Since the first iteration of the Elgato Stream Deck launched a few years ago, they have become a must-have accessory for all viewers who stream on Twitch or YouTube and want to make accessing their most used features as easy as a piece of cake. cent. A whole family of these products has been released since the first version, and the latest in that long line of successes is the one I was able to get my hands on today: the Elgato Stream Deck+, or Plus if you don’t like not symbols.
The big thing here is the addition of a series of four buttons on the underside of the deck (please don’t joke, you’re better than that), adding some more analog and, above all, tactile functionality to a device that’s literally a USB-powered button box.
Elgato markets those four dials to help integrate this particular Stream Deck into the broader brand of streaming equipment that the Corsair-owned brand offers, such as with its Wave line of microphones or sets of key lights. The dials let you adjust things like the mic gain and key light color temperature, which is especially useful.
You can also use those dials to control system volume, among other things, and each dial also has a push button for things like mute, giving you dual functionality. Speaking of more functionality, the Stream Deck software (more on that in a moment) also has this Dial Stack feature, which allows you to assign multiple functions to a single dial.
Stream deck + specifications
Number of buttons/knobs: 8 buttons, 4 dials
Connectivity: USB Type C
Cable: USB Type-C, detachable
Dimensions: 140x138x110mm
Weight: 465g/1lb
Price: $200 / £20
Even if there isn’t too much to choose from compared to the sheer amount of button-based customization and functionality, there should still be enough to keep people entertained.
Aside from the addition of four metal and tactile dials, the Stream Deck+ is another classic iteration of Elgato’s great product. There are a total of eight buttons for you to operate, each with its own display, so you can quickly glance at a button and see how you’ve set it up, thanks to a variety of selectable icons in Elgato’s software. While these buttons are primarily for use on Twitch or YouTube, or in programs like OBS, there are a ton of plugins available for other apps to make the Stream Deck+ an excellent productivity device.
For example, you can use it to control PowerPoint or Keynote presentations, but you can also select certain functions in Photoshop. Or, if you’re feeling particularly smart, there are even games you can play with the buttons, or you can simply set up a button with a button press counter so you can waste time pressing it and watch the number creep up at any puree. I think I’m almost 200 at this point, and no, I’m not stopping until you ask.
In short, the Stream Deck+ is a hugely enjoyable product to use, with seemingly endless amounts of functionality. Other versions of it may have more buttons, but the extra dials just add another form of control. All of these different doodads, plugins, and gadgets that you can use with the Stream Deck+ can be found in Elgato’s Stream Deck software, which is remarkably easy to use. Once you have connected the device, all you have to do is download the software and it will recognize that you have connected the device.
Downloading plugins for the Stream Deck is as easy as downloading them from the free in-app store, and once downloaded they should appear on the right side of the app’s main interface. Getting them onto the Stream Deck+ is a classic drag-and-drop exercise, and once that’s done, the actual buttons will show an icon for whatever you’ve set up. Mine has media playback controls for Spotify, a widget for CPU power, as well as one for the weather, an analog clock, and stocks, because why not!
Another classic iteration of Elgato’s great product.
In a more general sense, the Stream Deck+ is a good looking device, with a commanding presence on your desk, and a sturdy-feeling textured plastic frame that at least justifies the $200/£200 price tag. The angle it sits at is comfortable, without really straining when you want to look at it and quickly remind yourself what each knob and dial you’ve set does. The buttons themselves are quite large and the displays within them are bright enough to work in daytime as well as in the dark, while the touch bar (yes, really) above the buttons is also quite responsive, as are the buttons themselves. It might be easy to assume that such a device needs several cables to work, but everything is easily taken care of by one USB Type-C cable.
Perhaps Elgato, or parent company Corsair, will make a wireless version of the Stream Deck in a few years, but for now a single USB Type-C cable will do.
The Stream Deck+ is definitely a useful tool for not only streamers, but those who just want to make their workflows as simple and easy as possible. Knocking down too big a button to add some dials might not appeal to some, not least if you already own a Stream Deck which already comes with more buttons and therefore as much if not more functionality as this one just in another shape. However, for those of us who haven’t had the pleasure of using one yet, it’s pretty easy to see the appeal.