Elgato features functional buttons with extra functions on the new stream deck+.
PC peripheralsIt is a type of technology that is constantly evolving and constantly changing. As people use their PCs for more activities, we see more products suited to their new needs. The release, in particular, has truly transformed the PC peripherals market, and one of the most interesting aspects of it is the power console style controller devices for these consumers.
Elgato was the first big tech company to take a big step with Stream Deck. This button panel hosted macros that were mostly designed specifically to work with Elgato's broadcast software. Thanks to the LED displays, you can easily program the visuals for these buttons, and it's an easy way to control things like lighting effects, microphone or screen capture while streaming.
But these decks were mostly limited to streaming software, which was somewhat disappointing. Other devices lost some of their appeal when the Elgato Stream Deck options, which worked with macros on a wide variety of devices, came onto the scene.
Elgato seems to have noticed this as the newest member of the controller series Released Stream Deck+. For those of us interested in such devices, it looks like a much more versatile device that comes with more button options, including tactile buttons.
These extra button options give the new Stream Deck+ a much nicer look, with a touchscreen panel in the middle that separates the traditional buttons. Plus, they really seem to have different use cases.
When it comes to audio, it's built-in and complete if you choose to use Elgato's Wave Link mixing software. It has its own library of royalty-free tracks, which is a huge advantage for publishers looking for simple configurations that won't blow their minds to the end.
Now that broadcast devices are more common and advanced concepts, there are tons of add-ons for different programs and situations, which means you don't have to set up everything from scratch yourself.
The Stream Deck+ retails for $200 at the Elgato store, so it's not exactly the cheapest piece of kit. However, it costs slightly less than the Loupedeck Live at $269. So those who are crazy about macros will be very interesting to compare the two as options.
