This post covers what you need to know if you are using Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5) and want to record game footage externally on Open Broadcaster Software (also known as OBS Studio or simply as OBS) that is running on a separate computer (PC) for this purpose. This applies to all screen and audio capture on the console, regardless of whether you seek to capture regular flat screen footage or virtual reality (VR) footage on the PlayStation VR2 (PSVR2) head-mounted display (HMD).
In practice, what you need is a PS5, two HDMI cables, a computer that can run OBS and an HDMI capable external capture device or an internal capture card. This is the minimal list of items that you need. You may also need a male-male 3.5mm audio cable, which is also commonly referred to as an auxiliary or AUX cable.
This has been tested on Windows 11. This should also work using Linux and MacOS as OBS works on different operating systems.
Hardware Setup
You then need to connect your PS5 to your capture device or card with an HDMI cable, as well as connect your capture device or card to a screen with another HDMI cable.
You may also opt to connect a DualSense controller to your capture device, card or directly to your computer with a male-male 3.5mm audio cable.
If you are using an external capture device, it needs to be connected to your computer, typically to one of its USB-ports. If it has a USB connector, you simply plug it in. If it does not have such, you need to connect it with a USB cable. If you have a capture card that is already connected to your computer, you can ignore this.
If you end up having problems with an external capture device, it may be that you have plugged its USB cable improperly. Unplug and plug again. You may also have plugged the cable to a USB port that is not fast enough or it is faulty. Try another port. It is also possible that you have multiple USB ports in use and they together they transfer so much data that the ports simply cannot handle it all. This may happen if you have multiple inputs from video cameras. A dedicated capture card might be a better option then.
Digital Audio
Before configuring your setup in OBS, there are two key things to be aware of to avoid having to address these once you are in OBS. I will go through them, one by one.
Firstly, you need to disable High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) on the PS5. This can be found in Settings -> System -> HDMI -> Enable HDCP. This specific setting needs to be turned off.
Secondly, you need to be aware that the PS5 uses either an HDMI cable or a 3.5mm cable to send the audio, but not both. To be absolutely clear about the terms, the input is either digital or analog, but not both.
The digital option involves transferring the audio from the PS5 to your computer, by connecting the PS5 to a capture device or a card with an HDMI cable. That is your input. To see that input also on your screen that use for the PS5, you also need connect the capture device or the card to the screen with another HDMI cable. That is your output.
Note that you cannot use wired headphones by connecting them to a DualSense controller, nor wireless headphones that are connected to your PS5, because the audio is sent digitally to the computer, just like it would be sent to a TV or a computer screen that has integrated speakers. It would make little sense to send it to the TV or to the computer screen and also use the headphones.
However, you can use headphones that are connected to your screen, because that screen is your output. It is the end of the line, if you will. For wired headphones, many computer screens, especially the ones made for gaming, come with a 3.5mm line-out port. For wireless headphones, many TV-screens allow wireless connection via Bluetooth.
Analog Audio
The analog option involves transferring the audio from a DualSense controller to your computer, by connecting the controller either to a capture device or a card that has analog audio input port. For this, you need a male-male 3.5mm audio cable.
Alternatively, if your capture device or card does not have the necessary port, connect your controller to your computer with a male-male 3.5mm audio cable. The computer must, however, have an analog input port. Note that the 3.5mm audio input is known as line-in port. It is not the same as a mic port for a microphone, nor as a line-out port that is meant for speakers and headphones.
If the capture device, the capture card or the computer do not have the necessary port, you can use a USB line-in adapter or a separate sound card that has an analog 3.5mm input and a digital output. In this case it is also important to check that the adapter or the sound card is for audio input, not for microphone input, nor for headphone or speaker output.
You may also need to configure your capture device or card to utilize the analog audio input, instead of the digital HDMI input. It is no use to you to connect the controller and the capture device or the card, if you the device or the card is set to pass the audio to your computer via HDMI.
It is also worth noting that the DualSense controller has a limited battery life. This can be countered by plugging in to a USB port, for example in the PS5, but it may result in faint humming in the audio as the controller is then in a charging mode. The battery life is not a major issue though as one needs to recharge the controllers every now and then anyway in regular use.
The analog option requires you to connect your headphones to your computer, while running OBS, because in both cases the audio is being transferred from the PS5 to the computer, but not from the PS5 to your headphones. You can use both wired and wireless headphones, as long as they are connected to your computer.
It is also possible to use a male-female-female cable splitter that allows you to use your wired headphones that have a male 3.5mm audio plug and a male-male 3.5mm audio cable running to the capture device or card.
If you prefer a fully wireless solution, it is possible to use a secondary DualSense controller as the analog audio source that is then connected to a capture device, capture card, or the computer that is running OBS. This way you can use your primary DualSense controller without the 3.5mm audio cable getting in your way.
Delay
The audio and the video can be out of sync either while you play the game and/or in the recording. If this happens, you will notice this while you play, but you might miss it in your recordings. This is why you want to do some tests.
Audio delays can fixed by syncing the audio and the video later on, or by making small adjustments in OBS to account for, but it makes sense to avoid such in the first place. It is simply not worth your time.
In my experience, the digital and analog options works equally well and should give you the same results. If you can connect your headphones to your screen, the digital option is better than the analog option. If you cannot do that, I would say that the analog option is better than the digital option.
What I would advice against is running the audio through HDMI and connecting the headphones to the computer. I keep running into a slight delay. I do not notice such when I run the audio through a 3.5mm auxiliary cable.
I highly recommend doing some test recordings, before you commit yourself longer recordings of play sessions. Just record a couple of seconds and then play the video file. It is usually noticeable if what you hear is not in sync with what you see.
You may also wish to do some slightly longer test recordings. I came across an audio delay appearing some minutes after I had pressed record. This is not present in the recording itself, but it is jarring while playing a game.
I suspect that my laptop struggles with the simultaneous recording and monitoring in OBS. The audio and the video are recorded just fine. When I play the file, it is what I expect it to be. The laptop and/or OBS just falls behind enough for me to notice while playing the game.
If this happens, turn off monitoring from OBS and turn on monitoring in Windows. That way you are not listening to the audio, as it is processed by OBS, but the audio input itself.
There are two ways to turn that on. In Windows 11, select ‘Settings’ -> ‘System’ -> ‘Sound’ -> ‘Advanced’ -> ‘More Sound Settings’ -> ‘Recording’. Select the capture device or capture card -> ‘Properties’ -> ‘Listen’ -> ‘Listen to this device’ and continue to select your headphones under ‘Playback through this device’ and click ‘OK’.
You can also get to that menu through ‘Control Panel’ -> ‘Hardware and Sound’ -> ‘Sound’ -> ‘Recording’. Once again, select the capture device or capture card -> ‘Properties’ -> ‘Listen’ -> ‘Listen to this device’ and continue to select your headphones under ‘Playback through this device’ and click ‘OK’.
VR
It is also important to remember that you do not connect wired headphones to the PSVR2 HMD, if you are capturing VR footage using the analog option. Instead, you connect them to your computer. This is not a major issue as the PSVR2 is connected to the PS5 with a cable. It does, however, add an extra cable in the mix, which is hardly ideal. Use wireless headphones instead, if possible.
If you are capturing VR footage using the digital option, connect your wired headphones to the PSVR2 HMD. Note how the digital option prevents you from using wireless headphones in VR, unless they have optional 3.5mm connection.
Configuring OBS: Basics
The various audio and video inputs are called sources in OBS. I will list only the ones that are needed.
You will need just one source: ‘Video Capture Device’. That is an external capture device that is connected to your computer with a USB cable or an internal capture card that is connected to your computer motherboard via PCI Express (PCIE).
It is also important to check the audio settings. Located at the bottom, in the middle of the screen, there is ‘Audio Mixer’. Right click on it. Select ‘Advanced Audio Properties’:
- A) The ‘Video Capture Device’ should be set to ‘Monitor Off’ if your headphones are connected to a screen or to the PSVR2 HMD.
- B) The ‘Video Capture Device’ should be set to ‘Monitor and Output’ if your headphones are connected to the computer and you do not notice out of sync audio and video.
Setup A) is as simple as it gets. The digital audio comes from the source to the computer, while you hear the game audio in your headphones via your screen or PSVR2 HMD.
Setup B) is almost as simple. The analog audio comes from the source to the computer, while you hear the game audio in your headphones via your computer.
For setup B), the ‘Desktop Audio’ for OBS should be set as muted in the Audio Mixer or disabled as you do not need to hear everything twice. This can be configured through ‘Settings’ -> ‘Audio’ -> ‘Global Audio Devices’.
If you run the audio from a secondary controller to the capture device, the capture card or the computer and connect wireless headphones to your computer, it is possible to have a wireless setup. If you use this setup with the PSVR2 and the Sense Controllers, you do not need a secondary DualSense controller as you are not using it in VR.
Alternatively:
- C) ‘Desktop Audio’ should be set to ‘Monitor Off’.
The ‘Video Capture Device’ should be set to ‘Monitor Only (mute output)’.
This setup C) is not as simple as B), but it works the same way. The audio input comes from the source, but it is not output on the video file the same way. Instead, it is output through the ‘Desktop Audio’.
For setup C), you also need to have the ‘Desktop Audio’ active. This can be configured through ‘Settings’ -> ‘Audio’ -> ‘Global Audio Devices’.
If the audio and video appear to be out of sync or drift into being out of sync while you play, it might not be that your recording is or is drifting out of sync. Instead, the monitoring is out of sync with what your screen or PSVR2 is presenting you. In other words, it is lagging behind. If this happens, try turning off monitoring in OBS and turn it on in Windows instead.
If you use an audio splitter:
- D) The ‘Video Capture Device’ should be set to ‘Monitor off’.
Setup D) allows you to plug your wired headphones to your controller.
If you are not hearing anything, it might be that you have configured the audio settings the wrong way. If you are still not hearing anything, it might be that you need to restart OBS. It might not be picking up the headphones you connected to the computer.
What matters is that you hear the game audio and it gets recorded on the video file. You may want to test the settings first, to see if there are any audio delays. You will notice if you have delay. For example, you will notice if character’s mouths move before you hear them speak.
I also recommend checking the audio level and adding a gain filter either to the ‘Video Capture Device’ in setup B) or to the Desktop Audio in setup C), if the volume seems too low. In my own tests, the analog routing of audio results in a lower volume, so it is worth checking and adjusting in OBS, if necessary.
Configuring OBS: More Sources
Once you have everything running without noticeable audio delays and the video quality is to your liking, you can add more sources.
For example, if you are working with game footage, you may want to add a view of yourself. For this you a need a video source.
The simplest option is to use a USB-webcam. Just connect it to your computer, check if there is any delay and adjust the audio levels accordingly in OBS. The downside is that most models do not have a slot of for a memory card and therefore they do not allow you to record a backup copy on a memory card.
In OBS, the ‘Video Capture Device’ is set to ‘Capture audio only’ as its ‘Audio Output Mode’ by default when you add the source. This simply means that the audio is kept separate from the rest of your computer audio in OBS.
If you are not hearing anything, you need to make sure that in ‘Settings’ you have ‘Mic/Auxiliary Audio’ enabled. ‘Default’ should work, if you are only one microphone. You must enable monitoring from the ‘Advanced Audio Properties’ if you want to hear what that microphone picks up. In practice, this is useful only for testing the audio levels. You hear yourself anyway and there is no need to hear yourself through the headphones.
You can also enable audio without enabling it from ‘Settings’ and then adding it in ‘Audio’. When you add the ‘Video Capture Device’, toggle ‘Use custom audio device’ and then select the ‘Audio Device’.
The more complex, but customizable option is to use a dedicated video camera, such as a camcorder that has an HDMI or a mini-HDMI line-out port, and plug it into a computer with an HDMI-USB adapter. This option typically includes the possibility of recording also to a memory card while using the video camera as a source in OBS.
A dedicated video camera typically also has a microphone port. This allows you to use a separate wired microphone that plugs into the video camera with a 3.5mm audio cable or a wireless microphone, which has a receiver that plugs into the same place with a short 3.5mm audio cable.
It is, of course, important to check if there is any audio delay and adjust the audio levels accordingly in OBS. Alternatively, you can plug the wired microphone or the wireless microphone receiver directly to your computer, to the microphone (mic) port, and add an audio source in OBS. Again, you have to check if there is any delay and adjust the audio levels accordingly.
Some headphones also have integrated microphones, which may then also be used as an audio source. This is the case with many gaming specific wireless headphones, which can therefore be used as an audio source in OBS. This makes you setup simpler, but, once more, you have to check if there is any delay and adjust the audio levels accordingly.
Integrated headphone microphones are often not the best in terms of the quality. I would test the quality first and if it is poor, I would opt for another wired or wireless solution.
Checking the audio mix and adding filters is highly recommended. Firstly, you may not want to be monitoring the audio from video camera feed while you are playing. Secondly, but if you do want that, you may want to check the that the audio from that feed does not make it difficult to hear the audio from PS5 feed. Thirdly, monitoring or not, you may want to add filters. For example, a high-pass filter can be useful, because it allows you to get rid of low-frequency background noise, such as humming of computer fans. Using a separate microphone or microphones does, of course, also mitigate such audio issues, but this does add layers and layers of complexity and extra costs to the final mix.
It is also highly recommended that the webcam or video camera footage is properly lit. I would not use the room lighting as, coming from above, it tends to casts shadows on one’s face. Instead, I would place two light sources, such as LED panels, one to each side of the screen that is used to play games on your PS5. They can be mounted on separate floor stands or on table stands, depending on what the screen is mounted on and how floor space there is.
It is also possible to use XLR capable equipment, but this setup is more complicated and more costly. This level of sophistication makes little sense, unless you already have all the necessary audio hardware for it.
If you want to bring in your heart rate, you need a heart rate monitor. It is typically connected to your computer wirelessly via Bluetooth or ANT+. You also need software that can visualize this. For example, I have used HeartRate developed by Joseph Lennox. It is lightweight and works well for this purpose.
As a final note, if you cannot see, nor hear yourself, check the OS privacy settings. It might be that you are not allowing OBS to access to cameras and microphones.
Configuring OBS: Changing the Canvas
You can alter the size of the canvas and the primary source, which is the captured screen. You can also do the same with other sources, such as the video feed and the heart rate feed. The aspect ratio is typically set to 16:9, but this can be easily customized.
The major benefit of this is that this way the footage is synchronized, whereas saving the screen capture and the room video feed as separate video files requires additional work to subsequently synchronize the footage.
There are some workarounds that allow synchronizing the footage, while saving it to separate files. However, if one wants to watch the footage, one must run two separate files simultaneously, side by side.
It is also possible to alter the canvas. You can, for example, create a dual screen setup by doubling it horizontally (e.g. 1920×1080 -> 3840×1080). This allows watching both the screen capture and the room video feed in high resolution, alongside one another. The aspect ratio is then 32:9.
The single screen option requires less from the recording hardware, whereas the dual screen option requires more from the recording hardware, unless the single screen option involves a higher resolution than the dual screen option.
The most obvious difference is that the single screen option works the best when viewed on a single screen, whereas the dual screen option works the best when viewed on a dual screen setup, or on a super ultrawide screen.
Changelog
December 2025: I noticed that some configurations of the digital option (HMDI) do, in fact, allow the use of headphones, but only from the output device.
- For flat-screen gaming, connect your headphones to your screen and not to your PS5, nor your computer.
- For VR gaming, plug in your wired headphones to your PSVR2 and not your PS5, nor your computer.
This simplifies the setup considerably. This does, however, require that A) your screen has an 3.5mm line-out port for external speakers and/or headphones or that B) your screen allows you to connect wireless headphones to it via Bluetooth.
For both flat-screen gaming and VR gaming, no monitoring is therefore needed while playing. That is, of course, still important for checking the audio levels, etc.
The analog option should, however, provide you with the same results. If OBS monitoring starts lagging behind, turn it off and use Windows monitoring instead.
I have revised some parts of the blog post accordingly.
References
- Lennox, J. ([2017] 2022). HeartRate (computer software). https://github.com/jlennox/HeartRate
- OBS Project ([2012] 2025). OBS Studio (computer software). https://obsproject.com