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 Xbox to the card.
  • A USB 3 port on the Mac itself, no hub.

Connect it

  1. Connect the Xbox'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.

Games show up right away: there is no HDCP setting to change for them.

Console settings

If the console sends a mode the card cannot read, the picture stays black.

  • ResolutionSettingsGeneralTV & display optionsResolution1080p

    Works with almost every card.

  • Refresh rateSettingsGeneralTV & display optionsRefresh rate60 Hz

    Unless your card captures 120 fps.

Black screen or no sound

  • Video apps (Netflix, Disney+ and others) turn copy protection on, and the picture goes black while they run. That is the console, not plugview; games are not affected.
  • Run plugview --list: the card must appear under video devices.
  • No sound: allow plugview in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone.

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 stream it with Remote Play?
Streaming compresses the game and sends it over your network, which adds delay. A capture card brings the picture over a cable.
Does it work with the Xbox One?
Yes, the same way.
Can I use the Xbox controller on the Mac?
The controller stays paired with the Xbox; you play the console as usual and the Mac is the screen.