Here’s why everyone should get this accessory. Live streamers swear by

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I have been streaming online in one form or another for many years. I still remember Twitch when it was called Justin.tv, streaming on Mixer and even streaming VR games on Facebook Gaming. And while I’m always experimenting with weirder alternative platforms to stream on, I’ve been in the game for a long time.

One of the best tools in my streaming arsenal is the Elgato Stream Deck. Elgato, known for its video capture cards, sent me a Stream Deck when it launched in 2017. I still drive that same original model daily all these years later. And any technology you’re still using ten years after it was first released is probably working just fine. But what’s interesting about the Stream Deck is that in all the years I’ve owned it, I use it the least for gaming.

The Stream Deck has become an essential part of my daily work and personal life. The device may have been designed for gamers and creators, but its uses extend far beyond that. So much so that I often recommend a Stream Deck or similar device to almost anyone who uses a computer.

The standard Stream Deck is a fairly simple device. It is a small black frame with a series of 15 square buttons arranged in three rows on its face. These buttons each feature an LCD screen, allowing you to customize them almost any way you want via the Elgato software. For game streaming, you can assign commands to each button, with a visual representation of the desired action.

In my setup I have a button with a microphone icon and another with a crossed out microphone icon. Pressing the crossed out button mutes my microphone while streaming, while the other turns it back on. Other buttons include settings for my OBS streaming software, such as displaying a Be Right Back screen, volume controls, camera angle changes, and multiple audio triggers for various streaming events/goals.

The Stream Deck essentially allows me to be my own live producer while streaming, giving me the kind of dedicated control that would have cost thousands of dollars in the early days of the medium. But this little device can do so much more than gaming or streaming.

Today, I use my Stream Deck more for work than for play. Since each button serves as a keyboard shortcut, you can program each one for an almost endless array of tasks. If you’re in the photo or video editing business, you can assign buttons to your most-used tools, helping you optimize your workflow in Microsoft Office or one of its many free alternatives. I use my video editing software almost exclusively with just a mouse and my Stream Deck.

You can also assign programs to open via each button via Stream Deck software. When my computer turns on, my Stream Deck loads my desktop preferences, with each button representing a program I’m using. I can tap the Email icon to open my mail, the Firefox logo for my browser, and even Slack to upload work.

I also have a different set of commands when I launch my browser. Each button changes to represent my most visited websites, so I just need to press the BGR button to read the latest news. If you want a command, chances are you can assign it to a button, making it a very valuable tool for those who like to optimize their workflows.