When I first saw the Elgato Stream Deck pedal, I was a bit confused as to who it might be for. If you have the standard Stream Deck, Mini, XL and more, do you really need a pedal? And why a pedal? It felt so out of left field to me that it wasn’t until I tried it that it made sense. The Elgato Stream Deck pedal won’t be something every streamer needs, but it’s a nice addition if you choose to pick one up.
Characteristics
- Cut: 175 x 244 x 49m / 6.9 x 9.6 x 1.9in
- Pedals: 3 x customizable pedals
- Spring tension sets: 4 x soft, 4 x medium, 4 x hard and 2 x plugs
- Cable: USB-C to USB-A cable, detachable
- Price: $89.99 on the Elgato website
first thoughts
Taking the pedal out of the box, I was once again impressed with Elgato’s willingness to use zero plastics in its packaging. Instead of tiny plastic bags to hold the extra springs that come with the Stream Deck Pedal, tiny paper bags keep the packaging durable, and the whole package screams premium.
The pedal itself is pretty straightforward, which makes sense since you’ll be spending most of your time walking on your face. A large Elgato logo adorns the larger center pedal while two angled pedals flank each side. Connecting the pedal to the PC is a simple USB-C to USB-A cable, which is thankfully detachable. Elgato leaned into this recently with the Stream Deck 2.0 and Elgato FaceCam, and it’s nice to see the company continuing this trend.
While I really preferred the default springs fitted to the pedal itself, Elgato includes multiple sets of springs so you can ensure that each pedal’s actuation is exactly how you want it. The bottom of the Stream Deck pedal also features non-slip feet that even grip carpet, meaning the pedal never moved on me during use – a pretty key performance feature here.
I have used pedals in the past to control audio. As a musician in my twenties, I used a pedal to mute my saxophone mic on stage when I wasn’t playing, as well as add effects through the mic itself when I needed it. I understand that in this context it’s safe, and for session musicians in addition, the pedal makes sense. For streaming, I was wondering what it could add to a setup, especially if you’re already integrated into the Elgato ecosystem, like me.
Surprisingly, the pedal can contribute a lot to this.
Foot control
The Elgato Stream Deck pedal is controlled using Elgato Steam Deck software. If you’ve used it before, it will be quite familiar. The drag-and-drop interface lets you easily configure the actions you want each pedal to perform, from changing scenes in OBS to muting your microphone on Discord so you can just talk to chat.
Plus, the Elgato Stream Deck app’s smart profiles mean your pedal isn’t relegated to just three actions. Want a separate profile for Premiere Pro? Set up a profile and the pedal will switch profiles when you swap apps. Recording music and need an effect or the ability to quickly play a track through your headphones? Create a profile.
For me, using it to create new layers in Photoshop, mute my mic during calls and recordings, and just start and stop media has become almost second nature. The smooth actuation of the pedal and the satisfying click when actuating it never felt mushy in practice, although I will say it took some getting used to initially. I’m used to springy guitar pedals that have a lot of play, especially to help give some distortion and other effects. It’s more like a push of a button, not necessarily a pedal down.
That’s not a bad thing, but if you’re looking for something to replace a Wah, reverb pedal, and more, it might not be the best thing. However, if you want to control your recording studio setup, like mute the microphone, start or stop the track in your monitors, and more, the pedal can do that.
If you’re also looking for a way to make some of your games easier, the Elgato Stream Deck pedal and help here. Assigning a pedal to a macro in-game can make triggering it during a raid as easy as tapping your foot. Want to peek around a wall or easily bring up the build menu in fortnite? You can assign virtually anything to the pedal, and operating it during the heat of the game is much easier than pressing a button on the Stream Deck.
That said, it’s not a device that every gamer, or even every streamer, needs. I have both a Steam Deck Mini and a Steam Deck 2.0, both equipped with macros, transitions and more to aid workflow and streaming. Integrating the pedal was easy, but I found myself defaulting to the established setup at first as I got used to the pedal. It seemed like a useless addition at first.
However, once I got used to using it for things like screen transitions in OBS, muting an audio source in my Wave Link, and starting/stopping the stream in one foot click, it slowly started working in my workflow. Now that seems like second nature, but I’m not sure it was. necessary.
Conclusion
There isn’t much wrong with the Elgato Stream Deck pedal. It’s a good piece of kit that, when you get used to using it, can be a good addition to any workflow. Whether you’re a video editor, game streamer, or musician, it has a use case for you. But is it necessary?
Short answer: no. You do not have need a Stream Deck pedal, especially if you’re already entrenched in the current Elgato ecosystem. But I will say it is a very nice addition to have. The fact that it seems so limited at first, but when paired with the true star of any Elgato product, software, it has so many possibilities, is awesome. And that means that whatever your personal use case is, you’re likely to find a place for it in your setup.
At $89.99, it’s a little pricey for many budget-conscious streamers, but the price isn’t bad when you look at the pedal market otherwise. Pedals for racing kits, guitar pedals and the like can be just as expensive, if not more. It’s also the software here that makes the pedal worth its price in the end. It is very powerful and makes the Elgato Stream Deck pedal come into its own.
The Elgato Stream Deck pedal is a nice piece of kit. It’s very well built, the ability to tune it to your liking with both software and physical springs is a great touch, and it fits nicely into most under-the-desk floor setups. The software makes it a very powerful addition to your streaming or recording setup, and the ability to use it beyond those apps only adds to its value.
Being able to swap tools in Photoshop, mute your video for a moment during a Zoom call, or just mute your mic during a call with your foot press is nice. While the footswitch isn’t a necessary addition to your setup, unlike say a Stream Deck or FaceCam, it’s nice to have regardless of that little extra control.
Whether you buy it as a necessary addition to your setup or just as a novelty to add a little extra control, you won’t be disappointed with the Stream Deck pedal.
