Genki ShadowCast
Genki

Genki ShadowCast

B
Ranked #4 in Capture Cards
638 LP on the category ladder what's LP?

Compact, reliable, and well-maintained; great for portable setups.

Consolidated from 49 cited sources across 44 outlets

Where the cited sources landed, as we read them

  • 29 positive sources
  • 14 neutral sources
  • 3 unconvinced sources
See the sources

Pros & cons

  • Compact design
  • Reliable 1080p/1440p capture
  • Matches HD60 X latency and quality
  • One-third the price
  • Excellent HDR10+ support

The sources behind this ranking

We searched the web and YouTube for what has been published about this product, then read the articles, video transcripts and comments we found.

Evidence 11 articles, 36 video reviews and 2 community sources

29 positive sources

P PetaPixel Jaron Schneider · reviewer · Apr 2026
ShadowCast 3 is the latest version of the company’s series of products and is able to turn any screen — including laptops, smartphones, and tablets — into a display for a console with the promise of “near-zero latency.” Additionally, it allows for the capture of up to 4Kp60 resolution for livestreaming or recording.
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M MetalJesusRocks MetalJesusRocks · 948K subscribers · Apr 2026
Uh also, I like how it has these foldable prongs here. They claim it works in 150 countries with their optional adapters, and it's really just pocket-size. This is something that you can fit in your pocket, or you can throw in a bag. Uh you guys know I travel a lot, and so this is a This is going to be something I'm going to be carrying with me quite a bit.
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N Nintendo Life Nintendo Life · reviewer · Apr 2026
As a novice video creator, I couldn't say for sure if the ShadowCast 3 is a match for the leading examples on the market, but it suits my modest needs – and twinning it with the Covert Dock 3 creates a slimline recording solution that does more than enough for me personally.
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V Verlisify Verlisify · 468K subscribers · Mar 2021
Check out this tech review to find out this is the best Nintendo Switch Capture Card.
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M Metal Jesus Rocks ® | Retro Gaming with a Heavy Metal Soundtrack Metal Jesus Rocks · reviewer · Apr 2026
Covert Dock 3 is a sleek 65W travel dock built for Switch 2 and handheld gaming on the go, while ShadowCast 3 shrinks a full 4K60 capture card down to pocket size. Together, they transform your laptop or iPad into a portable gaming command center—no bulky setup required.
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M Marc The Geek Marc The Geek · 326K subscribers · May 2021
A simple device that lets you connect any console to your laptop very easily. In video I show how it works. Hope you like the video.
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K Kickstarter Article
Covert Dock 3 is more versatile than ever providing more power, incredible visual fidelity, and most importantly it can dock the latest devices such as the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X and Nintendo Switch 2™ in their full glory.
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I It Came From A Box It Came From A Box · 155K subscribers · May 2026
Genki Covert Dock 3 and ShadowCast 3 Pro - A Handheld console must-have!
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B BackerCrew Article
Plug in your DSLR or mirrorless camera via HDMI and suddenly your livestream looks cinematic. Perfect for Twitch, YouTube, or Zoom meetings where you don’t want to look like a potato.
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I It Came From A Box It Came From A Box · 155K subscribers · May 2026
Genki Covert Dock 3 and ShadowCast 3 Pro - A Handheld console must-have!
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A and spoiler alert: co-op nights just leveled up.⚡ Facebook post
Metal Jesus got his hands on ShadowCast 3 Pro and came away impressed 🤘
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D Devyn Johnston Devyn Johnston · 151K subscribers · Aug 2021
While you can use this device to record or stream gameplay to Twitch, its main purpose is simply to display the game on your screen with as low of latency as possible. So, setting up the Shadowcast is very simple. Download and launch the Genki Arcade software. Plug the HDMI end of the device into the gaming console you want to play.
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D Dave Taylor Dave Taylor · 59.9K subscribers · Jun 2021
And it works great, whether you have a Mac, Windows system or even run ChromeOS. Tech expert Dave Taylor of https://www.AskDaveTaylor.com/ has a lot of fun playing his Nintendo Switch on his Mac through the Switch Dock and the Genki ShadowCast device.
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D Davey G Davey G · 53.6K subscribers · Jun 2026
If you want a simple way to connect consoles, cameras, or handhelds to your computer, this tiny gadget might be exactly what you need.
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P Pixel Chris Pixel Chris · 22.3K subscribers · Oct 2023
Genki Covert Dock 2 is a big upgrade from the original and now supports an output of 4K 60fps as oppose to the original that only had an output of 1080p 60fps.
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F FamilyGeekery FamilyGeekery · 20.5K subscribers · Jun 2024
The device works great and the software is impressive. Check it out if you are looking for this type solution.
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G GameXData GameXData · 11.2K subscribers · Oct 2023
Over the past few years, nothing has benefited my random experimenting and troubleshooting tech quite like the Genki Shadowcast. It's compact yet powerful, and I felt it was time to make a video about it.
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Y Yoshi Boii Yoshi Boii · 11.2K subscribers · Apr 2026
>> Main benefit of this is that it's really universally compatible, especially with the Nintendo Switch and other handheld gaming PCs. I love the translucent kind of yellow orange cap on that. >> And here's an even closer look at the ports. >> Also with this is a I think this is just a Kickstarter extra are European plug adapters. Which very cleverly just snap in on the top.
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S Southey for Artists Southey for Artists · 4.3K subscribers · Mar 2026
The result is a super simple workflow that lets you stream high quality camera video from your phone anywhere.
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W Wavy Golf Wavy Golf · 3.5K subscribers · Apr 2021
The Genki Shadowcast is a Kickstarted capture card that just released and I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with the product. For the price, I paid I never expected such amazing low latency game streaming to my pc. It works amazingly for streaming and making content.
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C Cecidet Cecidet · 1.8K subscribers · May 2021
This piece of gear is awesome! the Genki Shadowcast is amazing, Genki really put in some work on this design, the Shadowcast is inexpensive and a serious competitor for switch YouTubers and streamers! The Shadowcast is super easy to set up!
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L Let's Survive [Paddy Plays] Let's Survive [Paddy Plays] · 1.7K subscribers · Jun 2021
The Genki Shadowcast is a very handy little capture solution for folks who want a second screen solution that's convenient or for starting out Content Creators. I also talk a little bit about setting the device up and offer myself as a source for troubleshooting, should you need it.
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K KooPlays KooPlays · 1.5K subscribers · Apr 2021
Didn't have a USB-C port except the Virtual Link (USB-C port) on my RTX 2080 and it worked!
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T TechJoeLogical TechJoeLogical · 543 subscribers · Mar 2021
Using this awesome device to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on my Macbook Pro and testing out input lag.
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T TechJoeLogical TechJoeLogical · 543 subscribers · May 2024
Using the Genki Shadowcast and the Genki Studio app it is now possible to play Nintendo Switch games like Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on your beautiful iPad screen. As well as any other consoles. The Genki Studio app basically turns your iPad into an external display as long as you have a compatible video capture card. You can even record and edit video right on the iPad!
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T TechJoeLogical TechJoeLogical · 543 subscribers · Mar 2021
I backed this product on Kickstarter
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S Str8JaktJim Str8JaktJim · 358 subscribers · Jan 2024
Back in 2021, Genki released the Shadowcast (https://youtu.be/MY3ttejiCeE), a wonderful bit of budget streaming. This HDMI capture device showed that you don't need to break the bank to have good streaming kit.
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S SOL TV SOL TV · 261 subscribers · Apr 2021
I'd rather buy this again than the 20 dollar USB video capture card from Amazon. Build quality is better than the cheap ones on Amazon.
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K Kickstart Scout Kickstart Scout · 4 subscribers · Jan 2021
ShadowCast is the simplest way to play console games on your computer. TVs aren’t always convenient so we made a way to take console gaming with you wherever you are without the need of an internet connection.
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14 neutral sources

A App Store Human Things, Inc · reviewer · Aug 2021
Hello Human Things, Inc,I absolutely love this app. It made my switch more useful as it has allow me to record things that I wouldn't normally be able to do so. However, it needs a update to fix some things: 1. the game glitches sometimes and it's starting to become a nuisance as it happens frequently when I'm playing melty blood. 2. the audio is now starting to lag, this needs to get fixed. 3.
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E EposVox EposVox · 351K subscribers · Jul 2024
This is my Genki Shadowcast 2 Pro review - a capture card that stands toe-to-toe with the big guys, but it does have some quirks.
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N NearStream Official NearStream Team · reviewer · Nov 2025
The Genki ShadowCast 2 is the best usb capture card for consumption , not necessarily production . If your goal is to play Zelda on your MacBook Pro in a hotel room, this is the device to buy. If your goal is to stream to Twitch with a professional overlay, it lacks the pass-through and fidelity of larger units.
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V VK's Channel VK's Channel · 40.7K subscribers · Oct 2023
it has a bit of input delay
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P PCGamesN Edward Chester · reviewer · Oct 2025
This a very cheap capture card, and as a result, the capture quality won't be quite as good as you'll see with other devices. On top of that, the quality will vary from device to device, but because of its size and convenience, we remain very impressed with it.
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R RoXolid Productions RoXolid Productions · 32.9K subscribers · Dec 2021
Button presses, while still featuring some inherent lag, we're much more precise and accurate. Where before I felt games were unplayable, now I felt like I could go ahead and play somewhat competently.
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N Nintendo Everything Ethan · reviewer · Sept 2025
It feels super clunky and frustrating when that darned menu pops up, and it could’ve been fixed with one singular button. Kind of a baffling decision!
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G GameXData GameXData · 11.2K subscribers · Jan 2024
Does the Shadowcast 2 improve on that at all? Well, yes.and no.
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G GamesRadar+ Article · Oct 2022
If you are taking your gameplay live, the ShadowCast is compatible with OBS Studio for an extra boost as well.
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L Lamiści Lamiści · 593 subscribers · May 2026
Yes and no, but you’ll find out in a moment.
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T TechRadar Article · Jun 2023
+ Inconsistent video quality
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O Oliver Martin Oliver Martin · 570 subscribers · May 2021
While not prefect the Shadowcast does the job at a budget price if you dont mind 30 FPS and using OBS.
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M MonnieBiloney[Art] MonnieBiloney[Art] · 257 subscribers · Jun 2021
ShadowCast +Genki Arcade (the app that comes with it) works for my purposes, but it wouldn't work for everyone. It can't handle more labor-intensive games, like Ori and the blind forest.
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S Sharp02 Sharp02 · 148 subscribers · Apr 2021
The lag is the other major concern I had. I was cautiously optimistic waiting for this, as such a small device made me a little hesitant of its capabilities. At it's best in the app's Performance Mode, it felt like it had about 4-5 frames of input lag (out of 60). At it's worst, though, which is in its Resolution Mode, it felt like 15-25 frames.
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Frequently asked questions

It ranks #4 (B tier) on our consolidated capture cards board, drawn from 49 cited sources across 44 outlets.

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