AVerMedia Live Gamer Extreme 3: Powerhouse review for PS5 and Xbox Live streamers

With Live Gamer Extreme 3, AVerMedia attempts to reconcile two opposites that many gamers find incompatible: compact dimensions and high performance with minimal power consumption.

Scope of delivery and first impression

It’s amazing what powerful hardware the engineers have put in the box. And many, many gamers will have to flick their tongues: uncompressed 4K 30fps, 4K60 throughput and ultra-low latency for lag-free gaming are offered by the somewhat older AVerMedia Live Gamer Ultra.

But Live Gamer Extreme 3 masters the Variable Frame Rate (VRR) used by PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S well.

The package includes Live Gamer Extreme 3, a USB-C data transfer cable, and an HDMI cable. A multilingual quick start guide is also included, but we recommend it See the official FAQ-If you have problems with setup. Too bad: While the Live Gamer Ultra came with a switch for Cyberlin PowerDirectir 15, this time there is no such plugin.

This compact pickup box makes an excellent first impression. With 112.5 x 66.1 x 20.9mm and only 85g, it’s a light travel bag on the go or stowed away to save space.

The design of the noble device is technically well thought out, as is customary at AVerMedia. At the top you’ll find the status LED, and all the connections on the back.

In addition to the HDMI inputs and outputs, there is a 3.5 mm audio jack for wired microphones and headphones. All data goes to your PC or laptop via USB 3.2 port.

High system requirements

A couple of years ago, I complained to AverMedia Live Gamer Ultra that you should better bypass the system requirements so as not to encounter any nasty surprises while running.

The LGE3 is frugal on your Windows desktop: an Intel Core i5-6XXX or similar processor must be available alongside a GeForce GTX 1060 or higher.

If you’re gaming and streaming on your laptop, reading the specs is more difficult: an Intel i7-7700HQ or higher is more likely to be found on higher-priced models. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is now a few classes higher than the integrated graphics units most laptops use. And many newer models have 8GB of RAM, but not laptops that are three or four years old.

For Apple users, the requirements are also unusually high for a quad-core Intel CPU with a clock frequency of 3.6 GHz and at least a Radeon 555 graphics card with 2 GB of video RAM and 16 GB of working memory.

Easy initial setup

And seriously? The Lenovo Ideapad 5 notebook I used for editing purposes, with an Intel Core i5-1135G7, integrated Intel Xe graphics unit, and 16GB of boot memory, was a borderline case that was actually slightly below the system requirements. Will Live Gamer Extreme 3 still run?

For this I had to install the device first:

1. Connect AverMedia Live Gamer Extreme 3 to your computer using the included USB-C cable. When the connection is established, the LED on the top lights up solid blue.
2. current firmware Download from AVerMedia and install.
3. AVerMedias Download Assist Central And open it to install the ReCentral app. Alternatively, you can also install streaming software such as OBS, Xsplit, or Streamlabs Desktop.
4. Then connect your console or PC to Live Gamer Extreme 3 and run ReCentral or one of the other streaming software mentioned.

The result on my laptop surprised me. No image arrived in AVerMedia’s ReCentral environment. Instead, there is a note that the device is already in use.

On the other hand, Live Gamer Extreme 3 sent a video signal within OBS and Streamlabs Desktop. However, the 720p output from the Nintendo NES Mini resulted in constant flashing. If the Switch, PlayStation 4/5, or Xbox One / Series X | S play the material in 1080P or 4K resolution, the video picture was perfect and the sound was crystal clear.

When it is turned on, it slides

I was able to reproduce some notebook results on a desktop computer. This easily meets the system requirements, but struggles with the mentioned difficulties. Flashing 720p, 1080p or 4K sources is not a problem.

Unlike a laptop, ReCentral recognized the device instantly and included it in the source selection. That OBS and Streamlabs Desktop also work with the device straight away is just about an intuitive side note here.

However, the reason is still hidden from me. It’s only a real difficulty as long as I’m trying to copy old consoles or shrunken replays of NES, SNES, PlayStation or Sega Mega Drive at 720p max. For those, Live Gamer Ultra is the right choice.

VRR – Game Changer

The LGE3’s unique selling point is the VRR. The abbreviation stands for Variable Refresh Rate, i.e. Variable Refresh Rate. Many existing computers and consoles take advantage of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S of this technology to ensure a smooth experience. In addition to the console, you also need a suitable monitor that can be recognized by the “FreeSync” label.

If a game normally runs at 60 frames per second (fps), but is stuck at a lower refresh rate due to a processor-intensive display, the video output device sends this to your TV or monitor. If this device supports VRR, it adapts its refresh rate to the frames per second provided by the game.

To the human eye, this appears smoother than the obvious image stutter of previous generations of consoles. Only the streaming or capturing device must support VRR in order to be able to pass this variable frame rate to your computer. As of now, only AVerMedia Live Gamer Extreme 3 can do this.

Not a device for every player – the alternatives

Despite its good performance (under the right conditions) and VRR technology, AVerMedia’s streaming box is not suitable for every type of gamer and YouTuber. It accepts audio and video signals, connects them via an external monitor if necessary, and transmits them to a computer via USB.

However, it does not work without a computer and does not have an integrated recording function. So if you’re not just looking for a streaming device, but also want to directly record your gameplay, we recommend the inexpensive AVerMedia EzRecorder 330 with direct recording to a memory card, USB hard drive, and built-in editing software.