Gaming kit buy list

One camera for both jobs: the talking-head camera now, the face cam from launch. It has a fan, so 4-hour sessions don't overheat it, and it has no recording limit. Same Sony look as your FX3 and A7S III.

Downside: About $1,000 more than a ZV-E10 II, which has no fan. Body only: the lens is the next line.

In stock at this store, so Monday doesn't depend on Henry's. On the FX30 it frames a medium close-up for talking heads at about 1.5 m and a tight head-and-shoulders face cam from behind the monitor. f/1.4 blurs the Airbnb background.

Downside: Fixed focal length, no zoom. For a wider face cam later, see the Sigma 18-50 in Optional.

Gets the PS5 picture into the Mac with no driver (macOS 13 or later). Records 4K60 and passes 4K60 to the monitor with no lag.

Downside: Passthrough tops out at 4K60 (GTA 6 is expected to run at 30 fps, so this costs you nothing). Records HDR only on Windows, so the PS5 runs with HDR off.

The receiver plugs into the FX30's mic jack, so your voice and your face land in the same file, already in sync. Works for talking heads and gameplay.

Downside: Charge the clip every night.

Skip if your own DJI Mic is with you.

The FX30 records talking heads to the card, so Monday's shoot needs no Mac at all.

Downside: About 2.5 hours of 4K per card. AI offloads them after each shoot.

Powers the FX30 through its USB-C port for as long as you film. Keep a battery in the camera.

Downside: One more plug at the desk.

Camera to Cam Link. The PS5 and the monitor each come with their own HDMI cable for the game side.

Downside: White.

The MacBook has 3 ports and the gameplay kit needs 4. The SSD (and the Shure mic, if you get it) go here.

Downside: Keep the capture card and the Cam Link plugged straight into the Mac, not into the hub.

The Cam Link has the old USB-A plug.

Downside: None.

You hear the game through the monitor's headphone jack. The PS5 sends game sound to one place only, so wireless earbuds or a headset take the game sound out of the recording.

Downside: Wired. Only needed from launch, so this can wait.

Skip if you already own wired earbuds or headphones with a 3.5 mm plug.

The same one-light-plus-softbox look as your shorts setup. Soft enough for a full-frame talking head.

Downside: The stand takes floor space next to the desk. Price estimate: the light lists at US$199 to 249.

Holds the FX30 at eye level for talking heads, then behind the monitor as the face cam.

Downside: Price is a rough estimate.

Skip if a tripod from your main kit is in Toronto.

The PS5 Pro is sold out (see the note at the top). The Digital Edition is fine: the boxed GTA 6 is a download code anyway.

Downside: Not the Pro: a slightly softer picture. GTA 6 is expected at 30 fps on both.

Skip if your own PS5 can be in Toronto by Nov 12.

Preloading reportedly opens Nov 12, a week before launch. The PlayStation Store also sells it.

Downside: It's a code in a box, not a disc.

Skip if you already pre-ordered it.

It has a headphone jack, which the earbuds need. Two HDMI 2.1 ports. Its USB-C port also runs and charges the MacBook as a second screen. $150 off right now.

Downside: OLED can burn in from GTA's map and HUD over hundreds of hours. Leave its OLED care settings on.

Turns the FX30 into the face cam on the Mac, with your DJI voice riding along in the same feed.

Downside: Uses the USB-A plug (the Apple adapter from stop 1).

The recording drive. 4-hour sessions at about 25 GB an hour fill the MacBooks fast (the M1 has 151 GB free). Holds all of launch week.

Downside: Pricey, SSD prices are high this year. Slower than a T9, still plenty for recording.

Broadcast sound and the desk-mic look for gameplay. Plugs into the Mac by USB-C.

Downside: Its audio is a separate track from the camera's (AI lines them up). One more device on the desk.

Branding in your hands on camera, and a spare controller.

Downside: Arrives on Sony's date, not now.

A Vice City pink and teal glow behind you. Makes the frame read as gaming.

Downside: A colour wash only, it doesn't light your face.

A zoom instead of the 30mm: 18 mm gives a wider face cam with the room around you, 50 mm a tight talking head.

Downside: Scarce right now. f/2.8 blurs the background less than the 30mm.

Only if you skip Henry's. Holds the FX30 still at eye level.

Downside: A photo tripod: fine locked off, not for smooth moves.

Only if you skip Henry's or it's out of the amaran. Clamps on the monitor or desk.

Downside: Small panels, a harder light on the face than the softbox.

Only if it comes back before Nov 12. Sharper picture in GTA 6 (it's Pro Enhanced).

Downside: Same 30 fps as the Slim, by current reports.