Game streaming is becoming more mainstream nowadays and we can see a lot more game streamers nowadays compared to the past 3 years. Among the gears required to setup a system for this very purpose, webcam is one of the important equipment needed by these group of people. When it comes to webcam, Logitech has always been one of the top choice to date. What comes next is the lighting equipment and some adjustments that has to be done in the capturing software to make yourself more appealing in front of your audience and to look more professional as well.
Now, instead of having to spend extra bucks on the lighting equipment and extra time in learning to do the right adjustments, Razer has something that make things easier for those who want to get started with game streaming in a much easier way – introducing the Razer Kiyo, a webcam that comes with a built-in ring light.
Specifications
| At a glance
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| Camera
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| Ring light
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| Microphone
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| System Requirements
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*Increased system requirements and additional software may be required for certain applications. |
| Package Contents
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Unboxing
Starting off with the packaging, the Razer Kiyo comes in the much to be expected green-black color scheme package that most of us are familiar with. On the top left of the front package, you’ll find the streamer certified sticker, which we assume that the Kiyo has gotten the approval from professional streamers.
At the bottom right, you’ll find the logo or icon for both the widely used streaming software – OBS and XSplit. If you’re into game streaming, these are two of the most popular game streaming software used by streamers around the globe.
At the back of the box, you’ll find the prominent feature of the Razer Kiyo webcam i.e multi-step ring light and the capability to capture 720p 60FPS HD video.
In the box, you’ll find the usual welcome note from Razer, user’s manual, Razer sticker and the Razer Kiyo webcam. Here you can see that the Kiyo is stuffed in the middle of a thick piece of foam for the best protection to prevent damage during transportation. Kudos to Razer for the extra effort on that.
Razer Kiyo On Closer Look
On closer look, we can see that the design of the Razer Kiyo is surprisingly simple and not over-exaggerated. The outer white ring around the webcam is of course the built-in ring light, which we will look into it later. In the middle of the ring, you’ll find the camera, the indicator light and the front facing microphone.
The 4MP camera is capable of capturing still image of 2688×1520 in resolution or video of up to 1080P 30FPS. If you’re streaming on social media platform such as Facebook, you can switch it to 720P 60FPS mode, which is the maximum supported output on for Facebook Live for now. While it’s equipped with an omnidirectional microphone with -38dB sensitivity, most streamers will opt for a dedicated microphone or the one that comes with their gaming headphone.
At the bottom of the webcam, you’ll find a mount hole which allows you to mount it to a tripod or other mounting equipment. This gives you the freedom to place the Razer Kiyo at any of your desired location for the best angle possible. The base also comes with an anti-slip pad to provide grip to smooth surface if you plan to just leave it on the desk.
And just so you know, the Razer Kiyo comes in a foldable design that allows you to place it right on top your monitor or PC if you don’t own any tripod.
User Experience
The Razer Kiyo doesn’t requires any software to operate, it’s pretty much plug and play. The operating system will detect the device almost in an instant as soon as it’s plugged into your USB port. Once it’s installed, you’ll be able to find it in the list of video capture device if you’re using OBS for streaming.
Color Saturation
When compared side by side to a Logitech C920 webcam, we can immediately notice the difference in the color contrast and saturation. Image captured by the Razer Kiyo appears to be more saturated in colors, which is pretty convenient for starters who isn’t familiar with the software that meddles with these settings.
Built-in Ring Light
What differentiates the Razer Kiyo to most of the generic webcam you can find in the market is the built-in ring light. Other than the adjustable brightness, the ring light also comes ready with its own light diffuser. This save you a lot of hassle and space from having a dedicated lighting setup, especially for those who have a very limited space for their streaming station.
Final Thoughts
The features that the Razer Kiyo has is something that will definitely come in handy for the starters. The built-in ring light is the main highlighted feature of the Razer Kiyo, which is able to provide streamers with a consistent light source that makes them more presentable during their live stream.
It does comes with a built-in microphone of its own, which isn’t half bad either. But then again, most of the streamers out there would just stick to their dedicated microphone setup, or the one that comes attached to their headphone. The only issue we have with the Razer Kiyo is the color saturation, which is rather subjective, but we did find it a little oversaturated.
While the Razer Kiyo does comes with a pretty steep price of RM 425 compared to most of the webcam you can find in the market, we’d say that the price is pretty justifiable with the features and convenience it can deliver for the consumers.
Pros
- Built-in ring light with adjustable brightness and light diffuser
- Compact, foldable design
- Multiple mounting options
- Plug and play
Cons
- Captured image is a little oversaturated
