’s my goal. I have 2 PC’s I can dedicate to the cause. 3 if my wife never touches her pc again, I’m gonna purloin it for this. Hehe.
