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Nov 13, 2024

FIFINE AmpliGame V3 1080p Capture Card | Review - XboxEra

The following ‘FIFINE AmpliGame V3 Capture Card’ was provided by the manufacturer for review. Last week, I had the opportunity to try out FIFINE’s latest game and media capture card solution. Meet the

The following ‘FIFINE AmpliGame V3 Capture Card’ was provided by the manufacturer for review.

Last week, I had the opportunity to try out FIFINE’s latest game and media capture card solution. Meet the “AmpliGame V3 Capture Card”, a tiny and weightless little kit that is designed to capture up to 1080p at 60 frames per second while also being able to output a 4K image at 30Hz to another display. Not only that, but the capture card also supports a Line In microphone connection as well as an audio out Aux jack. And to top it all off, the AmpliGame V3 features FIFINE’s penchant for RGB lights, supporting up to six modes of different lighting configurations.

This’ll be a short review, but know that it’s just because the AmpliGame V3 does exactly what it says it can do.

The AmpliGame V3 comes with minimal packaging (always a favourite of mine), its little box holding nothing more than the capture card, a short USB-A to USB-C cable, and a quick start guide. Provided you are running a modern operating system, the V3 is quite literally a plug ‘n play solution. No drivers need to be installed, all you need is a software that is capable of capturing its output, such as the free and popular broadcasting software “OBS Studio”.

Plug in your target device and plug it into your PC, set up the appropriate input channels, and everything will work as it should. I did run into some trouble at first getting my laptop to pick up input from the AmpliGame, but simply deleting the sources I had already set up and reapplying them solved my problem for good.

The AmpliGame V3 Capture Card works as well as you’d expect it to. I tried it across a few different devices over the last week and walked away with positive impressions thanks to the quality of the video that I was able to draw off the device. Most devices with an HDMI Out port will work (except PCs!), but I primarily spent my time recording games off my original XBox console as I’ve been planning to go back in time just a bit to play some fantastic games over the coming winter months.

I also gave the card a whirl with my Xbox Series X console and even tried plugging in a bunch of devices that I had lying around to see how well this works. Video output looks great, barring occasional quirks that arise depending on the hardware (usually related to handshaking at boot or connection), I had absolutely no trouble recording 1080p at 60Hz, with audio coming up to roughly 200 to 256 kilobytes per second.

Now keep in mind the limitations the card has a few limitations—for example, the AmpliGame V3 cannot output an HDR signal, nor is it going to be able to process LPCM and Dolby Digital audio streams (surround sound). Mind, very few capture cards actually do either things that I’ve listed, but it’s worth noting so you can keep your expectations in check especially if you’re new to buying capture cards. And some game consoles will refuse to switch to the capture card’s 4K and 30Hz output.

My Xbox Series X refused to put out the AmpliGame V3’s maximum output, but I found a nice compromise, which sat at 1440p at 60Hz. The capture card can even passthrough a 1080p and 120Hz image, which was quite nice! But do keep in mind, no matter the passthrough image quality, the capture card will only capture up to 1080p at 60Hz. I did try to see if I could somehow squeeze out a 1440p image but sadly yielded no success. If you’re looking for a 4K and 60Hz image, unfortunately FIFINE’s solution here won’t be for you.

And as a side note, depending on your set up, you may either need a longer USB-C or HDMI cable. In my case, I have a bunch of the former and they worked without issue.

All in all, the AmpliGame V3 Capture Card is a solid choice for capturing gameplay, especially for older consoles. At its price point, you’re getting a well-made device that is great for video game streaming especially thanks to its Line In, Headset, and HDMI Out ports. For reference, you can get even cheaper capture cards on Amazon and the like, but for devices like these playing through the OBS Studio preview simply isn’t ideal as the added input latency will make any game that plays faster than ‘Pac-Man World 2’ a real pain. If you’re aiming for 1080p recording and streaming output, this capture card is for you.

The FIFINE AmpliGame V3 Capture Card retails for $52.99 USD (available on discount!) and can be found at the following retailers: