The Stream Deck has proven so useful we’ve already seen a number of competitors spring up to try and take a slice of its pie. What’s Elgato to do? Just render more variants to give every potential user exactly what they’re looking for. If you’re among those folks who need something with even more buttons and controls than what standard consumer-grade streaming dashboards offer, you might want to check out the new Elgato Stream Deck + XL.
A massive version of the outfit’s macro dashboard (it’s bigger than some mini-PCs we’ve owned), the device offers three dozen different buttons, half a dozen knobs, and a whole lot more, allowing you to put all sorts of functions within easy reach. Seriously, the only version of the Stream Deck that’s bigger than this is the commercial-grade Studio, which, let’s be honest, no streamer is going to be integrating into their gaming desk.
The Elgato Stream Deck + XL takes on the same form factor as previous releases in the line. This one is just bigger in every way imaginable. It comes with 36 programmable buttons, six separate dials, and an ultrawide touchscreen bar that measures 6.3 x 0.55 inches (width x height). Like other versions of the Stream Deck, each button comes with its own individual screen, so it can show the correct label for any function you assign at any point in time.
The touch bar can be used to provide visual cues for the dials, too, allowing you to turn the control and see any change in real time. Alternatively, you can use them as virtual buttons, essentially allowing you to program the controls as you see fit. And yes, you can assign practically any functions to each of them, whether you want it to interact with your streaming software, soundboard app, or streaming webcam software. Simply put, if you want more controls at your fingertips, this is the way to go.
The Elgato Stream Deck + XL supports the use of profiles, folders, and pages, so you can load up different settings for the dashboard on the fly. Each button also supports multiple actions, so you can assign different functions to single press, double press, and press plus hold. The dials can also be assigned multiple functions, too, using either the stacking, action wheel, or action trigger functionality. All adjustments, by the way, from the Steam Deck app, so you can fiddle with all the settings in one place, with support for hundreds of different apps and services right out of the box.
Elgato has built a number of devices compatible for the Stream Deck and those should would work with this one, too. One they highlighted is the new Wave XLR Pro, which allows you to use the dashboard for real-time sound mixing by offering two XLR inputs, multiple headphones outputs, and a built-in Maximizer effect. Other compatible accessories include a network dock for using the dashboard away from your streaming PC and a USB Hub for attaching multiple accessories directly to the device.
The Elgato Stream Deck + XL is available now, priced at $349.99.
