Elgato - Stream Deck MK.2 Full-size Wired USB Keypad with 15 Customizable LCD keys and Interchangeable Faceplate - White

can't even begin to tell you just how much I use this in my day-to-day. Well, actually I can, this is a review, it's kind of the point. But most people see "STREAM" deck and think "oh, this is for streaming". No, my mistaken friend, this is a multitool that is only limited to your imagination. Got a wireless keyboard? That's cool. What happens when it runs out of battery and you need to charge it? Make a folder on the Stream Deck specifically for shortcuts like Ctrl +, Ctrl X, Shift, Alt Tab, and more, and you've got all your non-typing needs met through it. Need some control in your life? This has plugins available through the program's built-in library for things like light control. As an example, I use Govee lights. From my Stream Deck, I can control which lights are on, what their brightness is, what their color is, and more! I also do game development on the side. Having to type out "\n<\n[3]>" to insert the name of the third character into text can get a little annoying every time you need to say their name. So I've got a system text button that types out fourteen different character names with a press of a button (the button in question has their face on them, too, did I mention image button customization?), as well as thirteen color codes to change the text's color mid-sentence. Of course, you can also use this to LAUNCH programs as well. If you're like me and you have hundreds of programs and you don't have your desktop icons turned on, going into your folders or scrolling through your program bar can be a hassle. Add buttons for it! You can even set up folders to hold game series (KH or FF anyone?), a folder for emulators, you can even put in Steam games. Forget the games for a bit, literally every single "exe" file can be executed with a single press of a button. And of course, lastly, YES I use mine for streaming too. Switching between scenes, opening up a dynamic text file to change the weekly shout-out, turning on/off my microphone, instant clips, alerts, chat commands...heck, I even have three clocks on here to show me the times of other viewers' time zones so I can stream a game THEY like when they're actually awake. And the multi-action tool allows me to create a button that does five or six different things in a row, which is perfect for if you need to put your streams into a lockdown for something serious. All in all, I haven't found a single thing this Stream deck CAN'T do. And if there IS something, the additional add-on plugins easily fix that. 10/10 would recommend for any streamer, but also any computer user to make life so much simpler and easier.

It's hard to overstate how much of a game changer this has been! My workflows include extensive work via web browser, music notation, document creation/editing, and light editing of audio and video. I've been able to set up profiles and workflows that have streamlined ALL OF THIS using this device. One crazy cool button type is the Multi-Action—in which, true to the name, you can create chains of events as complicated as you want to make them, even down to creating time delays between one action and the next if needed. Wow. My work with the Stream Deck is further optimized by combinations with other elements. As a Mac user, I use Keyboard Maestro which plays super well with the SD. I also have a second Stream Deck (a Neo) and have created profiles that let the two devices work in tandem. Using a Stream Deck does require a bit of tinkering when setting up buttons, folders, and profiles—and some logical puzzling along with trial-and-error to figure out just how you want things set up. Once it is though, it's golden! Icons—You can apply custom icons to the buttons you create. There are a decent number of free icons (Elgato's and others'), as well as third party icon packs for purchase. If you're like me, though, and REALLY want to customize, that process can be time-consuming if you're not already a whiz at visual design. Sometimes it's worth it; others I just grab icons off-the-shelf or leave the generic icons that come with different button types. Some folks complain about the lack of "grippiness" on the bottom of the unit. On my glass desk, this does indeed slip around. But I've gotten used to it and the functionality more than makes up for the fairly minor annoyance. Anyway, can't say enough good things about this. I definitely recommend—especially if you can pick it up on sale!

First, this device is very easy to set up. I bought it to help with scene transitions for OBS. It turn out it can be used for all the programs I use: OBS, Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. You can program it to launch your program and then assign keys to the commands you use the most. You can label each of the keys and have the text either on the bottom, middle, or top of the icon. Although there are 15 keys you can add additional pages of keys, so 15 isn't exactly true. I have one page for OBS, one for Photoshop and one for Final Cut Pro. Everyday I find new uses for it. I'm getting one of these for all my friends for Christmas. I wished I'd had this years ago; it would have saved me so much time. The only thing I do not like is the face plate is not flat. If you take it out of the triangulat stand and set it flat on your desk it is tilted to one side. It's merits outweigh that one issue and I give it 5 stars.