Why the Elgato Stream Deck Lineup Isn’t Just for Streamers

If you’ve ever watched a professional streamer, there’s a good chance they’ve been using an Elgato Stream Deck device.

These clever devices offer a bunch of customizable keys to switch scenes, adjust settings, and much more, but what you might not know is that they’re kind of great for just about any user.

Here’s why Elgato’s Stream Deck is for much more than showing off your gameplay or chatting with subscribers.

For those unfamiliar, the Stream Deck offers a control panel with buttons that can be customized within an easy-to-use, very intuitive app. It has access to just about anything you can think of, across PC and Mac.

Use a Stream Deck to raise or lower your volume, open a specific file or application, or open up a bunch of context-specific shortcuts and macros, all with customizable artwork.

I have two Stream Decks (with one for PC and one for Mac), and as a freelance writer, I use them to open specific applications, find my Google Drive folder of documents, or edit Photoshop files in an instant with specific workflows.

You can chain just about anything together, too. Hit one button to engage “work mode” on your home office PC and have it open your email client and work messaging platform, and then hit “gaming mode” when you’re done to close everything and open Steam and Discord (or jump between the two, we won’t tell).

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If you’ve got a smart home, you can even adjust things like the lighting, blinds, smart speakers and more in your house, and meetings are a breeze when you get a literal red button to show you’re muted.

Apps and sites like Discord, Slack, Teams, Zoom, YouTube, and many more have instantly downloadable functionality, but it’s also really easy to build your own custom workflows.

One of my favorite features is having my Stream Deck control my Spotify, particularly when it’s on shuffle. I can hit a button to skip tracks, sure, but I can also add stuff to my library with a tap if I like what I’m hearing.

There are plenty of options, too. Stream Deck is available in multiple sizes, with 6, 15, and 32 key options. Don’t feel like you have to go big, though - you can add multiple pages of apps if you’re happy to switch between them.

The more recent Stream Deck + adds a touch strip and dials, and is ideal for editing music or video, while the Stream Deck Neo is super small but includes touch points, 8 keys, and an infobar, too.

If you thought the Stream Deck was just for becoming a content creator, think again. Whether you’re on PC or Mac, I recommend looking into them - they’re able to help you get your work done more swiftly. Plus, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t just very fun to have more buttons to press.

Better yet, some models are discounted right now at Amazon. The 15-key Stream Deck is £109.99, down from £139.99, while the huge 32-key Stream Deck XL is £194.99 instead of £229.99.

Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He's a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife's dismay.