What you need

  • A Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.
  • A USB capture card that macOS sees as a camera (UVC). Nearly every card sold for consoles is one. See the tested cards.
  • An HDMI cable from the PlayStation to the card.
  • A USB 3 port on the Mac itself, no hub.

Turn off HDCP first

PlayStation consoles encrypt their HDMI output (HDCP), and every capture card shows a black picture until it is off. Do this once, with the console still connected to a TV.

  • PS5SettingsSystemHDMIEnable HDCPOff
  • PS4 and PS4 ProSettingsSystemEnable HDCPUnchecked

Video apps such as Netflix need HDCP back on to play; games do not.

Connect it

  1. Connect the PlayStation's HDMI out to the capture card's HDMI in.
  2. Plug the card into a USB 3 port on the Mac.
  3. Open plugview. It picks the card, its sound and the smoothest mode.

Console settings

A card that cannot read the console's mode shows nothing. If the picture stays black with HDCP off, lower the output:

  • ResolutionSettingsScreen and VideoVideo OutputResolution1080p

    Choose 2160p only if your card captures 4K.

  • 120 Hz outputSettingsScreen and VideoVideo OutputEnable 120 Hz OutputOff

    Unless your card captures 120 fps.

Black screen or no sound

  • HDCP is still on: check the setting above. It is the usual cause.
  • Run plugview --list: the card must appear under video devices.
  • No sound: allow plugview in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone.
  • Sound only in the controller or headset: in Settings › Sound › Audio Output, send audio to the HDMI device.

More fixes in the guide.

Lowest latency

  • Wired sound: the Mac speakers or wired headphones. Bluetooth adds 150 ms or more.
  • 1080p at 60 fps feels faster than 4K at 30, and plugview picks it when the card offers it.
  • Full screen with F, on a display at 60 or 120 Hz.
  • Run plugview --measure for your real frame rate and delay.

Questions

Why not PS Remote Play?
Remote Play streams the game over your network, compressed, so it adds delay and drops quality on a busy Wi-Fi. A capture card is a cable: picture and sound arrive in milliseconds.
Do I have to turn HDCP off every time?
No. It stays off until you turn it back on, for example to watch a streaming app.
Does it work with the PS4?
Yes, the same way, after unchecking HDCP in its system settings.