A Review of Razer's Streaming Suite

Dhayana S

7 years ago

Categories: Computer Hardware & AccessoriesGaming Hardware & AccessoriesTechnology

Razer Streaming Suite Review: The Ripsaw, Seiren X & Kiyo

In order to stream games over platforms such as Twitch, Mixer, YouTube, Facebook Live and more, it’s important to have the right equipment. Having used the Razer Ripsaw capture card to stream games from my Xbox One X to my PC, it was nice to be able to then add the Razer Seiren X microphone to the mix for quality audio. Thanks to Razer themselves, who graciously provided me with the Razer Kiyo webcam to review, I’ve now got the trinity of Razer’s streaming suite.

Razer Ripsaw Capture Card

The Ripsaw was a challenge to set up at first. I picked up the capture card back when I first started streaming and was completely new to OBS. Trying to configure the capture card so that OBS could pick up gameplay from my Xbox One was incredibly difficult. It took me close to six months of playing around with the settings during my free time to get everything working. It was one of those things where you’d get the video working but audio wouldn’t work and such. Calling my experience a challenge is actually an understatement.

However, once I took the time to actually spend the whole day on it, I managed to get everything working perfectly and have been streaming my Xbox games through the Ripsaw without a hitch. The device works flawlessly with OBS, though on the odd occasion a restart is required as the game’s audio won’t pick up.

While I’m happy with the Ripsaw at present, I can’t quite compare it to other capture cards in the market as I’ve not used anything else. If you’re a hardcore Razer fan and want your set up to consist solely of Razer products, then give the Ripsaw a try.

Razer Seiren X Microphone

The Seiren X was first released in October last year and is made predominantly for on-the-go streamers who require both quality and portability.

Unlike most mics, the Seiren X is tiny, almost half the size of Razer’s other microphones, and is incredibly simple, consisting of just two buttons, a mute button and volume knob. The simplicity of this USB-mic is what drew me to it. Opposed to other mics in the market, which come with various buttons and recording modes, the Seiren X is easy to use. The fact that it works by just plugging it in and recording makes it a ‘noobs’ dream. I’m not very good with technical stuff, so for me, ease of use is another factor that drew me in.

I’ve not used too many other mics to be able to compare sound quality. The only mic I’ve tried out was the Blue Snowball iCE which was relatively good. Comparing it with the Seiren X, I feel that Razer’s mic picked up my voice with a bit more clarity, possibly due to the ‘Super Carthoid’ pickup pattern that the mic uses to record sound while filtering out background noise.

Though the Seiren X was a bit clearer than the Snowball iCE, the mic did still pick up a significant amount of background noise, like the ‘clickitty-clack’ of my partner’s mechanical keyboard. Therefore, I’m not too sure just how well the mic will perform in environments that are a bit more noisy.

Overall though, I was really impressed with the Seiren X. The small size, portability and ease of use, especially in working with OBS, were all huge draw cards for me. The only thing that I felt could have been improved is the fact that the headphone jack and micro-USB ports are underneath the mic and relatively close together that it can be just a tad challenging to insert a headphone and the USB cable. Not the end of the world, however, as all it takes is some practice.

If portability and ease of use are what you’re after, the Seiren X is definitely recommended.

Razer Kiyo Webcam

Of the three Razer products I’m using for streaming purposes, Razer’s new Kiyo webcam is by far my favourite. I was completely taken with the Kiyo when it first released in October last year and thanks to Razer, who sent me the webcam to review, I can now enjoy it firsthand.

Like the Seiren X, the Kiyo was made for streamers and content creators, and is advertised as a streamer certified device which works well with OBS and XSplit broadcasting software.

The Kiyo is unlike other webcams I’ve seen. Most streamers tend to utilise high end webcams, studio quality lighting, green screens and background removal software in order to create sharp visuals for their streams. The Kiyo does away with all that fuss by featuring a built-in ring light that illuminates you in a way that’s perfect even in low-light environments.

In terms of quality, the Kiyo is as crystal clear as the Logitech C922, which I’d been using up until now. The webcam consists of a 4-megapixel, 2688 x 1520 camera which captures vibrant images even without the ring light turned on. Turn the ring light on and image quality appears to increase two-fold.

Compared with the C922, the Kiyo certainly seems to add more life and colour to streams, with some of my audiences actually noticing a significant difference when I changed webcams. Not only that, but the webcam’s 81.6-degree field of view allows for a more wide-angled image, which meant that my partner can usually be seen in the background working away on his computer while I stream.

What I love most about the Kiyo, apart from the fact that the ring light makes me look fabulous (I kid, I kid) is that it is simple and easy to use. Much like the Seiren X, the Kiyo is a plug and play device which allows technically challenged ‘noobs’ such as myself to use the device without a hitch. Though this is a feature I appreciate, others who prefer to be able to customise their devices may find the lack of a software disappointing.

The only advantage that the C922 has over the Kiyo is the fact that it comes with a background removal software. However, this is a feature that I personally believe to be dependent on a streamer’s preference as some prefer to highlight themselves, while others prefer to show off their background.

Personally, the Kiyo has been an amazing webcam to use. Not only is it affordable and simple to plug and play, it’s also a device that improves the camera quality on my streams. The best part is that the ring light isn’t too bright and doesn’t distract me from my screen and gameplay.

Conclusion

After using Razer’s suite of streaming products, I’m convinced that the company means business when it comes to providing for content creators. While I can’t say much about the Ripsaw capture card, having not been able to compare it with other brands, I certainly do recommend the Seiren X mic and Kiyo webcam, especially for on-the-go content creators who require portability.