Chat Link Pro: Capture Party or Lobby Chat While You Play

You record a full session on your PlayStation 5. Watch it back. The gameplay is all there, but the audio? Gone. Your friend's callouts, the lobby trash talk, the squad coordination that saved the round, none of it made it into the recording.

Chat Link Pro fixes that. It splits audio from your controller so both your headset and your capture device receive it. One cable, and your recordings have everything you actually heard while playing. With Grand Theft Auto VI arriving November 19, 2026, now is a good time to get this sorted before GTA Online follows.

It comes down to what your console does with audio when a headset is plugged in.

PlayStation is the most aggressive here. The moment a headset connects to a PS5 or PS4 controller, the console reroutes all audio to the headset and cuts HDMI output entirely. Game audio, party chat, system sounds: your capture card gets nothing. Nintendo Switch behaves the same way when a headset is plugged into the console's 3.5mm jack.

Xbox is more forgiving, but not completely in the clear. Game audio keeps flowing over HDMI even with a headset connected. Party chat can also be sent over HDMI if you set Party Chat Output to Headset & Speakers in Settings > General > Volume & audio output.

The problem is in-game voice chat. Lobby chat, proximity chat, squad comms in games like Call of Duty, Sea of Thieves, and Apex Legends: all of that only goes to the headset. There is no console setting to change it, which is where Chat Link Pro comes in.

It is a single cable with three connectors: one plugs into your controller (or the Switch's headphone jack), one connects to the analog input on your capture card or your computer's line-in port, and one accepts your headset. Your console treats it like any other wired headset, so nothing changes on your end. The difference is that everything coming through your headset is also being sent to your capture device.

1. Plug the 4-pole 3.5mm connector into the 3.5mm jack on your PS5, PS4, or Xbox controller (or directly into Nintendo Switch in handheld mode)
2. Plug your headset into the female 3.5mm jack on Chat Link Pro
3. Plug the remaining 3.5mm connector into the analog audio input on your Elgato capture card, or the line-in port on your computer

Then tell your capture software to listen to the analog input instead of HDMI:

• In Elgato Studio, open device settings, find Audio Input, and switch from HDMI Audio to Analog Audio
• In OBS Studio, right-click your video capture source, open Properties, scroll to the audio section, and select the analog/line-in input

After that, play your game and chat as usual. Both game audio and voice chat will show up in your recording or stream.

Chat Link Pro uses a braided cable jacket and gold-plated connectors, so it holds up over time. At 2.5 meters (98 inches), the cable gives you enough reach between your controller, headset, and capture card.

There is also a switchable line isolator built into the cable. If you charge your controller while playing, you might hear a low hum in the audio. That is a ground loop. Flip the isolator switch and it goes away. If you are not charging while playing, you can leave it off.

Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar has confirmed it is a single-player experience at launch, but once an online mode arrives, capturing party chat during heists, missions, and open-world sessions is going to matter.

On PS5, you lose all audio the moment your headset connects. On Xbox, in-game squad comms won't make it into the HDMI feed. Getting Chat Link Pro set up now means your capture is ready from day one.

For help choosing a capture card, check out the best Elgato capture card for Grand Theft Auto VI and what you need to stream and record Grand Theft Auto VI.

Any gaming headset with a single 3.5mm plug works right away, including Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless (wired mode), Corsair HS35, Astro A40, and Turtle Beach P12. Older PC headsets with two separate 3.5mm plugs need a small combiner adapter to merge both into a single connector. USB and wireless headsets bypass the controller's headset jack entirely, so Chat Link Pro cannot work with those.

Your recordings should sound like what you actually heard during the session. Chat Link Pro handles that with a single cable.

If you still need a capture card, our capture card selector can help you find the right one for your setup.