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I'd like to record gaming videos via HDMI on the Wii U, so I wonder if its HDMI output is protected by HDCP, which would mean I'd need to use another output method to record. I've googled a bit and found extremely conflicting reports of whether the Wii U has HDCP or not, and none of the people stating yes/no seem to have actually tried to record with it.

Is there any confirmation either way? Better yet, a video showing it is possible (if it is)?

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FWIW I'll probably get a chance to test this out tonight if my Wii U is delivered, but there really ought to be a canonical answer to this, not 10 forum threads saying "yes wait no wait maybe yes I dunno lol" – Ben Brocka Feb 21 at 13:31
The confusion likely comes from the other end of the system (not the Wii U) supporting the protocol or not. – James Feb 21 at 17:53
If the Wii U ever wants to display media from any of the standard sources it would have to support HDCP. Technically HDCP is part of the standard for HDMI, so if Wii U supports HDMI, it literally has to support HDCP. – Ramhound Feb 21 at 19:00
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@Ramhound I don't care if it supports it, I care if it uses it. Not all HDMI traffic is HDCP encrypted; the 360 can be recorded over HDMI, but the PS3 cannot, due to this protection – Ben Brocka Feb 21 at 19:12
@BenBrocka - The 360 uses HDCP through the Video store. During gameplay thats another story. – Ramhound Feb 21 at 19:57
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1 Answer

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The Wii U is completely HDCP-free when playing games, accessing the menu and even when playing Wii/ Wii Virtual Console software. I confirmed this using my Elgato Game Capture HD, which doesn't have an HDCP stripper.

This means any HDMI capture card can capture Wii U video even if it can't strip/crack HDCP protection (no promises about Netflix/non game content, those are often intended to use HDCP). Note that you can't record the Wii U gamepad's video using just a capture card on the Wii U's HDMI cable though, but you can record the TV screen's portion just fine.

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