How to turn the GoPro into a webcam

Those who bought a GoPro HERO8 Black (€ 329.99) now have a webcam without their knowledge. The manufacturer has in fact made available for free download a utility that allows you to connect the action camera to your computer to use it as a video capture device during video calls or video conferences with platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and the like.

GoPro becomes a webcam

At the moment the GoPro Webcam software is available exclusively in beta and for macOS. No trace of the counterpart for Windows, but the manufacturer has confirmed that it will arrive soon. It is necessary to update the firmware of the device to the latest version and connect it via USB cable, as shown in the video below.



The quality is not comparable to what is offered by a setup consisting of reflex cameras o mirrorless and dedicated optics, but certainly superior to that of the webcam integrated in the laptop. An initiative that expands the possible scenarios for using the product and that could anticipate the arrival of devices of a different nature than that which has characterized the brand so far. A hypothesis not to be excluded considering the difficult moment for the brand which in April announced a sharp reduction in its workforce by laying off 20% of its employees.



Over the past few months, some manufacturers cameras have done as many: Fujifilm with Fujifilm X Webcam, Olympus with OM-D Webcam, Panasonic with LUMIX Tether for Streaming and Canon with EOS Webcam Utility.

Source: GoPro