Capture Console Party Chat via Optical Audio in OBS

Capturing clear console party chat for your livestream or recording can be challenging due to platform restrictions. This guide explains how to route your PlayStation or Xbox party chat and game audio directly into OBS Studio using an optical audio (TOSLINK) cable. By outputting your console’s digital audio and utilizing a PC optical input or a compatible USB audio interface, you can feed high-quality, lag-free audio straight into your PC for seamless broadcasting.

Hardware Requirements

To use this method, you will need the following equipment: * A Console with an Optical Port: PlayStation 4 (original/Pro) or Xbox One. For PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, you will need an HDMI audio extractor with an optical output. * Optical Audio Cable (TOSLINK): To transmit the digital audio signal from the console. * An Optical Input Device for PC: A PC motherboard with a built-in optical input (S/PDIF In) port, or an external USB sound card/audio interface that features an optical input port. * An Optical Splitter (Optional): If you also need to send the optical audio signal to a mixamp or wireless headset base station simultaneously.

Step 1: Connect the Hardware

1. Connect one end of the optical cable to the optical output port on your console (or your HDMI audio extractor).
2. If you are using a headset mixamp that requires an optical connection, plug the console cable into the input of an active (powered) optical splitter. Run one output cable from the splitter to your headset mixamp, and another output cable to your PC.
3. Plug the remaining end of the optical cable into the S/PDIF input port on your PC motherboard or external USB audio interface.

Step 2: Configure Console Audio Settings

You must configure your console to send both game audio and voice chat through the optical port.

• For PlayStation: Go to Settings > Sound and Screen > Audio Output Settings. Set the Primary Output Port to “Digital Out (Optical)” and set the Audio Format to “Linear PCM” (to avoid Dolby decoding latency in OBS). Under Devices > Audio Devices, ensure “Output to Headphones” is set to “Chat Audio” so that game audio and party chat are separated, allowing the system to route game/chat through the optical output.
• For Xbox: Go to Settings > General > Volume & audio output. Under “Party chat output,” select “Headset & speakers” or “Speakers.” This forces the console to clone the party chat audio and send it through the optical port alongside the game audio.

Step 3: Configure Windows Sound Settings

1. On your PC, right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select Sound settings (or open the Control Panel and go to Sound > Recording tab).
2. Locate your optical input device, which is usually labeled as Digital Input, S/PDIF In, or the name of your USB audio interface.
3. Right-click the device, select Properties, go to the Listen tab, and ensure “Listen to this device” is unchecked. This prevents you from hearing a double-audio echo on your PC, as OBS will handle the monitoring.
4. Go to the Advanced tab and ensure the default format matches the sample rate of your console (usually 2-channel, 16-bit, 48000 Hz).

Step 4: Add the Audio Source to OBS Studio

1. Launch OBS Studio.
2. In the Sources dock, click the + icon and select Audio Input Capture.
3. Name the source (e.g., “Console Optical Audio”) and click OK.
4. In the properties window, click the Device dropdown menu and select your optical input device (e.g., “Realtek S/PDIF” or your USB interface).
5. Click OK.

You will now see the volume levels bounce in the OBS Audio Mixer dock whenever game audio is playing or party members are speaking. Adjust the volume slider in OBS to balance the console audio with your microphone.