The Elgato Stream Deck is used by every streamer a🎃nd content creator I know. If there was a streamer starter pack it would include a good microphone, a Stream Deck, and probably some kind of powdered energy drink. There are plenty of brands making programmable keypads for streamers, but Elgato is THE name for Stream Decks, and for good reason: Elgato has a stream deck option for streamers at every level and the quality of their devices is beyond compare. I spent two weeks with the standard 15 key Stream Deck from Elgato and I'm never going back to a life without it, even if I stop streaming.
What Is A Stream Deck
The purpose of a Stream Deck may be a bit nebulous for those who don't stream or create video content. Essentially, a Stream Deck is a small USB device with 15 buttons that can be programmed to execute almost any function on your computer. Streamers use Stream Decks to interact with streaming software like OBS without having to tab out of their game or interrupt their stream. Most commonly, the buttons on a streamer's Stream Deck are used for things like changing scenes, playing music, and interacting with their chat through sounds and graphics. Elgato's Stream Deck interfaces with Twitch and OBS seamles🅘sly making it incredibly easy to set up the things you want the Stream Deck to do for you. It's a convenience tool that instantly increases the flow and production value of any stream by helping streamers keep their attention focused on their content, rather than the technical aspects of streaming.
A Stream Deck is typically the first purchase for any aspiring streamer after a microphone, but through testing, I discovered how much value a Stream Deck adds to not just to streaming, but to all kinds of content creation. Recording Youtube videos, editing with Photoshop and Premiere, and even gaming have all become smoother and more efficient by including the Stream Deck in my setup. The Stream Deck opens up a world of possibilities and new ways to use my PC, and I keep thinking of more🅷 functi💯ons to program it with all the time.
Not Just For Streamers
Beyond streaming, the most obvious function of a Stream Deck is for other types of content𓆏 creation. When recording my , I use the stream deck offscreen to start and stop recording and switch cameras. With the Stream Deck I have the ability to be my own technical director when I record, cutting back o⛎n editing time significantly.
When I move into Premiere to 𓂃start editing, I change the Stream Deck to my editor template, giving me tons of macros to help speed up the editing process. With the press of a button, I can switch between editing tools, and effects to clips, and adjust audio levels without having to rememb♉er hotkeys or search through menus.
At the end of the day when I'm just relaxing, I use a Youtube button on my Stream Deck to play the newest video from my favorite Youtuber, launch Spotify and play my favorite station, or launch Overwatch for a few games of quickplay. I can mute my microphone, adjust my game volumeꦬ, and take screenshots wit🎉h the Stream Deck while I play without ever opening a menu or tabbing out of the game.
The number of uses for a Stream Deck is only limited by your imagination. Were I to stop streaming (), I would still get a ton of use out of my Stream Deck, and as my interests and habits ch🐟ange over time, I'll continue to adjust to functions on the Stream Deck to suit my needs.
What Makes Elgato Stream Decks The Best
The Stream Deck is all about making things simpl☂er for content creators, and the software Elgato has created to program the Stream Deck is just as intuitive and easy to use as the Stream Deck itself.
From a list of apps on the right, you can select actions and them drag them onto whatever key you'd like and the Stream Deck will update instantly with your new button. While they all have default icons, you can use any image you want as an icon on each button as well as include ⛎descriptive text. The Stream Deck offers separate profiles that you can set up for different situations and hotkey 🐲for switching between them so that once you've set everything up the way you like, you never need to open the software to make adjustments: everything you need is right there on the buttons of the Stream Deck.
The devic𒀰e comes with a little metal stand that allows t🔯he Stream Deck to be angled in nine different positions, including flat on the table, just to really drive home their commitment to making the Stream Deck as customizable as possible.
There really aren't any flaws I can point out in the Stream Deck that wouldn't be considered nitpicking. ൩I like that you can progra♌m two buttons to adjust brightness, but I would prefer if there was one button that just cycled through the brightness settings rather than needing to use one for brighter and one for dimmer. I wish the default icons were a little more specific as to their function, many of the icons for different programs are identical to others with slightly different colors, but it's easy enough to add some text on the button to help identify it.
Elgato's products are ubiquitous to streamers and content creators for a reason, but I think it also has usꦰeful applications for anyone who works or plays on a PC. Even just programming buttons to launch Chrome🏅 and navigate to a website you use every day is incredibly convenient. My Stream Deck has become a permanent addition to my PC setup, and the uses I've come up for it is ever increasing.
An Elgato Stream Deck was provided to Th🍒eGamer for this review. You can check out the Stream Deck and all of Elgato's products on .