As the title of this review says, the EVGA XR1 lite is the budget capture card we've been waiting for. In a sea of sub-$100 models that are technically incapable of providing the performance promised by their spec sheets, the XR1 lite stands out because it just works. For $70, you get a no-frills capture card capable of uncompressed 1080p@60 FPS NV12 and YUY2 recording and 4K@60 FPS passthrough. The XR1 life offers USB 3.0 connectivity, is completely plug-and-play, and seamlessly integrates with OBS and other recording, live-streaming, and videoconferencing apps. It even handles 480p input without any signal processing issues, making it a great choice for retro gamers trying to capture their gameplay.

With all that in mind, this is turning into quite possibly the easiest conclusion I ever had to write. Unless you want your capture card to offer HDR capture and passthrough or be capable of 1080p and 1440p passthrough at 120 or more FPS/Hz, the EVGA XR1 lite is the one to buy. This product just made all other sub-$100 capture card offerings redundant. I can't think of a single reason to recommend any other capture card in that price bracket over the XR1 lite.

EVGA also released the more elaborate $190 XR1 and $219 XR1 PRO capture cards, so those could be worth keeping an eye on when looking for some of the features the XR1 lite lacks. I have the XR1 PRO on me, so be on the lookout for its full review, which is coming soon!