Ever since Elgato revealed the Stream Deck, I was incredibly intrigued. While the device wasn’t technically revolutionary, there was something about having an on-screen keyboard with 15 buttons that could easily be programmed and were fun to be programmed.
The device is much smaller than I expected and it has an extremely minimal design which is what I prefer. The buttons are comfortable to use and sit perfectly against a matte plastic material. There really is no way to go wrong with this device. Elgato has had compatibility issues with Macs in the past, but the Streamdeck was an absolute pleasure to use. I can’t think of a device that I was able to plug in and configure any faster.
The default configuration will allow you to start using a good variety of shortcuts. Once you’ve added a few important accounts (Twitter, Twitch, etc.), you’re good to go. You can change scenes in OBS, automatically send tweets, mute your mic, or even stop and start recording in Game Capture HD.
By downloading the Stream Deck app, your world will open up to a whole new world of productivity, ease of use, and even a little fun. While there are a number of ways to take advantage of the streaming platform, you can have fun with the device as well. There’s something cool about lining up a bunch of your favorite images and assigning them to weird functions like Tweeting an image. For example, I uploaded 15 different photos of my sausage dog, just for fun. It was a digital mural that sat on my desk for 6 hours before I decided to get productive again.
@elgatogaming @DoubleJumpComms Please. pic.twitter.com/17giGPpdri
– Shannon Grixti (@shancake_) May 17, 2017
The Stream Deck app is a real pleasure to use. You can add folders or export / import different layouts for different uses. Everything seems intuitive. Elgato has obviously worked hard to make sure the Stream Deck makes your life easier rather than complicated.
What excites me the most about the Stream Deck is how Elgato plans to handle it in the future. It’s pretty limited at the moment as it only connects really well with gaming and streaming apps, but I’d like to see how it could potentially integrate with other programs in the future. For example, could I ever expect to set Photoshop or Premiere Pro shortcuts on my workflow deck because that would be a game-changer.
Overall, the Elgato Stream Deck costs $ 200, which some might find expensive, but I actually find it quite reasonable. Streamers / creatives who have a place for it on their desk will know that having these shortcuts at their fingertips is priceless. When you compare that to the expensive Apple Touchpad Apple built into their recent MacBook Pro lineup, you’ll realize that $ 200 for customization is really not much to ask.
