Three situations, three methods
Nintendo handhelds have no video output; capturing them requires third-party hardware modifications this guide does not cover. Always play legally obtained copies: no ROMs or unauthorised downloads are linked here.
Capturing an emulator window
In OBS, add a source for your system:
Crop the window borders in the source itself (Linux), with a Crop/Pad filter, or by dragging the edges while holding Alt (Option on macOS). Set the emulator to an integer scale of its original screen so OBS receives clean pixels.
DS and 3DS dual screens
Each DS screen is 256×192 pixels. On 3DS, the top screen is 400×240 and the bottom one 320×240. Those sizes set the ratios: 4:3 on DS, 5:3 for the 3DS top screen and 4:3 for its bottom screen.
- Set the emulator to show both screens in a known layout (stacked or side by side) or in separate windows if it supports them.
- Add a capture of that window and crop it down to the top screen.
- Add the same window again for the bottom screen. If you crop by Alt-dragging, Paste (Reference) works, because the crop belongs to each scene item; if you crop with a Crop/Pad filter, use Paste (Duplicate), because references share filters.
- Scale each screen by an integer factor when space allows.
The gallery includes two dual-screen compositions, horizontal and vertical, with exact sizes.
Console with a capture card
- Connect the console to the capture card input and the card's output to the TV or monitor you play on. Play looking at that screen, not at the OBS preview, which has delay.
- In OBS, add a Video Capture Device and choose the card.
- If no picture arrives, or it arrives at a lower frame rate, set resolution and FPS to Custom so they match the console output.
- Check the audio. On Windows the source has an audio output mode; with “capture only” you will not hear it unless you enable monitoring. On other systems you may need to add the card as an Audio Input Capture.
If the console protects the signal with HDCP, the card shows black. Some consoles let you turn it off in their settings and others do not; check your console's documentation.
Cropping, ratio and scaling
- Keep the original ratio: 10:9 on Game Boy, 3:2 on Game Boy Advance, 4:3 on DS and 16:9 on Switch. Stretching the image to fill the canvas distorts sprites.
- Integer scaling: multiply the original resolution by a whole number when you can. With non-integer scaling, some pixel rows are doubled and others are not.
- Scale filtering: right-click the game source and choose Scale Filtering → Point to keep pixel art edges sharp.
- Free space: 4:3 or 3:2 games leave bands on a 16:9 canvas; they are the natural place for the camera and the team.
The recipes in the layout gallery apply these rules with exact positions.
Game audio, voice and monitoring
- Capture game audio separately from your microphone so you can balance them in the mixer.
- On Windows there is Application Audio Capture, which takes only the emulator's sound. Check which options your OBS version offers on macOS and Linux.
- Keep the game music clearly below your voice and check peaks with alerts active.
- If a capture card's sound arrives out of step with the picture, adjust the Sync Offset in Advanced Audio Properties.
A five-minute test before going live
- Record one or two minutes locally with the full scene.
- Check the game's sharpness, edges and ratio.
- Check picture and sound sync with a short effect, such as opening a menu.
- Listen to the balance between game, voice and alerts.
- Confirm no private window appears.
- Add the team and review its readability with the contrast guide.
Versions and documentation checked
This guide was checked against the OBS Studio 33.0 release notes (the current stable release was 33.0.1, published on October 29, 2026) and the official documentation for window capture, video capture devices and the Browser Source. No specific capture cards or emulators were tested: third-party menu names may vary. If something differs in your version, OBS's documentation prevails.