Elgato

From HandWiki
Short description: Consumer electronics brand
Elgato
Elgato logo.svg
Product typeConsumer electronics (computer)
OwnerCorsair Gaming, Inc.
Introduced2010; 14 years ago (2010)
Previous ownersElgato Systems
Websitewww.elgato.com/en

Elgato is a brand of consumer technology products. The brand was manufactured and designed by Elgato Systems, founded in 2010 by Markus Fest and is headquartered in Munich, Germany, until 2018 when the brand was sold to Corsair.[1]

History

The brand, Elgato, was formerly a brand of Elgato Systems. The Elgato brand was used to refer to the company gaming and thunderbolt devices and was commonly called Elgato Gaming.

On June 28, 2018, Corsair acquired the Elgato brand from Elgato Systems, while Elgato Systems kept their smart home division and renamed the company to Eve Systems.[2]

Products

A rear view of the Elgato Thunderbolt dock showing the available ports
The Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+

Thunderbolt dock

Elgato introduced a Thunderbolt docking station in June 2014. A computer is plugged into the dock using a Thunderbolt port in order to gain access to the dock's three USB ports, audio jacks, HDMI and ethernet. It is typically used to plug a Macbook into an office setting (printer, monitor, keyboard) or to provide additional ports not available in the MacBook Air.[3][4][5] A review in The Register said it was compact and useful, but Windows users should consider a USB 3.0 dock.[4] The Register and CNET disagreed on whether it was competitively priced.[3][4] Reviews in TechRadar and Macworld gave it 4 out of 5 stars.[6][7]

Thunderbolt SSD

Elgato introduced two external solid-state drives in September 2012 called Thunderbolt Drive.[8] Benchmark tests by MacWorld and Tom's Hardware said that the hard drive was slower than other products they tested, despite being connected through a faster Thunderbolt port, rather than Firewire.[9][10] The following year, in 2013, Elgato replaced them with similar drives identified as "Thunderbolt Drive +", which added USB 3.0 support and was claimed to be faster than the previous iteration.[11] A CNET review of a Thunderbolt Drive+ drive gave it a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. It said the drive was "blazing fast" and "the most portable drive to date" but was also expensive.[12] An article in The Register explained that the original drives introduced in 2012 didn't perform well in benchmark tests, but the newer "plus" version had impressive speed results during testing.[13]

Game Capturing

Game Capture HD, which connects to gaming consoles to record gameplay, was introduced in 2012. It was created in response to gamers that were hacking EyeTV products for gameplay recording.[14] The device connects between a gaming console and the TV and is powered by a USB connection. It captures video as the console sends it to the television, compresses and stores it.[15] A review in iPhone Life gave it 4 out of 5 stars and noted that it could also be used to record iPad games with the right setup.[16]

In October 2014 Elgato released a new version called HD 60. It recorded in 60 frames per second and 1080p high definition video (compared to the previous Game Capture HD's 1080p30 or 720p60), whereas typical low-end video game recording devices capture in 720p and 30 frames per second. The Telegraph gave it four out of five stars.[17] A review in Gizmodo said that it captured extremely high-quality footage, but it may be higher-end than needed for many gamers that would be satisfied with the recording features built into the console.[15]

References

  1. Hargreaves, Eddie (March 12, 2007). "Elgato ends collaboration with Miglia". Giga Om. http://gigaom.com/2007/03/12/elgato-ends-collaboration-with-miglia/. 
  2. "Elgato Systems Renames to Eve Systems After Spinning Off Gaming Business" (in en). TechPowerUp. https://www.techpowerup.com/245546/elgato-systems-renames-to-eve-systems-after-spinning-off-gaming-business. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Add a slew of ports to your MacBook with the Elgato Thunderbolt Dock". CNET. April 4, 2014. https://www.cnet.com/products/elgato-thunderbolt-dock/. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dormon, Bob (June 3, 2014). "Plugging the gaps in today's Macs: Elgato Thunderbolt Dock". The Register. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/03/review_elgato_thunderbolt_dock/. 
  5. Summers, Nick (April 14, 2014). "Elgato Thunderbolt Dock review: This sleek station will supercharge your laptop-powered workspace". TheNextWeb. https://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2014/04/14/elgato-thunderbolt-dock-review/. 
  6. Harrison, Andrew (July 23, 2014). "Elgato Thunderbolt Dock review". MacWorld. http://www.macworld.co.uk/review/mac-accessories/elgato-thunderbolt-dock-review-3532358/. 
  7. Stonebridge, Alan (May 1, 2014). "Elgato Thunderbolt Dock review:Connect several devices to your computer by plugging in a single cable". http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/peripherals/input-devices/general-input-devices/elgato-thunderbolt-dock-1246495/review. 
  8. Cooper, Daniel. "Elgato's Thunderbolt SSD brings no noise, brings the pain(less) operation". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/elgato-thunderbolt-ssd/. 
  9. Ku, Andrew (July 15, 2012). "Nine External Thunderbolt Storage Devices, Rounded Up". Tom's Hardware. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/my-book-thunderbolt-duo-pegasus-r4-2big,3222-2.html. 
  10. Bartleman, Kean (May 2, 2012). "Elgato's bus-powered Thunderbolt SSD". Macworld. https://www.macworld.com/article/1166646/elgatos_bus_powered_thunderbolt_ssd.html. 
  11. Fingas, Jon (November 8, 2013). "Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+ SSD earns its 'plus' tag through USB 3.0 and brisk speeds". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2013/11/08/elgato-thunderbolt-drive-plus/. 
  12. "Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+ review: Blazing fast portable drive". CNET. February 14, 2014. https://www.cnet.com/products/elgato-thunderbolt-drive-plus-256gb/. 
  13. Dormon, Bob (March 6, 2014). "Vulture wraps claws around Elgato Thunderbolt Drive+ portable SSD". The Register. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/06/elgato_thunderbolt_plus_portable_ssd_drive/. 
  14. Turner, Adam (July 16, 2012). "What is ... Elgato's Game Capture HD". The Sydney Morning Herald. 
  15. 15.0 15.1 Simpson, Campbell (October 29, 2014). "Elgato Game Capture HD 60: Australian Review". Gizmodo Australia. http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/10/elgato-game-capture-hd-60-australian-review/. 
  16. Riley, Mike (July 15, 2013). "Record iPad Video with Elgato Game Capture HD". iphone life magazine. http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/177/elgato-game-capture-hd-review. 
  17. Hoggins, Tom (October 17, 2014). "Elgato Game Capture HD 60 review". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/video-game-reviews/11158250/Elgato-Game-Capture-HD-60-review.html. 

External links