AVerMedia X’TRA GO review — Simply blown away

The X’TRA GO GC515 is my new favorite accessory. It functions as a charging dock and a place to record games. It’s about the size of the palm of my hand, supports accessories like an Xbox controller and a keyboard, and, oh yeah, it’s gorgeous to look at.

Before I dive into this review you have to understand something about me: I simply suck with technology. It takes me forever to set things up and I hate dealing with wires. I own a Steam Deck because I hate dealing with my computer. With all that being said I set up the X’TRA GO in 15 minutes and that’s when I knew that I had something special on my hands.

Set-Up

In the box, you get the X’TRA GO unit, an HDMI 2.0 cable that is fine in length, and a USB Type-C Cable that is used to connect video devices to the X’TRA GO. This cable is a touch on the shorter side but it doesn’t matter too much because the X’TRA GO can hold the device you’re recording with. There is also a USB Type-C to Type-A cable that connects to the PC.

At this point, you have to decide how you want to record your video. This device has 4K30 one-touch recording. Using a button on the front you can record to an SD card that fits right into the X’TRA GO unit. You can also attach the unit to your computer to record. Either way, the process is easy and I found that using the SD card was extremely fluid.

There is also an HDMI output that I used to connect the unit to my computer and TV: This is the first time I have used the Steam Deck on my TV and I was nearly breathless. On the back of the unit, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports. I used these primarily for the Xbox controller but I can report that they will work with a mouse and keyboard.

Finally, the X’TRA GO supports; Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, ASUS Ally, MSI Claw, and a couple of other devices I’m sure. For this review, I used the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck.

Picture Perfect

I never use my Nintendo Switch on the TV for a couple of reasons. Importantly, I hate capturing footage or screenshots on the Switch. The whole process is slow, and since I don’t have the official docking station, I figured that I would never be reviewing any Nintendo Switch games. Well, those days are over.

The X’TRA GO works flawlessly with the Nintendo Switch and will keep it charged while you’re playing. During my first tests, I wanted to see how quickly I could take screenshots with the X’TRA GO connected to my computer. I filtered everything through RECentral 4 and was able to take screenshots in seconds.

Something to be aware of is that you have to make sure you’re supplying the proper amount of power to the unit to get the best results. I had it plugged into my computer when I started recording and that was a mistake because the screen was constantly flickering and at times the footage would get grainy. For the best experience, the X’TRA GO needs 65W.

Something else that you will want to make sure to do before sitting down to record, take screenshots, or even stream is to check your system settings. For example, my Nintendo Switch tends to be brighter because of the time of day I typically sit down to play it. In contrast, my Steam Deck tends to be a lot darker because I play it at night. All of these things will impact how your footage comes out. Everything I recorded on my Steam Deck was too dark to use and had to be thrown out. The reason for this is because of the brightness settings not being adjusted on my end.

Recording Quality

There are two ways to record with the X’TRA GO. For this review, I put everything into my computer instead of using the SD card slot. If you want to you can also filter it into whatever capture card you have inside of your computer.

Recording on the Nintendo Switch was easy. I tested New Pokemon Snap and had a lot of fun making mock nature documentaries. The footage came out great and I was able to record at a steady 60 frames per second.

The Steam Deck is where I was expecting to have some issues because it has more power than the Nintendo Switch, plus all of my games are tailored to run the way I like them in handheld mode. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that I had no issues recording with the Steam Deck. The first game I tried was WWE 2K24, a game that I love but am not the best at. The first round of recording was a dud because of how dark my screen was but after I fixed that issue I was able to record at 60 frames per second with no hiccups.

Needless to say, I am extremely happy with the X’TRA GO and had a lot of fun experimenting with various games. My favorite part about this though is that I have an easier way to capture footage from the Steam Deck, allowing me to create better content at a faster pace.

Final Thoughts

I am obsessed with the X’TRA GO for a variety of reasons. For starters, this device is tiny and can fit in my backpack easily. Previously, I would pack up my Xbox One or Steam Deck if I was staying overnight somewhere and wanted to game, but those days are gone. The X’TRA GO is the perfect accessory for the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch because of its size and weight.

I also love that the device will hold your game console or whatever else you’re recording with. I keep my X’TRA GO on a separate desk with my Steam Deck and it’s extremely simple to lift the whole unit and plug it in to use it. But, if you’re out and you still want to capture footage the ability to record to an SD card has you covered: Honestly this is the coolest thing about the X’TRA GO and I was shocked to find out that the feature worked so well.

The biggest downside is how hot all of the wires get. I ran the Steam Deck for about an hour and the USB Type-C Cable got hot enough to concern me. After testing various games on the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch the heating of this cable specifically was consent and would happen when using the X’TRA GO for anywhere over 45 minutes.

The X’TRA GO is the perfect accessory for anyone who wants to make content, capture screenshots, or even stream to their friends, and for those reasons, I couldn’t go back to not using this device.

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