Genki’s ShadowCast Turns Your Camera Into a Webcam and Your iPad Into a Monitor
Last September, Genki announced a Kickstarter for the ShadowCast 3 and the Covert Dock 3, pitched mainly as a way to play console games through a laptop computer. While that remains the primary function, it’s a surprisingly versatile system.
After successfully funding the project through 30,382 backers (and raising $1,931,677), Genki successfully launched the ShadowCast 3 along with the CovertDock 3 and both are now available to order directly from the company’s website.
In a nutshell, the original pitch for these two products is the ability to dock a gaming console — Genki specifically highlights the Nintendo Switch due to its portable nature, but it works with any console — to any screen as well as stream and capture gameplay at the same time.
ShadowCast 3 is the latest version of the company’s series of products and is able to turn any screen — including laptops, smartphones, and tablets — into a display for a console with the promise of “near-zero latency.” Additionally, it allows for the capture of up to 4Kp60 resolution for livestreaming or recording. The compatibility with the iPad requires the use of Genki’s Studio app or the Camo Studio app, but both are free.
The ShadowCast 3 was built to work in tandem with the Covert Dock 3, which combines a 65W charger with 4Kp120 HDR and variable refresh rate output in a compact device that Genki says is 1/14 the size of a standard dock.
All of this is neat for gaming and streaming, but photographers specifically may be more interested in the system’s ability to turn their mirrorless cameras into a high-quality webcam without much fuss. At the time of publication, many camera manufacturers do offer software that supports live streaming with mirrorless cameras, but the effectiveness of that software is hit and miss. Sony’s software is quite good, but Canon, Nikon, and Lumix can be finicky and unreliable. Rather than deal with camera software, it’s often easier to just use a capture card, which takes the onus of responsibility off the camera itself and routes it through a specialized device.
“ShadowCast works with all HDMI output devices beyond gaming consoles, including better cameras,” Genki explains. “This means you can upgrade your video conference by swapping out your poor built-in webcam for most digital cameras, including DSLRs, camcorders, and action cameras — as long as it supports HDMI out (some cameras require a HDMI-mini/micro converter).”
Even if video conferencing isn’t important, the ShadowCast can quickly turn a laptop or a tablet into a portable monitor.
“It’s also quite useful for situations where you just need to see what you’re photographing or recording on a bigger laptop screen,” Genki adds, saying its tool is versatile enough that filmmakers don’t need to purchase dedicated HDMI monitors but can just repurpose laptops or tablets that they already own.
The Genki ShadowCast 3 is available to order from Genki for $89.99. The Covert Dock 3 is available for $69.99.
Image credits: Genki
