Whether you’re a professional gamer or just one wanting to start your Twitch or Youtube gaming channel, the one must-have piece of equipment you’re going to need, is a webcam for streaming your gameplay and engaging with your audience.
While most laptops come with built-in webcams, (which are great for everyday Zoom and Skype chats), they aren’t so much when it comes to live stream gaming. This is because the laptop itself is most likely not powerful enough to play the games at a high enough frame rate, unless you have spent a ton of money on a gaming laptop.
For this reason, you will most likely be, (or already are) playing on a PC, which you can build for under $1000. Building your own PC works out far cheaper than buying a pre-built one and definitely cheaper than a gaming laptop. If you use a PC for your gaming or streaming purposes, it won’t have a webcam unless you’ve purchased one separately.
Table of Contents
Best Game Streaming Webcam
Fortunately, there are now a wide array of good quality webcams to choose from, all at a very affordable price point and a variety of features and specs that make them unique. They also deliver higher quality video than built-in laptop webcams.
But, since there are so many webcams to choose from, it can be difficult to find the best webcam model to suit your needs. Don’t worry though, as this article will help narrow down the vast ocean of webcams on the market, to help you find what you need, and to suit your budget.
If you are wanting to stream your gameplay on the Sony PlayStation 5 ($449.99) , then you will need the Playstation HD Web Camera ($59.00), as no other webcams will work with it.
The Microsoft XBox Series X ($449.00) is more webcam user friendly, as all you need a webcam that has a YUY2 or NV12 format to broadcast. Most Logitech, NexiGo and Microsoft LifeCam webcams will have one of these formats. To set up the webcam, you simply need to plug the USB into the Xbox Series X console.
With that said, let’s take a look at the best webcams for streaming games.
Below is a quick view table off all the webcams available. You ca sort any of the columns in order to find what webcam suits your needs. If you are still unsure, continue reading my in depth overviews of my recommended webcams below.
Logitech Streamcam
Logitech Streamcam Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 60fps
- Field of View (FoV): 73°
- Microphone: 2x Omni
- Connection: USB-C
- Privacy Cap: Yes
- Special Features: Vertical Mode
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: YUY2/NV12
- Amazon Rating: 4.4 out of 5
- Full HD 1080p at 60 fps — Stream and record in full 1080p HD...
- Premium Glass Lens with Smart Auto-Focus — Capture vibrant,...
- Auto-Framing and Intelligent Exposure—Auto-framing keeps you in the...
The Logitech Streamcam ($138.35) is very different in its design, compared to their other webcam product line. Its rectangular shape resembles that of an action camera, which is optimized for Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), XSplit (includes 3month premium license) and Streamlabs so you can effortlessly stream to Twitch, YouTube, and other platforms besides using it for more business oriented tasks such as Zoom, Skype and MS Teams.
Vertical Portrait Mode
allowing it to either be used in standard horizontal landscape mode or vertical portrait mode, should you wish to stream in a more mobile friendly aspect ratio, for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Youtube stories.
Resolution & Frame Rate
The Logitech Streamcam’s Full HD (1080p) resolution gives great visual quality for streaming, together with its above average 60fps frame rate, setting it apart from many other webcams on this list.
60fps gives you a much smoother and professional look that is more inline with professional video cameras, compared to 30fps.
Another benefit of 60fps, is that you can slow it down by half and most editing software programs, allowing you to get some nice slow motion 30fps video as well.
It also has support for the YUY2 & NV12 encoders so that you can use it with the XBox Series X ($449.00).
Software
It comes bundled with Logitech Capture software, which allows you to adjust many settings such as Exposure, White Balanced and Refresh Rates.
These can also be set to AUTO mode so that you don’t have to worry about them as the light changes in your room, together with Auto Focus mode that tracks your face, making sure you are in focus at all times.
A Chroma Blue or Green screen removal option is also included.
The Logitech Streamcam also features an electronic image stabilization (via the Logitech Capture software), which reduces camera shake from accidental bumps or movement
Mounting & Design
The Logitech Streamcam comes in either white or black, allowing it to seamlessly blend into your laptop or monitor’s color,
It also offers mounting options for both an on-monitor clip or 1/4inch hole for tripod mounting, giving you endless camera angle options.
Conclusion
The Logitech Streamcam ($138.35) is an amazing little camera with solid streaming features, coupled with a very sexy design, all at a great price point.
Logitech BRIO 4K
Logitech BRIO 4K Specs
- Resolution: 4096×2160 (UHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 90°
- Microphone: 2x Omni
- Privacy Cap: No
- Connection: USB-C & USB-A
- Special Features: 4K & Nvidia NVENC
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: YUY2 & NV12
- Amazon Rating: 4.6 out of 5
- SUPPORT WORK FROM ANYWHERE WITH SYNC: Whether employees are in the...
- Ultra 4K HD resolution: 4 times the resolution of a typical HD webcam;...
- Auto light adjustment: Logitech RightLight 3 uses HDR technology to...
The Logitech BRIO 4K Webcam ($129.99) is the top of the line webcam, featuring the best video quality current available. This is the perfect solution for both game streaming and offline recording. The BRIO also features certified compatibility with Skype for Business, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, while also working with Microsoft Cortana and Windows Hello, making it an amazing business oriented camera as well.
Best 4K Webcam
The most obvious and notable feature of the Logitech BRIO is its 4K video capabilities. THere is only one other 4K webcam currently available, which is the AVerMedia 4K CAM PW513, and it also costs a whole lot more.
The reason for the lack of 4K webcams isn’t because they are difficult to manufacture, but rather because of internet speed and bandwidth limitations at this current time.
4K footage is a whole lot larger than 1080p, meaning that you need a much faster internet connection to stream it. This is why all streaming platforms including Twitch, Facebook and YouTube are currently restricted to 1080p streaming only, as 4K streaming is becoming a jittering and buffering mess.
In future this will naturally change,as internet speeds get faster, but for now 1080p is the sweet spot and the reason why 95% of webcams are designed around it.
The good news is that you aren’t restricted to 4K footage only with the Logitech BRIO, as it also allows you to drop the resolution 1080p FHD. Thanks to its 4K 30fps capabilities, this in turn gives 1080p resolution with an ultra smooth 60fps Frame Rate, which is again a feature not many other webcams have, other than the Logitech Streamcam
However;
The Logitech BRIO is amazing if you are wanting to record footage in 4K offline, edit it and then upload it to YouTube afterwards. In other words, you would use this camera to stream at 1080p 60fps, but record at 4K 30fps offline, giving you a nice amount of options, depending on your needs.
Software
The Logitech BRIO also comes bundled with the Logitech Capture software, allowing you to adjust and make use of all its capabilities including Auto Focus, Whitebalance and Chroma Key, as explained in the Logitech Streamcam section above.
The BRIO does however come with some additional features, including Field of View (FoV) choices, allowing you to choose between 65° (zoomed in), 78° (mid range) and 90° (wide angle). This gives you some nice control of what you want to frame in your shot, as well as being able to change it on the fly.
Note that this is NOT an optical change in FoV, but instead actually just a digital cropped in version of the wide angle. What this means is that you will see lower quality if you use the more zoomed in 65°, as the software is simply taking the 90° native FoV and cropping into it, which results in a smaller image/video, therefore more pixelation.
The Software also features what Logitech called RightLight3 to brighten up the scene. This is nothing more than simply increasing the exposure digitally, so nothing grounding breaking but could come in handy when you are traveling and find yourself in a darker environment.
Remember that no amount of digital enhancements substitutes a good lighting setup, but RightLight3 is there to use in emergency situations.
Nvidia NVENC Codec
One last and amazing feature that the BRIO offers is the Nvidia NVENC codec. This is far superior to the H.264 codec that most other webcams use, thanks to its higher quality, and smaller file size, while using less CPU resources.
You do however need to own at least a 10xx series (Pascal) Nvidia Graphics card or above, to make use of the codec feature.
The BRIO also supports both YUY2 & NV12 encoders so that you can use it with the XBox Series X ($449.00).
Mounting, Design and Security
The Logitech BRIO 4K webcam only comes in black, but it also offers mounting options for both an on-monitor clip or 1/4inch hole for tripod mounting, giving you endless camera angle options.
It comes with a handy privacy cap, giving you peace of mind that hackers can’t spy on you while you aren’t using it.
The BRIO also features both an optical and infrared sensor, allowing it to deliver fast and secure facial recognition for Windows Hello, so there is no need to type a password when logging into Windows 10.
Now you can simply look into BRIO’s lens to login.
Conclusion
Overall, the Logitech BRIO 4K webcam ($129.99) is one of the best on the market for both streaming and offline recording offering choices between 1080p and 4K resolutions. Its microphone isn’t the best, so I would strongly suggest looking at a dedicated microphone.
AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM PW513
AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM PW513 Specs
- Resolution: 3840×2160 (UHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 94°
- Microphone: 2x Omni
- Privacy Cap: Yes
- Connection: USB-C
- Special Features: Best Quality Video
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: Unknown
- Amazon Rating: 3 out of 5
- AVerMedia PW513 Webcam: Whether you're multiplayer gaming, streaming...
- Video quality: Built in 4K optics capture an astonishing 4K30 video...
- Ultra-wide angle and sliding shutter: The 94-degree FOV angle allows...
If you are in the market for a 4K webcam then there is no better choice than the AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM PW513 ($149.99).
While on paper it might look the same as the Logitech BRIO, it is very different when it comes to quality, thanks to the PW513’s sensor is a true 4K Sony Exmor R CMOS Sensor.
True 4K Footage
Unfortunately the Logitech BRIO 4K Webcam ($129.99) falls short in quality due it actually being a 1080p sensor and not a true 4K. Logitech cheat here a bit by taking this native 1080p footage and using their software to scale it up to 4K.
Depending on your moral outlook this might seem as false advertising, so you can decide on how you feel about this.
Whatever you decide, the fact remains that the AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM PW513 does deliver true 4K footage for a higher price tag. This also means a much higher dynamic range, resulting in none blown bright areas, less noise in dark areas and a much clearer video quality.
As with the Logitech BRIO, the AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM PW513 ($149.99) can also output 1080p at 60fps for streaming, while keeping the 4K footage for offline recording and editing, aming it an ideal dual purpose camera.
AverMedia Capture Cards
The camera is not as well known as many of the other cameras on this list (most likely due to its price), but you get what you pay for in return. Avermedia are the same company behind the very popular AVerMedia Live Gamer 4K – 4Kp60 HDR Capture Card, so you know you are buying quality when you buy their products.
The PW513 webcam’s software is however a bit lackluster, giving it a few bad reviews on its Amazon page. My recommendation is to not use its bundled software, but instead use OBS to tweak its camera settings.
How to setup the AVerMedia PW513 in OBS
To properly use this webcam up for the best video quality, do this in OBS:
- Add it as a webcam in OBS
- Right click on the PW513 in OBS, and select Properties.
- Now click Configure Video
- Once done you should see a properties menu. Here lower the Brightness to 1
- Save and close this menu
- Now Right click the camera again, but select Filters this time.
- Now increase the Gamma to 0.30
- Here you can tweak Saturation a bit if you want to as well.
That’s it. Your AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM PW513 should look great now.
All in all, for the price point, you simply cannot beat the quality of the AVerMedia Live Streamer CAM PW513 ($149.99), especially if you are looking at getting a 4K webcam. I highly recommend it over the Logitech BRIO 4K Webcam ($129.99).
Razer Kiyo Webcam
Razer Kiyo Webcam Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 82°
- Microphone: Omni
- Privacy Cap: Yes
- Connection: USB-A 2.0
- Special Features: Ring Light
- OS: Win
- Encoders: YUV
- Amazon Rating: 4.5 out of 5
- The Razer Kiyo maintains even and flattering lighting and eliminates...
- With 720 p resolution at 60 fps, the Razer Kiyo maintains visual...
- The Razer Kiyo supports streaming on popular platforms like open...
The Razer Kiyo Webcam ($83.93) is certainly a very different webcam to most others on the market, due to its built in ring light. This light will help light up your face, should it be in less than ideal situations, such as at night or while traveling when you don’t have your proper studio lights setup.
It supports 1080p 30fps video with an 82° Field of View, as well 1 omni-directional microphone.
While the Razer Kiyo does have a 4.5/5 rating on Amazon, there are complaints about the video quality being poor for some users. There is also no support for the YUY2 & NV12 encoders, as the Kiyo only supports the YUV codec, so it will NOT WORK with the XBox Series X ($449.00).
The Razer Kiyo Webcam is also very pricey, coming in over $100.
For these reasons, I would recommend looking at the NexiGo 930E Ring Light Webcam ($59.99), as it is much cheaper and has great video quality, while also supporting the YUY2 codec.
I go into more detail about the NexiGo webcams further down in this article, so make sure to check them out.
Logitech C920/C920x/C922
Logitech C920/C920x/C922 Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 78°
- Microphone: 1x Omni
- Privacy Cap: No
- Connection: USB 2.0
- Special Features: Tried & Tested
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: Unknown
- Amazon Rating: 4.2 out of 5
- Webcam comes with a 3-month XSplit VCam license and no privacy...
- Full HD 1080p video calling and recording at 30 fps - You’ll make a...
- Stereo audio with dual mics - Capture natural sound on calls and...
The Logitech C920 Webcam (No products found.) line of webcams is a bit of a mess in regards to naming conventions and various product offers, that are in most cases the same thing, just bundled with various other 3rd party products.
For example, the Logitech C920 Webcam (No products found.), Logitech C920x Webcam ($58.01) and Logitech C920s Webcam ($38.90) are identical cameras.
The only difference is that the Logitech C920x comes with a 3 month license of XSplit streaming software, while the C920s comes with a privacy cap.
The same applies to the Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam (No products found.), which shares the same sensor and hardware as the Logitech C920 and also offers 1080p 30fps.
One difference is that the Logitech C922 has slightly updated firmware, allowing it to do 720p at 60fps as well. This however, you can easily bypass this by using 3rd party software such as OBS, which allows you to choose from an array of resolutions and frame rates.
The Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam (No products found.) can also do background removal when using the Logitech Capture software, while the Logitech C920 Webcam (No products found.) cannot, but again, this isn’t to say the Logitech C920 can’t do background removal. All you need is to make use of a 3rd party software such as Nvidia Broadcast.
Beside the firmware differences, the Logitech C922 Pro Stream comes with an included mini tripod and the YUY2 & NV12 encoders so that you can use it with the XBox Series X ($449.00).
With all that said, let’s take a look at the Logitech C920/C922 web cameras
Resolution & Frame Rate
These Logitech webcams offer solid performance at 1080p, 30fps, together with dual omni-direction microphones, which is the sweet spot if you are wanting to live stream your games, or use them for online meetings as you work from home.
As mentioned above, this series of Logitech webcams also comes bundled with the Logitech Capture software, but they will work with any other 3rd party software that supports webcams, such as Zoom, Skype, MS Teams, OBS, Xsplit etc.
Conclusion
It’s no surprise that the Logitech C920 Webcam (No products found.) is one of the most popular webcams on the market thanks to their 1080p resolution, compatibility and price point.
I would however recommend getting the Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam (No products found.) as they are similarly priced, but the C922 comes with a few extra features as well as the extra encoders.
There is however a new kid on the block that is going to be giving all Logitech webcams a run for their money at half the price, which is the NexiGo N660 Webcam ($33.99).
NexiGo N60 Webcam
NexiGo N60 Webcam Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 110°
- Microphone: 1x Omni
- Privacy Cap: Yes
- Connection: USB 2.0
- Special Features: Very Wide FoV
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: YUV
- Amazon Rating: 4.4 out of 5
- 【Full HD 1080P Webcam】Powered by a 1080p FHD two-MP CMOS, the...
- 【Zoom in and Out】With its fixed focal length lens, this webcam can...
- 【Built-in Noise-Cancelling Microphone】The built-in noise-canceling...
Nexigo are a fairly unknown brand residing in the United States, that are most likely using white labeled cameras from China and slapping their logo onto them.
I have no problem with this as many big tech firms do the same, and as long as the product works as intended, you have my attention.
The NexiGo N60 Webcam ($39.99) delivers exactly that with a solid 4.4/5 review rating on Amazon from over 4,500 reviews thus far, while coming in at a steal of price.
Resolution & Frame Rate
The Nexigo N60 features 1080p (FHD) video at 30fps, via its fixed focus 1/3”, 2.0 megapixel sensor, giving very sharp results, while also featureing a built-in noise cancelling microphone
Mounting & Design
This webcam allows you to mount it onto a tripod or with a standard monitor mounting clip.
It also comes with full 360° rotation capabilities, so that you can easily turn it in any direction, as well as tilt it up or down, should you need to during a live stream.
Its 3.6mm glass lens offers and extremely wide Field of View of an enormous 110°, making it the perfect for anyone who likes the wide FoV style for their stream.
The NexiGo N60 Webcam ($39.99) is an all round fantastic webcam (including a privacy flap), with identical features to the ever popular Logitech C920, but at a fraction of the price.
Another wide angle FoV alternative is the NexiGo N980P Webcam ($54.99) which offers an even wider 120° FoV as well as double the frame rate from 30fps to 60fps. It is more expensive, but it’s still much cheaper than anything from Logitech.
The NexiGo 980P also features YUY2 Encoder, making it usable with the XBox Series X ($449.00)
But the fun doesn’t stop there, as NexiGo has some other great options available as well.
NexiGo N680 Webcam
NexiGo N680 Webcam Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 80°
- Microphone: 1x Omni
- Privacy Cap: Yes
- Connection: USB 2.0
- Special Features: Very Wide FoV
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: YUY2
- Amazon Rating: 4.5 out of 5
- 【1080P FHD Webcam】The NexiGo N680 webcam has a 1080P FHD...
- 【Easy Setup】The NexiGo N680 is easy to set up right out of the...
- 【Advanced Autofocus and 90° FOV】The NexiGo N680 has quick...
The NexiGo N680 Webcam ($54.99) offers the same features as the above Nexigo N60, although with a few small tweaks to the design and hardware.
First and foremost you will see that the design is quite different, especially on the edges, where the microphone is. The privacy cap has also been changed from a clip on design, to a built in one, operated by sliding it across.
The biggest difference is however in its Field of View (FoV), which is much more zoomed in 80°, compared to the 110° of the NexiGo N60 Webcam ($39.99).
An 80° FoV is the perfect framing for you as a single person in front of the webcam, as 110° is much wider, resulting in you being smaller in the shot, while getting far more of your background surroundings in
The FoV you choose is entirely up to you and your studio setup. If you want your viewers to focus on you talking, then get the Nexigo N680 and if you want them to see you but also show off your background, go for the Nexigo N60.
Other than that, the specs are basically identical, featuring a Noise Cancelling Stereo Mic, Fixed Focus lenses, Tripod and Monitor mountable with 360 degree rotation, as well as being plug and play via its USB 2.0 connection.
The N680 also supports the YUY2 Encoder, making it usable with the XBox Series X ($449.00)
The NexiGo N680 Webcam ($54.99) is thus an extremely affordable webcam with the same solid features found in Logitech C920 Webcam (No products found.).
NexiGo N930AF Webcam
NexiGo N930AF Webcam Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 65°
- Microphone: 1x Omni
- Privacy Cap: Yes
- Connection: USB 2.0
- Special Features: AF & Narrow FoV
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: YUY2
- Amazon Rating: 4.4 out of 5
- 【FHD 1080P Autofocus Webcam】 The NexiGo N930AF Webcam features a...
- 【Webcam w/ Privacy Cover】 The privacy cover for the NexiGo N930AF...
- 【Built-in Microphone & Noise Cancellation】 The built-in...
The NexiGo N930AF Webcam ($49.99) is once again similar to the above NexiGo webcam models, except that it has an Autofocus lens, instead of the Fixed focus seen on the NexiGo N680 Webcam ($54.99) and NexiGo N60 Webcam ($39.99)
The Nexigo N930AF otherwise offers identical specs, including 1080p 30fps video, an omni-directional mic and a 1/2.7″ CMOS 2.0 MegaPixel sensor, making for a fantastic and affordable webcam for any streaming or business related needs.
One last thing that does set it apart is its much narrower (more zoomed in) 65°, bringing you even closer to the camera than the Nexigo N680’s 80° FoV.
Again, this will be up to you personal preference on which FoV suits you best, but the good thing is that NexiGo covers options for every person’s needs.
It also supports the YUY2 encoder, so will work with the XBox Series X ($449.00).
NexiGo N930E Webcam
NexiGo N930E Webcam Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 75°
- Microphone: 1x Omni
- Privacy Cap: Yes
- Connection: USB 2.0
- Special Features: Ring Light
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: YUY2
- Amazon Rating: 4.2 out of 5
- 【Three Level Adjustable Ring Light】The NexiGo N930E has a built-in...
- 【FHD 1080p Webcam】 The 75° wide angle lens captures true to life...
- 【Autofocus & Built-In Microphone】With the intelligent autofocus...
The NexiGo N930E Webcam ($59.99) is the direct competitor to the much more expensive Razer Kiyo Webcam ($83.93).
Both webcams feature 1080p 30fps video, and an omni-directional mic and most importantly a built-in ring light, helping you in those dark situations.
While a built in ring light will never substitute proper lighting, (whether this be natural light from a window or studio lights), it’s still a great option if you tend to travel a lot and find yourself in hotels that don’t have ideal lighting, especially at night.
The built in ring light is as ultra portable as the webcam itself, meaning that you will always have light, no matter how quickly you need to set up.
Another alternative ring light webcam is the NexiGo N680E Webcam ($49.99), which has the exact same specs but with a vertical design and an 80° FoV.
Both have support for the YUY2 encoder, so will work with the XBox Series X ($449.00).
They are both very similarly priced, so the choice will come down to if you want the light to be vertical or horizontal.
NexiGo N650 Webcam
NexiGo N650 Webcam Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 75°
- Microphone: 1x Omni
- Privacy Cap: Yes
- Connection: USB 2.0
- Special Features: Ring Light
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: YUY2
- Amazon Rating: 4.2 out of 5
- 【2K Quad HD and 4 Megapixels】With 2K 30FPS, high-definition video,...
- 【3X Digital Zoom Control】You can adjust the view distance of this...
- 【Webcam with Privacy Shutter】The N650's privacy shutter puts you...
The NexiGo N650 Webcam (Price not available) is the last of my recommended NexiGo products on this list, due to it being the only one that features a higher resolution 2560x1440p 30fps, giving it a substantial video quality boost over the 1080p seen in the above webcam options.
It’s also only a few dollars more expensive, so it’s certainly great value for money.
Beside the difference in resolution, the specs are pretty much identical, so that is the only real difference to consider when purchasing.
It does however only support YUV encoding, so no support for the XBox Series X ($449.00).
MEVO Start Webcam
MEVO Start Webcam Specs
- Resolution: 1920×1080 (FHD)
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Field of View (FoV): 76°
- Microphone: 3x MEMS
- Privacy Cap: No
- Connection: USB-C
- Special Features: So Many!
- OS: Win & Mac
- Encoders: H.264 & HEVC
- Amazon Rating: 4.5 out of 5
- STUNNING HD VIDEO QUALITY — Live stream and record in stunning 1080p...
- STREAM ANYWHERE — Go where the story takes you. Stream live from...
- INTELLIGENT APP CONTROL — Wirelessly control your Mevo and create...
The MEVO Start Webcam ($389.43) is by far the most expensive webcam on this list, but also the one with the most features.
To start it offers 1080p FHD video at 30fps, featuring an F2/8 lens and Sony IMX307 sensor, with a 76° Field of View.
This webcam allows you to stream to any online streaming platform of your choosing, including Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin. You can even stream to them all simultaneously using Video Producer or Vimeo Premium, using the app.
The MEVO Start can also be used for Skype, Zoom, MS Teams or any other situation where you would use a webcam to chat to a friend, family member or work colleague.
WiFi & Wireless Webcam
You can connect the MEVO Webcam via either WiFi or Ethernet (requires a separate ethernet adapter).
Using the WiFi connection, makes your MEVO Start Webcam wireless, which is something no other webcam on this list supports. No more wires and not being able to put your webcam where you really want it to be due to short cables.
The MEVO Start can go anywhere you like. No strings attached.
When on the road, you can also let the MEVO Start become a wifi hotspot, using your phone data to stream.
In fact, due to its WiFi and Ethernet capabilities, the MEVO can also be set up as security cameras around the home or office. The MEVO Start can be powered through a Power over Ethernet Switch, so no need to plug it in to the wall power socket, making installation in high corners easy.
Multiple cams can be linked together as well.
You can then use the app to control the MEVO Start from your smartphone or tablet.
MEVO App
The app gives you an enormous amount of control, that none of the above webcams can.
It allows you to digitally zoom into an area of your choosing as well. This is great when you want to zoom in on a specific area such as a product, or someone’s face during an interview. These zoom positions can also be saved as presets, allowing you to easily jump between zoom levels.
You can also transition between these presets using built in fast or slow zoom effects, making it look as though there is a camera man behind the camera, focusing in on the subjects.
While zoomed in, the app will track your face as you move around the scene, always keeping you centered in the shot. WOW!
Thanks to its ability to link multiple MEVO Start Webcams together, you can cut to different camera angles using software like OBS, giving you very high production value.
Note that this is obviously a digital zoom, so it’s simply cropping into the native 1080p footage, meaning that the zoomed area will be of a lower resolution.
Other than these zoom features, the app also allows you to adjust exposure, white balance etc.
Microphone Audio Quality
You can just look good on camera, you have to sound good too. This is why the MEVO Start Webcam ($389.43) features 3x MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) Microphones. These mics are designed to give you the best possible audio quality, even without a dedicated and external microphone on hand.
The audio quality is best when you are within 5feet of it, although thanks to the microphone layout they work well when 10feet away, or even when behind the camera.
When more than an arm’s reach away, a dedicated LAV mic will naturally give you better audio quality, which is no problem for the MEVO Start either, as you can connect a LAV mic to your smartphone to record audio through the app.
The MEVO Start also has a 3.5mm audio jack, allowing you to plug in any microphone or gaming headset directly into it, instead of using the built in MEMS mics.
MicroSD Card & Battery
When not anywhere near to a Wifi or Ethernet connection, you can still use your MEVO Start Webcam ($389.43) as a video camera, by recording straight to the removable MicroSD Memory Card at 50Mb/s, and edit the footage later.
The MEVO Start has a 6hour battery life, but can also be powered via any USB power bank, giving you endless recording time.
Conclusion
The MEVO Start is by far the best webcam for streaming games on this list, as it is simply packed with features. It does however cost a lot more than the other webcams, so it will entirely depend on your needs.
If you are however wanting a good quality, feature rich camera to kickstart or grow your gaming or YouTube career, the MEVO Start Webcam ($389.43) is it.
It does however only support HVEC and H.264 encoding, so no support for the XBox Series X ($449.00).
Best Webcam for Streaming Games Conclusion
Webcams have really come down a lot in price while offer some fantastic features and 1080p video quality. As shown in this article, there are many options out there, which one you choose is going to depend on what you require most.
Best Value Webcam for Streaming Games
The NexiGo N60 Webcam ($39.99) is by far the most value for your money. Its 1080p FHD video resolution at 30fps for under $50 is a steal any day of the week.
It outclasses other name brand webcams such as the Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 Webcam (No products found.) and Logitech HD C310 Webcam ($49.00) by providing 1920×1080 video resolution, where as they only offer 1280×720, all while coming in $10 cheaper.
Best Feature Rich Webcam for Streaming Games
On the other end of the budget spectrum is the MEVO Start Webcam ($389.43), which has the most features out of any other webcam. Its WiFi capabilities, coupled with its intuitive app make it extremely versatile.
It also offer superior microphone quality to other webcams, as well as a MicroSD Card, allowing you to use it as a general blogging camera as well.
It does however come at a much higher price point though, so as a second best option, I would recommend the NexiGo N660 Webcam ($64.99), not only for its great price, but the fact that it does 1080p 60fps, has a privacy cap, and is just a great price all round.
Best 4K Webcam for Streaming Games
While on paper the Logitech BRIO Ultra HD webcam ($129.99) looks great on paper, together with its NVENC, YUY2 and NV12 encoders, it unfortunately falls short int eh 4K department due to it not actually outputting native 4K footage, as it instead shoots 1080p and uses its software to upscale the footage to 4K. This is cheating (aka false advertising) in my books.
Therefore., the only 4K webcam that I can recommend is the AVerMedia 4K CAM PW513 ($149.99), due to its true 4K resolution, as well as all round video quality. It can also be scaled down to 1080p 60fps for streaming, while giving you the option to use it as a 4K camera for offline video recording.
Its a tad more expensive than the BRIO, but well worth it.
Alternatively, if you want a resolution in between 1080p and 4K, then the NexiGo N650 (Price not available) offer 2560×1440 at 30fps.
Best Ring Light Webcam for Streaming Games
Here again, the NexiGo N680E webcam ($49.99) and NexiGo N930E webcam ($59.99) beat the pants off the overpriced name brand Razer Kiyo webcam ($83.93) in terms of price, while having the exact same feature specs.
Other Razer products (mice, headsets & keyboards) are known to be of poor quality, and their webcam is no different with many Amazon reviewers complaining about quality.
So if you want a webcam with a ring light to help give you some nice lighting on the move, then check out the two NexiGo webcam options.
Best XBox Series X Webcam for Streaming Games
As mentioned many time throughout this article, in order to use a webcam with a XBox Series X ($449.00), you it need sot support either the YUY2 or NV12 encoders.
Many of the Logitech webcams and the majority of the NexiGo webcams support this. Just check the table below to see which do and which don’t.
If you are on the PlayStation 5 ($449.99) , then you will need the Playstation HD Web Camera ($59.00).
More PC Buying Guides
Alternatively if you are looking at building a new gaming PC, make sure to check out my PC building and buying guides as well:
If you are in the market for a new Gaming Monitor, then check out these lists as well
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Happy Gaming
Ozarc (¬‿¬)