Elgato Stream Deck Review: The Allrounder for Streamers?

The Elgato Stream Deck is certainly familiar to many Twitch streamers and streaming enthusiasts. The little gadget has also been on the market for a bit longer, but when the “Stream Deck Mini” was released, it was a reason for us to test the little helper ourselves. So what can the thing do with the many screens and does every streamer really need one who thinks something of themselves?

Manufacturing and delivery

When the box arrives and opens, three small displays or the keys to the bridge over the stream smile at us five times. Besides a small manual, all we have to do is get the permanently installed USB 2.0 cable and a stand out of the box.

The workmanship of the Stream Deck is quite good despite having a plastic casing, even if it is not very high quality. The supplied stand, on the other hand, makes a rather tired impression. It’s a bit rickety and you have to fumble around a bit to get it right. In addition, the support is not attached directly to the bridge of the stream, it is simply placed inside. Once you find the right position, you don’t move the thing anyway.

Lots of small screens!

The 15 keys of the Elgato Stream Deck are actually many small screens. On 2 x 2 cm they offer 72 x 72 pixels. Nothing high resolution, but quite sufficient for this purpose. You should be able to see what’s behind the key and it works. The feel of the keys takes some getting used to. The transparent keys are very rubbery, but are easy to press.

Let’s come to the furnishings. Connect, download and install the software – ready to go! Whether Windows or macOS doesn’t matter, the Stream Deck is suitable for both operating systems. With the software installed, we have access to a small basic configuration. Pausing/starting music playback or skipping music tracks are among others included. But let’s start with the configuration of the keys.

Running media control or macros are two standard functions, but for streamers the integration of different software or platforms is attractive. The following is supported by the Stream Deck.

Software

• Game Capture (in-house software)
• O.B.S. Studio
• OBS
• OBS Streamlabs
• xsplit

Platforms

• Tic
• Mixer
• Twitter
• Youtube
• type flow

In the software, we can then use Drag&Drop to define functions for the individual keys. With supported streaming software, it is possible to start/stop recordings or streams, change sources or scenes, and adjust audio settings. Switching between different scenes is made even easier.

It gets interesting in the realm of different platforms. With Twitch, for example, the current viewer count can be displayed directly. The title of the stream or the game can be changed at the touch of a button. Twitch Partners can also access additional features through the Stream Deck. Chat filters can be turned on and off and advertisements can be launched directly. On Twitter, you can directly post pre-made tweets and on Tipeeestream, you can directly access overlays.

By the way, you don’t need to press all 15 keys. It is possible to create folders, and there you have 14 additional buttons available, the button to go back is of course omitted.

Save configuration

Functions that have been created to the smallest detail should of course not be completely lost when reinstalling the computer. The software offers the possibility of importing and exporting for this purpose. Yes, configurations are not stored on the Stream Deck itself. Too bad, because the backup file is only a few kilobytes. Linked accounts are also not saved, so re-configuration of various functions is required.

Conclusion of the Elgato Stream Deck Review

The countless (live) streaming portals like Twitch, YouTube, Mixer and all are not called attract large audiences. For many, it’s no longer about watching television to watch the disdainful TV program. Evening entertainment nowadays consists of live broadcasts on Twitch and the like.

The Elgato Stream Deck is suitable for all those streamers, who are more serious and professional about everything. It facilitates many button-pressing tasks that you would normally minimize the game for if you haven’t written a macro or can’t write it.

For €129.99 * you get Corsair’s support gadget and make your life as a streamer easier. Definitely worth the investment to take on a professional live production.