Are there capture cards with such low latency you can use them to game through a computer?

Corroded@leminal.space to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 51 points –

I have a few consoles setup on my desk and I think it would be neat to be able forgo switching inputs on my monitor.

It could be useful for setting up a picture-in-picture system and using the inputs in EmuVR to play non-Retroarch consoles like my Xbox 360 and original Xbox.

Is this feasible? I would be fine playing at lower resolutions. I have attempted it with a cheap Ali Express HDMI to USB device but the latency threw a wrench into that idea. I am wondering if a more capable capture device could be the answer.

Also would my graphics card play a big factor? I have 1070ti so I feel like it should be fine.

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I have never seen a capture device with USB interface have any kind of usable latency, you'll want one with PCI Express interface.

Elgato makes a capture card with PCI Express interface, I had a friend who used one to play all of his consoles on big virtual screen in VR. I tried out Mario Kart 8 for the Switch and it played great.

Really? No major hiccups?

Someone else suggested the same thing and it sounds like it might be what I am looking for. I was only using my USB device because it's what I had on-hand. A PCI-E device would be fine

Yep, I only played through couple races & was a few beers in, it felt acceptable for me at the time. Not sure how it would be with the latest gen Elgato cards & they are pricey so best to buy from store with a good return policy.

I have a pci-e capture for composite. I do notice an input delay. I didn't really try to get a bleeding-edge configuration setup. Just wanted to mention that it might not be as simple as it sounds.

Have you seen the RetroTink project? I have no first-hand experience, but I've heard good things. Not sure if it fits your use-case. It's used to convert composite video to hdmi with minimal latency. You'd still have to switch monitor inputs, though.