Stream Deck?

[Shenanigunner]

(Stream Deck, not Steam Deck!)

 

Anyone using a Stream Deck? Long story, but as a hardware macro key junkie, and with keyboards with more than a few macro keys having disappeared from the market, I had to look into other options. Marketing and user base have Stream Deck fairly firmly locked into the niche of 'power streamers,' but I can assure all it's a hell of a good macro tool with essentially unlimited key assignments..., and digital icons for each key, as well.

 

I've found no use for for it in CoX (but then, I've got fairly well optimized binds and macros there). But, as a general system tool, I'm delighted with it, and I have finally achieved a long time goal: one-button login to Paragon City!

 

One button simply launches the game and leaves me at Character Select. Two others, so far, launch my #1 and #2 slot characters. Press one button, get comfy in my chair and on the trackball, and I'm standing in CoX ready to go.

 

(Backstory: started with a Logi G15, then a G11 when those keycaps wore through, then a second NIB G11, and had to settle for a lightly used G110 last time. Since there are no new keyboards with more than six keys, I matched the Stream Deck to a Corsair K95 XT, and they work together hand-in-glove, even sharing setup software. Nice to have real mechanical keys again [Cherry browns] after years of Logi's good-but-not-great ones.)

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Shenanigunner

[WanderingAries]

Oh, you mean these things? I didn't know Elgato made them, but I guess it makes sense as they make things like my Analog2Digital converter. Blurry-eyed reading this seems like you're looking for auto-login solution. IDK what you'd use, but Perhaps a series of scripts that can do things like select the active fields on the screen (and then fill them out) would be what you're looking for. Way beyond what I've ever tried to tinker with, but that's the logic of what I think I'm reading.

[Shenanigunner]

Maybe my verb tenses need work. I HAVE a Stream Deck (Mk 2 15-button) and besides finding about five cool new things to do with it every day, including controlling some complex setups for the keyboard, I HAVE that one-button login to CoX. Three, in fact, that I just tweaked for greater reliability.

 

It's a nice addition for both work and play.

[Snarky]

14 hours ago, Shenanigunner said:

(Stream Deck, not Steam Deck!)

 

Anyone using a Stream Deck? Long story, but as a hardware macro key junkie, and with keyboards with more than a few macro keys having disappeared from the market, I had to look into other options. Marketing and user base have Stream Deck fairly firmly locked into the niche of 'power streamers,' but I can assure all it's a hell of a good macro tool with essentially unlimited key assignments..., and digital icons for each key, as well.

 

I've found no use for for it in CoX (but then, I've got fairly well optimized binds and macros there). But, as a general system tool, I'm delighted with it, and I have finally achieved a long time goal: one-button login to Paragon City!

 

One button simply launches the game and leaves me at Character Select. Two others, so far, launch my #1 and #2 slot characters. Press one button, get comfy in my chair and on the trackball, and I'm standing in CoX ready to go.

 

(Backstory: started with a Logi G15, then a G11 when those keycaps wore through, then a second NIB G11, and had to settle for a lightly used G110 last time. Since there are no new keyboards with more than six keys, I matched the Stream Deck to a Corsair K95 XT, and they work together hand-in-glove, even sharing setup software. Nice to have real mechanical keys again [Cherry browns] after years of Logi's good-but-not-great ones.)

 

[Shenanigunner]

Yeah, in my searches I glanced at a lot of gamer-specific stuff. Really like the Logitech one but it's $550. Their flaw for non-game use is that they more or less require you to dedicate your left hand to them; hard to use on an ad-hoc basis. The Stream Deck is just a button pad, and the LCD keys are really really really useful/nifty.

 

Can't get a decent lighting balance between black case and lit buttons, but here:

 

 

[Captain Fabulous]

I use AutoHotkey and bind my scripts to the numpad buttons.

[Shenanigunner]

3 hours ago, Captain Fabulous said:

I use AutoHotkey and bind my scripts to the numpad buttons.

 

I use whole tiers of UI automation. I remap the keys on many of my major working apps. I use app-level macros and scripts a lot. I have some software macro tools but tend not to use them in favor of these other techniques. And, back onto this specific topic, I have always loved having dedicated hardware keys available. The SD set, with several different macro and function sets, an essentially unlimited number of keys, and the fantastic ability to assign an image to a key so that you no longer need cheat sheets or to remember what Ctrl-Alt-NumPad3 does... I am in Nirvana.

 

ETA: did I note that the SD system allows you to macro-ize mouse operations as well as keyboard and functional ones? It's not very flexible but with things like the game buttons in the same location all the time, mapping the entries is easy.

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by Shenanigunner

[Scarlet Shocker]

they're mostly used for people who do video or photographic processing. I hve looked at one but it's far to expensive for me to justify. I think some streamers use them more as a kind of social media connect rather than a serious tool. I think the only way I could justify it would be if I was editing photos or videos full time and I'm not.

 

I use a Razer Tarterus and a Naga mouse - having gone through two n52 Nostromos. They're plenty good enough for my needs (and skil level)

 

 

Ok I take that back. It's nowhere near as expensive as I recall but I'd still struggle to justify its use but I can see how it might appeal to some

Edited March 9, 2023 by Scarlet Shocker
update

[Shenanigunner]

21 minutes ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

...but I'd still struggle to justify its use but I can see how it might appeal to some

 

Yes, for some reason these are locked to the "power streamer" market, and most writeups sort of imply that they are specially suited to that oddball niche. The truth is that, other than some canned macro and control sets for streaming apps, they're as universal as a mouse or keyboard. There are two or three macro systems for them that will do just about anything a user can do with a keyboard and mouse... no matter how elaborate.

 

The differences between this and devices like the Tarterus are:

1. The Stream Deck is just buttons. You can put it anywhere you like, at any angle or orientation, and just push the darn button when you need to. Gaming HIDs more or less require you to position them one way and dedicate the use of that hand (usually left) to them. It's not convenient to reach out, get your hand positioned, and then press one button. Nor are they shaped very well to reach over and poke. So, one is almost entirely optimized for game-play use, and the other is suitable for nearly every other purpose.
2. The Stream Deck allows highly customizable buttons via the LCD backlight. Any square image can be combined with almost any arrangement of text, and modified on the fly. No more stickers or having to remember what G14 does... in each app. It's also essentially infinite buttons, 6 or 15 or 32 at a time; you can easily switch between arrays for different purposes or "more" keys.
3. It also integrates beautifully with Corsair keyboards and iCue software; I have some very elaborate key remapping and color coding setups that are each one SD button tap apart.

 

My entire takeaway is meant to be that these are incredibly flexible, powerful, useful devices — far more flexible than most "gamer" devices, and useful for far far more than managing your "pro streaming empire."

Edited March 9, 2023 by Shenanigunner

[Scarlet Shocker]

I did notice there's even a foot pedal too - simple I'm guessing not much more than an i/o thing but I can see a use for that somehow.

[Shenanigunner]

2 minutes ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

I did notice there's even a foot pedal too - simple I'm guessing not much more than an i/o thing but I can see a use for that somehow.

 

Oh, the line includes ones with knobs, foot pedals and probably seat-tilt sensors too. 🙂 Most of those are suited mostly to things like video, where having easily accessible controls for things like color balance and multi track volume adjustment are useful.

 

But for general use, and even gaming, just the button models are enough. Just unfortunately overlooked because of the way elgato chooses to slant their marketing.

[Scarlet Shocker]

sounds like an entrepreneur could easily undercut them by a significant amount

[Mr. Apocalypse]

I actually made a full set of profiles for using the stream deck with the MM keybinds. There are unique profiles for each of the MM primaries. They can be found at this LINK

[Shenanigunner]

2 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

sounds like an entrepreneur could easily undercut them by a significant amount

 

Maybe. But it's an LCD screen overlaid with transparent buttons, and you'd have to duplicate the management software without infringing, and then get the several key plugin developers to duplicate their contributions. At that, US$150 seems fair to cheap. 🙂

 

Especially considering the less-flexible Logi G13 is US$550 or so...

Edited March 9, 2023 by Shenanigunner

[Shenanigunner]

39 minutes ago, Mr. Apocalypse said:

I actually made a full set of profiles for using the stream deck with the MM keybinds. There are unique profiles for each of the MM primaries. They can be found at this LINK

 

Nice! I haven't actually found any in-game use for it yet; the auto-login is nice but I pretty much find binds to do everything I need, and MM binds on the keypad work well for me. But glad to see my low horizons aren't limiting the possibilities. 🙂

 

[Scarlet Shocker]

you piqued my curiosity. Ever encountered these:

 

https://loupedeck.com/uk/products/

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032XQP1K?tag=ahrobo-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

 

there seem to be a lot of mobile apps too and  choice of USB numkeypads that can be configured in a similar way but I guess Streamdeck and Loupedeck offer customiesable keys

 

 

[Shenanigunner]

Yeah, LoupeDeck is a slightly up-market competitor. Most of their offerings parallel the upper SD offerings, with knobs and so forth. I didn't see a simple, button only model when I looked around. Seems to be in the Apple/Euro end of things. Not a clue on how strong their software partners are (most of SD's really good plugins and general features are from third-party developers, for example).

 

And that's a newer version of the shuttle/jog device I've used for video work for a long time. Really useful for editing.

[Intrinsic]

I mostly use my Stream Deck as a button box in flight sims and racing/driving sims.  It's handy to keep next to the other peripherals, as opposed to a full-sized keyboard.

 

I haven't tried it in CoH though.  I use an Azeron keypad, and all the commonly-used commands are mapped to it.

[DoctorDitko]

I blew $50 on an non-lcd (but backlit) 5x5 keypad from AliExpress.

It uses the QMK system for setup, which is open-source, but it's complicated enough that I keep putting off learning it.

Cheap alternative, though. You can print on acetate and slip labels under the keycaps. A pain, though, and yours is very nice!

 

Back on Live, I used a $5 laptop-style USB numpad, with stickers on the buttons, but it appears Win10 conflates all numpads, so I needed something different.