I have a funny relationship with the AverMedia X’tra Go GC515 capture dock. In my review I gave it a score of 79%, which is a great but not spectacular score. And yet, I’ve been using and enjoying it consistently for the past few months. The main problem I had with it was its price, because unless you’re doing professional content creation by streaming or recording your handheld, its $200 MSRP was too much of an ask.
But now that it’s down to $150 at Amazon and Newegg—its lowest ever price—I think I can have an easier time recommending it even to those who might just occasionally dabble in streaming or recording. And apart from all the recording malarkey, I’ve been using the GC515 happily for months now, as it allows me to turn my Lenovo Legion Go into a more console-y handheld.
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First, I get everything hooked up. I plug the dock in and house it next to my TV on its cabinet, and I hook it up to said TV via HDMI. Then I plug a controller in (it’s all passthrough) so it’s ready to roll as soon as I boot up.
Then, I plug the Legion Go in via USB-C (which charges it, by the way) and rest it in the dock’s display slot—it doesn’t actually slot in to charge like a Switch does, which is a shame—and I’m ready to boot up onto the TV, sit back on the sofa, and game like I would on any other console.
What about when I need to type a username or password in, you ask? That’s what one of the other USB ports is for: I have a cheap keyboard plugged in for just such scenarios.
This might sound like a lot of effort, but it’s more of a “one and done” thing. Once I’ve got the dock hooked up to the TV via HDMI and my controller and keyboard plugged in, that’s it. All I need to do is plug the handheld in and I’m up and running, gaming like it’s 2005 and I haven’t heard about PC gaming yet.
All that’s just one half of the equation, though—after all, there are much cheaper solutions if that’s all you’re going for.
With the X’tra Go GC515 you also have the capture and stream functionality. On that front you get recording at 4K 30 fps, 1440p 60 fps, or 1080p 120 fps, and you can either record it to an onboard SD card—just make sure it’s compatible—or send it to a connected device such as another laptop for streaming, all of which is set up in the easy-to-use AverMedia Streaming Centre.
When you want to record or stream, all you do is press down the big button on the front of the capture dock. The light will go red and you’ll know you’re being recorded or streamed. And this recording, by the way, is pretty damn good quality, which is to be expected given it’s using what is essentially a capture card.
If you’re looking to stream or record gameplay from your handheld, I reckon this is the best way to go about it. If you’re not, don’t bother—but if you are, this is an incredibly convenient, versatile, and high-quality way of doing so.
Heck, with some great handheld gaming PC deals popping up, this could be a great thing to pair with a new handheld purchase for the up-and-coming streamer.
