There is a way to stream Switch to PC without using a video capture card. There is another way to stream with a video capture card. In this latest tutorial, I will give you simple steps you can stream your Nintendo Switch to your PC with or without a video capture card.
Nintendo Switch is one of the very advanced consoles that took the gaming market by surprise. A long time ago, we thought PSVita was a game changer until we had Nintendo Switch. It is one of the gaming consoles that is both a handheld gaming console and a home gaming console.
If you already own a Nintendo Switch, then you are very lucky to have such a console. It is quite a good device but it does come with its limitations and one of the limitations most gamers do not like about it is the inability to stream from the device.
Gaming is all about having fun and showing off your skills. If you are a good gamer and you can not show other players how good you are, then who will know you are good? This mentality makes it difficult for people to play games without streaming.
Nintendo Switch will not give you the freedom to do that as well but there is a way around it. There is a way you can actually stream your Switch live game plays.
How to stream Switch to PC
My tutorial will be exclusively about how to stream Switch to PC. There are more ways you could stream to social media without necessarily streaming to your PC.
If you want to stream from Switch, one important thing you need is a video capture card. A video capture card is a device that will help you to capture the Switch screen and transfer it to your PC. That is not the only job of a video capture card but performs different video manipulation functions.
Below is an example of a video capture device.
You can get some on AliExpress for as little as $16.00. If you have a video capture card, then follow the procedure below to start streaming your Switch.
Stream Switch to PC with video capture
To start streaming to your PC, you must first mount your Switch console on its dock.
Download and install your video capture device’s driver and OBS Studio. If this is your first time hearing about OBS Studio, I have a full article about how to download OBS Studio. Read it for more insight about that software.
Connect your Switch to the input port of the video capture card using an HDMI cable.
Connect the output port of the video card to your monitor using another HDMI cable.
Use a micro USB, Type C, or any other cord that came with your video capture card to connect the card to your computer.
Launch OBS Studio and click on the plus (+) sign below “Sources“. You can alternatively right-click any blank space on the OBS dashboard.
From the popup menu, select “Video Capture Device” and select the name of your video capture device.
If you follow the procedure correctly, OBS will start receiving live feeds from your video capture device which also means your Switch will not be streaming to your PC.
If you want to stream to your social media platforms like Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, etc, OBS Studio has the features to do so.
Stream without a video capture card
If you do not have a video capture device, you can still stream to your PC. But you will have to own an Xbox One to be able to accomplish this.
First, you will still have to mount your Switch to the dock.
Connect your Nintendo Switch to the Xbox One using an HDMI cable.
Make sure your PC and Xbox One are connected to the same router (Ethernet is best for this so connect both PC and Xbox to the router using an ethernet cable).
Download the Xbox app on your computer.
Launch the Xbox app from your PC, navigate to “Consoles” and select your Xbox from the list. At this point, the Nintendo Switch should be streaming to your PC through the Xbox app.
If you want to stream to your social media platforms, then you should install and use OBS Studio to recapture your Xbox app for streaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are some of the questions people ask about this topic. If you have a question that has not been answered here yet, leave it in the comment section and I will reply as early as possible.
Yes!. You can absolutely stream the Nintendo Switch gaming console to your PC either using a video capture card or Xbox One. Even without these two, you can still stream your gaming console to your PC.
You can easily stream Nintendo Switch to PC without a video capture card by using your Xbox One. In this case, you are using your Xbox one in place of a video capture card.