How To
Fancy sharing your gaming sessions with the watching world? Here’s how to get yourself up and running
This month, Doctor Nick reveals how to stream old games
01
Choose a video capture device. These are available as both internal PCI-E cards and external USB boxes. Most modern ones only accept HDMI, and accept resolutions up to 4K at 60 frames per second. This is more than enough for retro gaming, but consider your needs if you’re also planning to stream from modern systems. Some old ones offer legacy inputs.
02
If your capture device doesn’t support old-style outputs, you’ll need a way to convert video to HDMI. We use the Open Source Scan Converter, but be warned – not all capture devices play well with it. If your capture device doesn’t offer signal passthrough, you’ll also need a splitter. Our one splits one input to two outputs. Grab a headset, too.
03
Install your hardware, then download and install OBS – it’s a free and flexible streaming program. Alternatives include Xsplit. Once all the software is ready, hook everything up and switch it on. In OBS, click Settings. Set your bitrate and encoding software under Output, and your resolution and framerate under Video.
04
Click the + symbol under Sources and add your video capture device. You should see your console’s output in the preview window. Then do the same to add your audio sources (typically the game audio and a microphone), then use the mixer panel to balance the sound. You can also add images to theme your channel if you’d like.
05
Although there are a variety of popular streaming sites, including Youtube Gaming and Mixer, we’d recommend starting off with Twitch as it has a big audience and is compatible with most streaming software. Go to your Dashboard, and under Settings – Channel you’ll find your primary stream key. Copy this.
06
Back in OBS Studio, click Settings. Under Stream, select Twitch as your service and use a nearby server, then paste your stream key into the box provided. Click OK to save your settings. You should now be ready to test your stream, so click Start Streaming and use another device to see if things are going smoothly.