Elgato Stream Deck review — Key to excellence

I have done a bit of streaming for GamingTrend here and there. That said, I’ve never done much of it. A few years ago I had the opportunity to mess around with an Elgato Stream Deck, and it was a neat device I figured would come in handy. Now, with one finally in hand, I can highly recommend it due to fantastic design that does exactly what you need it to do; with ease of setting it up that allows anyone to use it.

In the box you’ll find the Stream Deck, the stand, a USB-C cable for connecting it to your PC, and a quick start guide. The USB-C cable is nearly five feet in length, giving you the ability to put your Stream Deck almost anywhere on your desk. Elgato has also accounted for the port being vertical, making the USB-C end L-shaped for easily connecting it to the Stream Deck. While any USB-C cable will do, it’s nice when a company shows they understand the design they’re building.

Looking at the Stream Deck itself, there’s not a lot going on before you plug it in. It’s very lightweight, and the fifteen display keys are smooth to the touch. That said, it’s the right kind of texture with the right amount of tension in the press; I don’t feel like my fingers are slipping off of the keys, and they aren’t too sensitive to accidentally press while also being responsive when I intend for a key press to occur. The Stream Deck also features an anti-skid rubber base on the back, which is another great design decision to allow you to use it without the stand if you prefer.

The stand also has a rubber base, and this is my personal preference in using the Stream Deck. Sitting at an angle, everything is perfectly in view on the keys and easily in reach. I’m thrilled that the team includes a stand with the Stream Deck, and even though it’s just a simple plastic piece, it feels integral to the design of the device. You can easily slide the Stream Deck into place on it, and just as easily remove it if you want to use your Stream Deck standalone or on a mount.

Something I didn’t know until today about the Stream Deck: you can buy faceplates. Customization spices up your desk, and it’s nice to see this available considering how many of Elgato, Corsair, and SCUFs products have large amounts of designs available. I don’t want to pay another $150 just for a prettier Stream Deck, but you can bet I’ll drop $15 on a faceplate. It’s smart and adds more value to the device. I grabbed the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 variant for this review, but there are a ton of awesome choices you have on the Elgato store.

Plugging it up, everything was instantly recognized. That’s one thing I really love about Elgato’s devices, being able to use them in a plug-and-play fashion. You will have to set it up through the proprietary Stream Deck software, but that is completely free and a quick download and install. Also, this Black Ops 6 one had a super cool loading screen of the “Black Ops guy” as it synced up to my computer and the Elgato software.

The software itself is super basic, of the “so easy a caveman can do it” variety. Again, Elgato has their finger on the pulse of making their software simple to use. There are a lot of in-depth functions you can wring out of the Stream Deck, but you aren’t forced to, and some functionality is as effortless as dragging a desktop icon onto the Stream Deck’s faux face on the software.

Things like streaming become simpler too, as without having to move my mouse over to OBS or Streamlabs to swap my scenes, the stream looks more professional and is easier to manage. Editing videos can be a drag, but being able to map those multiple key inputs so I can scroll, cut, and place my clips allows me to focus on fifteen keys rather than an entire keyboard. While certain functions like scrolling are probably easier done on a wheel (like the Stream Deck + has), it’s still possible here.

I’ve even seen people map these out for gaming. If you don’t have a fight pad for PC, this could provide some better capabilities for you with macros and multi-key combos assigned to a single button. It might be a bit cheap, but using the stratagems in Helldivers 2 was shown off by a player, or you could even immerse yourself further by mapping the directional keys onto your Stream Deck. There is truly so much at your fingertips, and this easy-to-use, drag and drop software simplifies the process ever further. Everything from opening programs, to playing a soundboard, to moving through webpages is here. The possibilities are here, you just have to play around with the Stream Deck to figure out what you need it to do.

That said, as easy as it is to set up, I do feel a bit intimidated by the larger capabilities. I’m sure I could go online and find tutorials, but some of the available functionality isn’t fully explained on the app. I can do all these things, but I’d love a video to start off with, or a little more information baked into the software.

For those who want to customize their experience even more, the Stream Deck allows for custom icons. This is important, as it gives visual cues to follow so I don’t press the wrong button. If you aren’t as savvy with finding the right icons, Elgato has you covered, with a wealth of icons available on their marketplace. There are some that are for sale, but I’ve found a lot of great ones for free, including a full Black Ops 6 set. These sets usually have animated icons in them as well, adding more pop to your Stream Deck.

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