Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
To use your laptop as a display for your Nintendo Switch you need the free software OBS and a video capture stick, like this and an HDMI Splitter. There are a lot of options when it comes to these capture sticks. Some are cheap, like mine here, others have more quality, like the elgato Camlink. But you absolutely need a video capture stick to project your console and an HDMI Splitter. Because without a splitter your screen will remain like this. I have been asked if you really need one if your laptop already has a HDMI. But this stick is not a simple adapter. It doesn’t just create an HDMI output, it has a chip that converts signal so that it can be received. Laptops always distribute signal. They never receive. Laptops are programmed to only project, not receive signal. This stick reverts that, it makes your laptop able to receive signal.
I have been asked before if you really need a splitter. And yes, you need one. The Nintendo Switch 2 has HDCP imbedded into it’s USB-C port. HDCP is a protection, that doesn’t let you project the image. An HDMI Splitter bypasses HDCP. Without the splitter you will see this on your laptop. But with the splitter, you get the image.
This trick works on every console that has HDMI. And if your console doesn’t, you can buy an adapter that converts it to HDMI. Okay what you have to do is to put the HDMI from your console into the video capture stick and put it in your laptop. Then put the HDMI from your switch into your input slot. Then use another HDMI, one end should be in the output slot of your splitter and the other end into your capture stick. Then connect your stick to your computer. Then, download and install OBS on your computer. It is a free, open source software. You can just google to find the download page, or you can look for it in the description. What I am showing you in this video works on both laptops running on Windows, Linux and on Macbooks. Once you install OBS, click on the + icon, under sources, Video capture device, you can name it however you want,, I will choose to call it Console, press ok, and from this drop down menu, under device, look for your capture stick. Select it and press OK. If you get a static, intermission/ transmission interrupted TV like image, then maybe you forgot to plug your HDMI switch to the power outlet. Now to get sound, press on the gears here, and on the name you have saved your stick, select monitor and output. Press OK and now you should hear the sounds from the console. And to get full screen simply right click on the Nintendo Switch projection screen, and go to Full Screen (Preview) and choose the display you want to put your Switch on full screen. I hope this video helped!!
And yes, you need a capture stick or capture card.
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To use your laptop as a display for your Nintendo Switch you need the free software OBS and a video capture stick, like this and an HDMI Splitter. There are a lot of options when it comes to these capture sticks. Some are cheap, like mine here, others have more quality, like the elgato Camlink. But you absolutely need a video capture stick to project your console and an HDMI Splitter. Because without a splitter your screen will remain like this. I have been asked if you really need one if your laptop already has a HDMI. But this stick is not a simple adapter. It doesn’t just create an HDMI output, it has a chip that converts signal so that it can be received. Laptops always distribute signal. They never receive. Laptops are programmed to only project, not receive signal. This stick reverts that, it makes your laptop able to receive signal.
I have been asked before if you really need a splitter. And yes, you need one. The Nintendo Switch 2 has HDCP imbedded into it’s USB-C port. HDCP is a protection, that doesn’t let you project the image. An HDMI Splitter bypasses HDCP. Without the splitter you will see this on your laptop. But with the splitter, you get the image.
This trick works on every console that has HDMI. And if your console doesn’t, you can buy an adapter that converts it to HDMI. Okay what you have to do is to put the HDMI from your console into the video capture stick and put it in your laptop. Then put the HDMI from your switch into your input slot. Then use another HDMI, one end should be in the output slot of your splitter and the other end into your capture stick. Then connect your stick to your computer. Then, download and install OBS on your computer. It is a free, open source software. You can just google to find the download page, or you can look for it in the description. What I am showing you in this video works on both laptops running on Windows, Linux and on Macbooks. Once you install OBS, click on the + icon, under sources, Video capture device, you can name it however you want,, I will choose to call it Console, press ok, and from this drop down menu, under device, look for your capture stick. Select it and press OK. If you get a static, intermission/ transmission interrupted TV like image, then maybe you forgot to plug your HDMI switch to the power outlet. Now to get sound, press on the gears here, and on the name you have saved your stick, select monitor and output. Press OK and now you should hear the sounds from the console. And to get full screen simply right click on the Nintendo Switch projection screen, and go to Full Screen (Preview) and choose the display you want to put your Switch on full screen. I hope this video helped!!
And yes, you need a capture stick or capture card.
Patreon Page: patreon.com/LLEnglishChannel
Merch: teespring.com/stores/ll-squad-store
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCXtyKQlii_PcsodqfgY_dfA/join
Twitch: twitch.tv/laur2321
discord link: discord.gg/JURhgpP
My Instagram: instagram.com/laurentiu_lucaci
#LLEnglishChannel #review #gaming
