Razer’s new Ripsaw card allows for 4K gaming with 1080p streaming

We’re on the edge of 2020, and the latter half of this decade is going to go down as the age wherein sharing game footage became not only a real deal but easier than ever. Compared to the tangle of wires, the hardware needed and frame-specific editing required, video sharing these days is a walk in the park. Current upgraded consoles can easily grab some 4K footage, whereas your PC usually has a two-fer running in the background with Windows and Nvidia capture options.

Does Radeon do anything? I have no idea. Anyway, as convenient as current capture options are, a properly dedicated piece of hardware is still handy if you’re planning to get serious with not only grabbing the best possible video footage, but also streaming it. Razer has decided to muscle in on Elgato’s territory, as their new Ripsaw HD aims to be a multi-platform capture card with a few tricks up its sleeve.

The primary appeal? A blistering 4K passthrough feature at 60 delicious frames per second. For people whose hair doesn’t boast a layer of colour that makes them look like they’ve been attacked by a rainbow, that means that you’ll be able to play your games in 4K resolution while streaming at up to 1080p depending on the hardware.

“With the Ripsaw HD joining our extensive broadcaster range, streamers now have a capture card ready to broadcast the latest games at high resolution and framerates from both their PC or console,” Razer co-founder and CEO Min-Liang Tang said in a press release.

Viewers will love the Full HD streams, while broadcasters can enjoy their games as they were intended with the 4K pass-through.

The catch here is that actual game capture will still be capped at 1080p 60fps on the Ripsaw. Also, Ripsaw is an awesome word. Ripsaw. Riiiiipsaaaaaaaaaawww. Here’s a quick look at the specs:

• Max capture resolution: Uncompressed 1080p 60fps
• Interface: USB 3.0 only
• Video input: Digital – HDMI 2.0
• Audio input: Digital – HDMI
• Audio mix-in input: 3.5 mm mic-in / 3.5 mm aux-in
• Video output: HDMI 2.0
• Maximum supported passthrough resolutions: 2160p60
• Other supported resolutions: 2160p, 1080p, 1440p, 720p, 480p
• Includes: USB3.0 Type C to Type A cable, HDMI 2.0 Cable, 3.5 mm Audio Cable

When it comes to price, the Ripsaw will set you back around $159, making it slightly cheaper than Elgato’s HD60 S and still being capable of built-in audio mixing that allows for microphone audio to experience zero latency if fed through the card.

Last Updated: April 9, 2019