Elgato Stream Deck+

The Elgato Stream Deck+ is the productivity peripheral that started as a streaming tool and quietly became a desktop automation godsend. Eight LCD keys, a capacitive touch strip, and four programmable dials in a brushed-aluminum slab. At $199 it’s the nerdiest $200 you’ll spend on your desk — and the most useful.

The hardware

Eight keys with customizable LCD icons (each 1.2-inch, full color, 800×800). Above them, a 2.4-inch capacitive touch strip and four mechanical dials with their own LCD keycaps that update contextually. USB-C connection. Brushed aluminum face, plastic body, non-slip rubber base. Build is solid for the price — the dials have a satisfying detented rotation and a satisfying press-click. Weight is 460g; it stays put.

The keys

Each key is a programmable macro with an icon you design or download. Press to trigger. Elgato’s software supports multi-actions, folders (you can nest profiles), and conditional logic. Out of the box you can launch apps, control OBS scenes, switch audio devices, mute Discord, post to Twitter — the plugin ecosystem is enormous.

The dials are the surprise hit. Map them to system volume, mic gain, zoom in Photoshop, brush size, timeline scrubbing in Premiere, or scroll. The contextual LCDs under each dial update as you change apps. I use one for volume, one for mic gain monitoring, one for screen brightness, and one for app-specific scrubbing.

The touch strip

Swipe and tap. Useful for timeline navigation, scene selection in OBS, or as an extra input surface. Less essential than the dials, but it earns its keep once you build muscle memory.

Software

Elgato’s Stream Deck software is the make-or-break, and it’s genuinely good. Drag-and-drop actions, a marketplace of free and paid plugins, and a well-documented API for your own integrations. There’s a plugin for Home Assistant, one for Philips Hue, one for Spotify, one for chat apps, one for DaVinci Resolve. If you can script it, you can probably trigger it.

The catch: the software runs a background service and a logged-in Elgato account is pushed (but not required) for cloud sync of profiles.

Use cases beyond streaming

• Video editing: dials for timeline scrub + key folder for cuts/effects.
• Audio production: mute tracks, switch monitor mixes, dial for master gain.
• Software development: launch terminal/profiles, trigger build scripts, deploy via SSH macro.
• Smart home: a physical control panel for lights/scenes.

What’s wrong

• Eight keys is limiting if you’ve used the 15- or 32-key models. The dials compensate, but power users will outgrow it.
• The dials can’t be repositioned — fixed at four.
• Software is a background hog (~300MB RAM).
• No wireless option; it’s tethered.
• The touch strip is finicky with sweaty fingers.
• Plugin quality varies wildly in the marketplace.

The verdict

The Stream Deck+ is the rare productivity gadget that pays for itself in saved keystrokes within a month. If you edit video, produce audio, stream, or just run a lot of automations, the dials alone justify it. If you only need hotkeys, get the standard 15-key Stream Deck for less. The + is for people who want tactile control, not just buttons — and for them, it’s a desktop essential.