Introduction
Control pads and control decks have made their way into streaming norm as a handy tool to control your streaming app like OBS or other applications without leaving your game or switching to a capture PC should you be using one. While is a fairly straightforward application, a subculture of power users have also made ther control deck a handy little tool improving workflow speed, decoupling shortcuts to the keyboard and tying them directly to keys on the control or serving as an extended keypad for control altogether.
This functionality has led to more professionals leaning towards control decks to increase productivity but with only one brand dominating the market for control decks and control pads, its curious to see how other brands will compete. Well, surprisngly, pretty much in the same way its being done now.
Streamplify’s STREAMING DECK ONE is derivative product obviously taking cues from the Elgato Stream Deck serving up similar LCD buttons as well as programmable keys complete with profile switching. At $50 less than the actual Stream Deck from Elgato, its going to be a weird feeling reviewing this because I have 2 Stream Decks that I use extensively for my Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro and video game capture workflow. But that also puts me in a unique position to judge the Streamplify STREAMING DECK ONE and see, if its a worthy substitute.
Read on!
Features & Specification
- 15 customizable LCD keys for real-time control of your stream production.
- Includes 2 USB 3.0 ports, doubling as a USB Hub.
- Built-in foldable stand with 3 angle levels for versatile use.
- Rotatable icon design for flexible device setup.
- Non-slip stand feet for stability.
| Model | STREAMING DECK ONE |
|---|---|
| Color | Black |
| Keys | Customized 15 LCD keys |
| Interface | USB-C 3.0 |
| Dimension | 133 x 94.5 x 19.7 mm |
| Weight | 212 g (w/o cable) |
| USB Hub | USB type A x 2 |
| Cable length | 100 cm |
| Rotate to use | Yes, 90° rotation |
| Foldable Stand | Yes |
| Switch profiles automatically | Yes |
Closer Look
User Experience & Conclusion
The Streamplify STREAMING DECK ONE uses the company’s proprietaru Streaming Link software to operate with the DECK ONE. This allows hotkey programming as well HUD functions and standard app shortcuts or system shortcuts.
At the heart of the STREAMING DECK ONE is its hotkeys and being able to develop your own is a big functionality. Like Elgato’s Multi-Action which allows more nuanced control to perform certain action e.g. a macro, the Streamplify Link software allows the creation of Action Flow’s which are what Streamplify calls their macros. Now if you’re not familiar with macros, they’re usually keystrokes performed automatically once a shortcut is pressed.
Now before I proceed, a warning: most online games consider macro as game automation and may consitute a violation of its terms of usage. That said, macros can also be used to line-up keys to perform certain actions e.g. Alt+H > I > R adds a new row beneath your selection in MS Excel. Many other Windows programs follow this principle so anything that uses this can easily be programmed Streamplify’s Action Flow.
For advanced users, this removes the need for bespoke plugins that cost $60 each to run alongside your equally-capable control deck. But, keyword is “advanced users”. If you’re not willing to learn this function, many of the availble single press buttons are available but severely limited at this moment.
Most of Streamplify’s extra functions like its Notes are half-baked and its Timezone UIs are laggy defeating the purpose of speeding up your workflow if the actual buttons are lagging.
Barring everything else I’ve said, if you want a cheap OBS control deck to control your streaming software, the Streamplify STREAMING DECK ONE is ready and capable of handling that plus a few more.
Streamplify products are available now in the Philippines. Check out what’s available at https://ecommerce.datablitz.com.ph/collections/streamplify.
