Elgato FaceCam Pro Review
As the first ever webcam to shoot at 4K resolution while maintaining a smooth framerate of 60fps, the FaceCam Pro is capable of delivering a professional look to your livestreams. But seeing as Twitch is limited to 1080p streams anyway, is a 4K camera really necessary?
I think the 4K resolution gives 2 main benefits to today’s streamers:
- Digitally punch in without losing quality.
- Create VOD content for 4K Platforms (like YouTube).
FaceCam Pro is incredibly easy to use – priding itself on its “plug and play” capabilities. However, if you’re a fan of customization, FaceCam Pro makes use of Elgato Camera Hub, allowing you to control things like white balance, shutter speed, ISO, and the new addition of auto-focus.
It’s not without its negatives though, at $300, the Elgato FaceCam Pro is one of the priciest webcams on the market, and it’s not for everyone.
Check out my full review below, it’s packed full of comparisons to other premium webcams, tests in different lighting conditions, and my thoughts on whether this is a worthwhile purchase for streamers in 2022.
NVENC Improvements in OBS Studio v28.1
Version 28.1 of OBS Studio has been released featuring some much-needed bug fixes as well as exciting new features. This update primarily deals with improving video encoding when using NVIDIA GPUs:
- AV1 encoding for RTX 40-series cards
- NVENC Presets P1-P7 (higher number = higher quality)
- Tuning: High Quality, Low Latency, Ultra Low Latency
- Multipass Mode: 2-Pass Encoding
NVIDIA has released some content showing the possible future benefits of encoding in AV1, it’s well worth a watch.
I’ll be making a video going through all the new features released in OBS Studio version 28 (and 28.1), so keep an eye out for that on the Gaming Careers YouTube channel.
Discord Launches “Activities”
Discord has finally dropped its new Activities feature. It was only a matter of time before Discord brought in the ability to play games in real time with friends through the app.
As part of the release, it offers all Discord members the opportunity to play Putt Party or enjoy watching YouTube videos together in the Discord chat.
At the moment, Discord is only making two activities available to all users. However, Discord Nitro subscribers have a few more gaming options available to them, including:
- Poker Night
- Sketch Heads
- Chess in the Park
- Checkers in the Park
- Land-io
- Letter League
- Blazing 8’s
- SpellCast
Luckily, there is a way to play one of these exclusive games without having to pay the $9.99 monthly Discord Nitro subscription fee. As long as one person (the person that initiates the game) has a Discord Nitro subscription, all players in the chat can play absolutely free.
Activities show Discord is taking big steps to stay relevant and keep the gaming community at the heart of its operations. And as they have said themselves, these initial games are just the beginning.
