AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus hardware review

The AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus is without a doubt the best entry into video game streaming/recording that has come along since such things became the norm. For professionals, this is probably not as great as the equipment that you already have but for someone coming in new and looking for a jumping off point, I cannot recommend this highly enough.

The device itself is small enough to be carried with relative ease, and exceptionally light. Sharp contrast between the black and red coloring make reading the front of the system a breeze and actually gives it a pretty cool aesthetic. The AVerMedia 2 Plus works as both a capture device and a streaming device, depending on which settings you choose. Two audio jacks on the front, one for party chat recording and one for simple voiceover make adding an audio track to any recording a breeze as well. The back of the device hosts an HDMI in and an HDMI out port, as well as a Micro-USB port and a Micro SD slot. The review device that I was provided also came with a 64GB Micro SD card.

The AVerMedia 2 Plus is able to capture and record video at 1080p, but it is the 4k passthrough feature that really makes the device stand out. It does not record in 4k mind you, but it allows you to play your game in 4k, then captures at a 1080p resolution. This is great because it allows you to take advantage of all this great new tech, be it a high end PC, a PS4 Pro or an Xbox One X and play your games in glorious 4k while also still being able to record and stream if you would like with no sacrifices.

The actual use of the device is simple, intuitive and stress free. Once you get everything set up, it is easy to record, stream and upload your content. Some of the higher end capture devices seem to require an operator’s license to work them properly. Not the AVerMedia 2 Plus. This is by far the most simple to use capture device I have come across, and doesn?t sacrifice the quality in favor of convenience.

The single drawback to the AVerMedia 2 Plus is the price tag, retailing at around $200 at most places I have found online. This is not too much to ask for what you get in my opinion, and still a reasonable enough price to be considered entry level, albeit high up in that tier. If you are a new streamer/recorder I would highly recommend the AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus if you have the money to spend. I will stick with this one for a long time before feeling the need to upgrade.

Note: AVerMedia provided us with a AVerMedia 2 Plus for review purposes.