How do I get Xbox screenshots?

October 18, 2005 4:29 PM

Is there a quick and easy way to get screenshots of an Xbox game?

For clarification, I worked on the art and I would like screens of the game for my own portfolio. The company that made the game no longer exists, although the publisher does.

I have a fairly standard xbox/pc set up. Composite and s-video out on the xbox but no video in on the PC.

posted by arha to Technology (7 answers total)

Do you have specific screenshots in mind? If you just want a screenshot or two of any part of the game, trying contacting the publisher and request access to their press/media site (if they have one). Expect to have to prove your connection to the game before getting access. Media sites such as these typically contain high resolution unwatermarked screenshots and promotional art for the press to use in reviews and publications.
posted by Servo5678 at 4:48 PM on October 18, 2005

It really depends what hardware you have access to. Do you know a friend with a networked ReplayTV or Tivo? If so, bringing the game over there may be the quickest/easiest way - plug it in, record it as a show, transfer to PC, screenshot from MPeg viewer.

Or, if you have access to a vcr, and have a DVD drive in your computer, a somewhat slower/more costly option is one of the many tape to dvd services- tape the shots you'd like, send it off, get a dvd, screenshot from DVD player program.
posted by bemis at 4:52 PM on October 18, 2005

Best answer: I use a Hauppage USB-Live adapter to play my PS2 games on my laptop. It can take screenshots, and it was pretty cheap (I think I paid $40 for it).
posted by cmonkey at 4:55 PM on October 18, 2005

Best answer: USB video capture devices are pretty cheap these days -- under $100. If it's for your portfolio, I'd say it's worth the investment.
posted by jjg at 7:18 PM on October 18, 2005

Trickier, but possibly worthwile if you want the best image quality : talk to some of the programmers who worked on the game. It's possible they'll still have debug versions of the game, and be able to run them either on modded Xboxes or devkits where they currently work. You can take screenshots from the devkit, and most cross platform games will have a screenshot and video capture feature built in in debug mode for promo and press material purposes. If you don't know programmers from the team, maybe a contact at the publisher may be able to help you.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 12:37 AM on October 19, 2005

The cheapest way is probably a Snappy frame capture thingie. They predate video capture cards, so they're obsolete and pretty cheap on eBay. For example. Not so quick though since you can't buy it locally.
posted by smackfu at 6:42 AM on October 19, 2005

gametrailers.com ?
posted by vanoakenfold at 2:55 AM on October 22, 2005