The Elgato Stream Deck is a great piece of tech, but it can be a little expensive. If you want something like it, for cheaper, these options might help.
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You don’t have to be a streamer to benefit from having a stream controller. They can be a great way to optimize how you use your computer, too. You can bind a stream controller’s keys to perform specific actions while you’re gaming or using other fullscreen applications, providing an easy avenue to change the volume on your gaming headset while you’re busy doing something else, for instance. The most common line of stream controller to pick up is created by Elgato. However, there are several others you may want to consider, especially if you’re on a tighter budget. Much like finding affordable gaming monitors, this can be a great avenue to save some money when you’re putting together a desktop setup.
We’ve gone through Amazon to find other popular brands recommended by users who have offered their reviews after using these products. We’ll provide more thorough details and information on our methodology for these choices on why we picked them at the end.Razer Stream Controller
The Razer Stream Controller is favored by several customers who have picked it up as an alternative stream deck. Selling for around $109, with 379 reviews and a 4.0 average rating, customers praise the look of this product and how much customizable it is. You can use this stream device while using gaming controllers that you have hooked up to your PC.
There are 12 haptic switchblade keys where you can place your commands, with customizable icons on the screen, and six tactile analog dials, three on either side. You get a lot of control over what these dials and keys do, with some customers going so far as use them for adjust their brush size and switching between layers when using the Studio Paint program. Alternatively, the knobs also work for volume control or microphone volume.
Some reviews warn against the difficulty of setting up the Razer Stream Controller, as it requires going out of your way to learn about it. However, it might be immediately intuitive for everyone. There are recommendations to watch videos when setting it up to learn more about this product, if you want to go beyond what the standard manual recommends for the Razer Stream Controller.VSDinside Macro Keypad
When you’re looking for a product that operates on Mac and Windows, the VSDinside Macro Keypad could be a contender. Those who have purchased it share that it’s a controller set at a great value, for $45.