"This new platform satisfies two requests that many of our customers have made: viewing of HDTV content on multiple household computers and inconspicuous placement of the device itself, " said Adam Steinberg, Elgato's VP of Marketing.
You can counteract that mic placement by adding your own audio capture device thanks to the standard microphone input jack that joins HDMI and USB connectors on the left side.
Furthermore, the device can sometimes be a nuisance depending on the placement of a guitar's input jack, not to mention dealing will two audio cords for headphones and a music source.