The Cougar Cyclops AIO Camera is a first for Cougar. The team has been hard at work over the past year branching out into the world of streaming. Recently we saw the development of Cougar's new Envision Capture card which I had the chance to put through its paces. I was quite impressed at Cougar’s innovation and design of their first capture card.
My hopes were set high when I heard about their first AIO (all-in-one) camera, a 360° camera designed specifically for coop or large group streams. It’s a unique gamer take on the corporate 360° conference camera that offers an all-in-one package for streamers. After a couple of weeks of testing, it's time to see if the Cyclops really is a one-stop-shop for streamers. Grab that coffee, kick back, and check out our review of the Cyclops AIO camera from Cougar Gaming.
Specifications
- Current Price: $199.99 (Cougar)
- Connection: USB Type-C 1.5A
- Video Capture Resolution: W:1920 H: Mode Dependent
- Aperture: F2.0
- Speaker Size: 1x 53mm driver
- SPL: 93dB +/- 3dB
- Microphone: MEMS x2
- Mount: ¼ Mound hold Thread
- Controls: RGB, Volume, Camera Selection, Mute
- Package Contents: Cyclops, 1 meter USB Type-C Cable, Lens Privacy Cover
Smart Design
The Cyclops is a compact, smart-looking camera. It’s a simple, cylinder design that houses everything you need to get up and running for a stream in no time. The majority of the body houses a 360° speaker for coms or even game audio. Controls for this along with the RGB lighting nestled just above the speaker housing are located at the bottom of the unit. The controls have a nice tactile and clicky response when pressed. On the top of the camera is housed a video switcher and mute button giving you full control over every aspect of the camera.
The aforementioned video switcher allows for quick and easy video selection between the six different camera modes. This is by far one of the smartest design features on the Cyclops. The ease of use for video switching makes it easy to set up and configure (more on this in a moment). As with many of the new products coming out of Cougar, the Cyclops is designed for ease of use and quick setup.
For privacy, the Cyclops also comes with a silicon privacy cover that envelops the top of the unit. This cover is molded to fit snuggly over the lens while still leaving the dual microphones accessible. This allows the camera to be used as a room mic without needing to have the camera on.
The Cyclops comes with a 53mm speaker as well which is housed in the central section of the camera. This allows for easy audio output for conference calls. The speaker chamber is wrapped in a patterned mess cloth that looks sharp against the glossy orange plastic ring above it.
A ¼ inch thread mount socket is nestled into the underside of the Cyclops allowing for tripod or boom arm mounting. The included USB Type-C cable measures about 1 meter giving you enough cable to work comfortably with a laptop. However, for a setting that would require more distant viewing angles, it would have been nice to see a longer cable included.
Overall the Cyclops is a smartly designed unit that offers an all-in-one solution for dual or group stream setups. It's lightweight and relatively small (when compared to other 360° AIO cameras) and attempts to bring the quality of an AIO camera experience into a gamer's hand without the bulk that is generally associated with this style of camera.
Setup Made Simple
Much like the Envision, the Cyclops is a truly plug-and-play experience. On both Mac and PC, the Cyclops is immediately recognized as a webcam, microphone, and speaker. Firing up OBS allows you to manage these three things separately without the need for additional configuring or software support.
As mentioned the mode switcher allows you to cycle through all modes at the click of a button with a nice on-screen display highlighting the modes and which is currently selected when the switcher is pressed. It works incredibly well and really makes setting up the whole experience easy.
One thing that takes a little getting used to is the center position of the camera relative to the mode selected. As an example when you line up a shot for focus mode, there is no guarantee that your face will still be in proper framing when you switch to another mode like Teammate. This means that any time you want to swap modes you’ll be manually realigning shots to accommodate the new positioning of the lens relative to the subject.
It’s by no means the end of the world but it would have been nice to see some kind of visual indicator on the Cyclops itself to help guide you as you set up for multiple shots. For instance, in a scenario where you want to start a stream focused on one person and then swap the shot to a squad or Teammate shot, the camera will need to be adjusted after the switch to align with everyone as the center for the focus mode is different than Discussion or Teammate mode. It makes for some awkward moments if you are hoping to swap between modes during a live stream.
Regardless of this little quark, setting up and using the Cyclops is simple, straightforward, and exceptionally easy. With no additional software needed, the Cyclops is one of the easiest cameras I’ve worked with to get up and running. It is definitely in line with Cougar’s ease-of-use design philosophy that we have seen over the past year.
Room For Improvement
There is a lot I like about the design and implementation of the Cyclops that have been highlighted already. Plug-and-play functionality, ease of use, and no additional software; all are strengths for the Cyclops. For testing though, it's important to see how every aspect of the device holds up and the Cyclops is a bit of a mixed bag here.
The built-in 53mm speaker does a fairly solid job at producing clear vocal sound but struggles to produce quality audio for gaming or music. In fact, the audio produced for music and games felt overly bright on the high end and lacked any solid low end. As its primary use would tend to be more for the former over the latter there is some grace here. The audio it produces for a meeting setting is clear and easy to understand. The volume levels, while not exceptionally loud, are loud enough for a conference table setting and will have no problem being heard in the room.
The dual MEMS microphones by contrast have incredible range. MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) are essentially tiny microphones designed to resemble the capture capacity of an electret condenser capsule at a fraction of the size. This allows for a much more compact form factor while still maintaining solid quality capture.
The Cyclops comes equipped with two microphones which create an omnidirectional sound capture of the space. I was seriously impressed at the capture range of the mics which easily captured my voice clearly at over 10 feet away. The audio captured was fairly solid as well especially considering that these mics are web cam mics. This is by far the best quality mics I’ve tested in a webcam.
The final tests relate to the panoramic fish-eye lens that sits atop the Cyclops. This 360° lens is designed to give streamers 6 different options for capture. Squad mode is a two-team perspective with a horizontal split between the two images. Discussion allows for a vertical split with two main images with a third panoramic image spanning across the two other images. Keynote offers a single larger image with a panoramic above while Panoramic mode offers a single wide image as the name suggests. Teammate mode offers a 4 image capture while focus mode offers a single, traditional shot.
While the camera boasts a 1920-resolution capture it is important to note that the high resolution is fluid based on the mode you’re using. This means that while it may seem like you are capturing an HD image, in reality, you’re not. Additionally, while the lens also has an aperture of F2.0, the Cyclops struggles without significant lighting support. Those looking for more artistically lit shots will find that the Cyclops struggles to keep up. While details on the exact sensor used were scarce, it is safe to say that it wasn’t designed to handle low-light settings well. Additionally, even in well-lit settings, the overall quality of the captured image is a bit disappointing.
Unfortunately, the lens is the Cyclop's weakest point, and for an AIO camera that is a disappointment. With many things working for it, it’s unfortunate that the one feature that is a make or break for this product is simply lackluster. While the Cyclops functionally gets the job done, the quality of the image produced just isn’t on par with other cameras in its range. In all fairness though it's hard to find 360° cameras in that price range. Interestingly, having tested much more expensive AIO 360° cameras, I will say that the image quality really isn’t any better with those units either. At the moment the quality of the image seems to be the cost of getting a functional 360° camera in the consumer's hand.
Final Thoughts
The Cougar Cyclops is a great idea with solid implementation. Unfortunately, it struggles in the one area that it needed to really succeed leaving us with a really great idea that needs improvement. If you have a specific setting that requires an AIO solution I would still argue that the Cyclops will get the job done, however, you have to go in understanding the restrictive nature of the lens you’re using. If you are okay with that then the Cyclops is a solid bang for the buck solution. Priced at MSRP $ 199.99 USD, the Cougar Cyclops is an easy-to-use AIO solution.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of review.