How do I get screenshots from my game consoles?

[bungiefan89]

I need a way to capture screenshots of my own gameplay footage from my old Nintendo 64, my Wii, and possibly my Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. I have quite a bit of experience working with multi-media, but turning my gameplay footage into image and video files I can work with on my computer is something I'm completely new to.

I have a vague understanding that I need special hardware and possibly software to pull this off, but I don't know what to purchase, or if I already have many of the things I need here at home.

Recording gameplay video footage is something I might need in the future, but right now all I'm concerned with is screenshots of gameplay. Any advice helps.

And... obviously any solutions that would work well with a Mac would be preferable.

 

[Antares]

The simplest option is to get a cheap tripod for your smartphone or camera. Align the camera so the screen is completely in frame. Use zoom if you have a mechanical lens (avoid using digital zoom). Take the picture. Then, you can transfer the screenshot(s) to your computer in the same way you would any other picture taken with your camera/phone. You can always crop the screenshot in an image editing program.

Tip: Turn the flash off.

 

[blesscheese]

Back in the day, I remember hooking up the ?GameCube? to the VCR, and then running the VCR out to the TV, and recording game footage that way (I think I was recording Rogue Leader footage). I'm not sure I went the extra mile by hooking it up to my PowerMac 8600 to pull screen grabs...

I would think the theory would be the same with a DVR, except I'm not sure what kind of cables they accept.

I saw a post somewhere on the forums recently with an El Gato video hookup, not sure where I saw it...

I think the biggest issue now would be how to hook something new up to some of the older legacy cables, maybe you will have to hunt around. Good luck!

 

[pdjudd]

I know that elgato makes a very good game capture card that is targeted specifically for consoles - they have a version for older consoles and newer ones (with higher quality).

Devices like that are designed for capturing video but I don’t see why you can just do a screen capture right from the capture video software.