Elgato Stream Deck+ Review: More Than Just a Button Box

The Elgato Stream Deck+ is the rotary-and-touchscreen sibling in Elgato's broader Stream Deck lineup, which spans the 6-key Mini, the workhorse 15-key MK.2, the larger 32-key XL, the pedal version, and the all-software Mobile and Studio releases. The "+" model adds eight LCD keys, four physical rotary encoders with click-press detection, and a touch strip above the dials — turning what is normally a macro-button surface into something closer to a small mixing-and-control panel. For streamers, podcasters, post-production editors, video conference power users, and home-automation enthusiasts, that combination puts the Stream Deck+ in a category that previously required either a Loupedeck device or a custom controller.

This is an editorial review built from manufacturer documentation and third-party reviews. It is not a hands-on lab test — we have not measured latency, durability, or software stability on a unit in our possession. Where we describe behaviour, we are summarizing what published reviewers have reported, and we are attributing each specific claim to its source.

How We Approached This Review

What the Stream Deck+ Is, in One Paragraph

The Stream Deck+ is a USB-C desktop controller that combines eight customizable LCD keys (in a 4×2 grid above the dials), a touch strip, and four rotary encoders that also click as buttons. Each encoder can be assigned to control a continuous parameter (audio channel volume, monitor brightness, smart-home dimmer, scrubbing through a video timeline) while the LCD keys behave like the keys on the standard Stream Deck — programmable triggers that show a custom icon. The device is configured through Elgato's Stream Deck application on Windows and macOS, with an extensive first-party plugin library and a third-party plugin marketplace. The "+" model is positioned as a step up from the standard 15-key Stream Deck MK.2 for users who specifically want the encoder-and-touchscreen combination.

Specifications (per Elgato and Tom's Hardware)

Hardware values below are pulled from Elgato's published product page (elgato.com) and the measured touch-strip dimensions from Tom's Hardware's full review (tomshardware.com). We have not independently measured any of them.

What Independent Reviews Say

The Stream Deck+ has been widely covered since its release. The strongest single reference point we located is Tom's Hardware's full review, which is also the most useful for buyers comparing it against alternatives.

Tom's Hardware — Sarah Jacobsson Purewal, Senior Editor, Peripherals — summarized the device as: "The Elgato Stream Deck+ adds a touch strip and dials to the Stream Deck's button-heavy setup, but no native Photoshop support." (tomshardware.com, November 15, 2022). Specific findings worth flagging from that review:

• The four dials — tactile, notched, machined-aluminum — rotate 360° and also click. Tom's Hardware credits them as a real upgrade for continuous parameter control, but adds that the "dials are not quite as flexible as the buttons."
• The 4.2-inch wide touch strip "acts as both a display for/extension of the corresponding dials below it, as well as a way to navigate (via swiping) through Stream Deck pages." Tom's Hardware specifically flags a programming limitation: "the touch strip's functionality cannot be programmed separately from the dials." If you wanted the touch strip to behave as an independent surface, it doesn't — it's tied to whatever the dials are currently controlling.
• Native plugin support is called out for OBS, Twitch, and Streamlabs — the streaming-stack core. But Tom's Hardware notes a notable absence: "The Stream Deck+ notably doesn't feature native support for Photoshop (though you can do some programming to get it there), while Loupedeck does." If your primary use case is photo retouching rather than streaming, that's a published, comparative finding worth weighing.
• Form factor: "a little bulky."
• The review's recommended buyer is someone already in Elgato's streaming ecosystem (OBS / Twitch / Streamlabs / Wave / Key Light); the recommended reconsideration audience is Photoshop and Lightroom users, who Tom's Hardware steers toward Loupedeck.

Windows Central — framed the value proposition straightforwardly: "the Stream Deck+ is costlier than the standard model, but the unique additions easily make it worth the price" (windowscentral.com).

PC Gamer — called it a "brilliant product for content creators with solid construction" while noting it's "a small step in innovation with some confusing software omissions and functionality issues" (pcgamer.com). We're citing PC Gamer's neutral framing here rather than asserting our own claims about software stability — "confusing software omissions and functionality issues" is what an independent reviewer found and published, not a Studio Supplies claim.

GamesRadar — concluded the Stream Deck+ is "a brilliant device that, in the right setup, will open a lot of new doors" (gamesradar.com). The "right setup" qualifier matches the broader reviewer consensus that this device rewards specific workflows more than general use.

AppleInsider — published a Mac-perspective writeup (appleinsider.com) for buyers evaluating the Stream Deck+ specifically as a macOS desktop accessory.

We are not asserting any specific latency, audio-quality, or stability numbers in this review because we have not measured them, and we have not located a Tier-1 outlet publishing instrumented latency tests of Stream Deck+ encoders. Elgato does not publish a manufacturer-stated latency figure for the device's controls.

Strengths

• Tactile rotary control with click-press for continuous parameters. Tom's Hardware confirms the dials are machined aluminum, notched, textured, and rotate 360° with a click. For mic gain, monitor brightness, smart-home dimmers, or video scrubbing, these are physical controls in a category where most competitors offer software sliders or repeated button presses.
• Touch strip as contextual display. Per Tom's Hardware, the 4.2-inch touch panel works as a status display for whatever the dials are currently controlling, plus a swipe-to-navigate surface for moving between Stream Deck pages.
• Native streaming-stack support. Tom's Hardware specifically calls out OBS, Twitch, and Streamlabs as native integrations — the core stack for the device's primary target audience.
• Profile auto-switching. The Stream Deck app changes layouts based on which application is in the foreground — one layout for OBS, another for your DAW, another for your video conferencing app. Cited as a value-for-money feature in independent reviews.
• USB-C, bus-powered, no power brick. Per Elgato's specs, the Stream Deck+ uses a single USB-C cable for both power and data — a meaningful desk-clutter advantage over multi-cable controllers.
• Cross-platform. Windows and macOS support is first-class; Elgato keeps the application updated on both. AppleInsider's review is a useful Mac-perspective reference for macOS buyers specifically.

Limitations

• Eight LCD keys, not fifteen or thirty-two. Per Elgato's spec sheet. If your workflow primarily needs many one-touch macros and you do not need the dials, the standard 15-key Stream Deck MK.2 or the 32-key XL gives you more buttons for the money.
• Touch strip cannot be programmed independently of the dials. Per Tom's Hardware's review — the touch strip is tied to whatever the dials are currently controlling, not a separate programmable surface. If you were hoping for the touch strip to behave as its own input layer, it does not.
• Dials are less flexible than the buttons. Tom's Hardware specifically notes "dials are not quite as flexible as the buttons" in terms of how broadly they can be reassigned across actions and applications.
• No native Photoshop support. Per Tom's Hardware: "The Stream Deck+ notably doesn't feature native support for Photoshop (though you can do some programming to get it there), while Loupedeck does." If photo retouching is your primary use case, this is a published comparative finding worth weighing — Loupedeck Live and Loupedeck CT are explicitly recommended by Tom's Hardware for that audience.
• Direct USB connection required. Per Tom's Hardware, the Stream Deck+ needs to be plugged directly into the computer rather than through a USB hub, which is worth knowing if your desk is short on direct USB-C ports.
• "A little bulky." Tom's Hardware's words. Buyers comparing form factors against the smaller standard Stream Deck or Stream Deck Mini should account for the larger footprint.
• Reviewer-flagged software friction. PC Gamer described "confusing software omissions and functionality issues" in their review (pcgamer.com). We are not asserting any specific bug as a present-day defect of the Stream Deck+; we are reporting what an independent reviewer found and published. Owners experiencing software issues should consult Elgato's official help center for their specific software version and OS.
• No published, independent latency measurement. We could not locate a Tier-1 instrumented latency benchmark of the Stream Deck+'s encoders or buttons. For non-real-time uses (audio mixing reference, scene switching, smart-home control) this is unlikely to matter; for any use case where round-trip latency is critical, buyers should not assume any specific number.
• Premium pricing for the form factor. The Stream Deck+ launched at $199.99 per Tom's Hardware's review; current pricing may differ. Reviewers including Windows Central frame the price as worth it for the unique additions, but acknowledge the device is costlier than the standard Stream Deck. If you primarily want a few macro buttons, the cheaper Stream Deck Mini will likely serve you better.
• Encoders are click-press buttons, not motorized faders. Per Elgato's spec sheet. If you are evaluating this as a substitute for a motorized DAW fader bank, it is not that — encoders are infinite-rotation continuous controls, not 100mm faders.

Who Should Buy the Stream Deck+

• Streamers and live broadcasters in the OBS / Twitch / Streamlabs ecosystem — native plugin support is confirmed by Tom's Hardware and is the device's primary target use case.
• Podcast hosts running multi-mic shows who want physical level control via Wave Link, VoiceMeeter, or per-app audio routing.
• Editors and post-production users who want dedicated dials for scrubbing, jog/shuttle-style timeline navigation, and parameter tweaks in NLEs and DAWs that have Stream Deck plugins.
• Smart-home power users who want physical dim/temperature control over Philips Hue, Elgato Key Lights, or other hub-connected lighting.
• Video conferencing power users who want one-touch mute, camera-on/off, status changes, and physical volume control over Teams or Zoom.
• Existing Elgato ecosystem owners (Wave audio, Key Light, Cam Link) who want a centralized control surface that natively integrates with their existing kit.

Who Should Skip the Stream Deck+

• Photoshop and Lightroom power users. Tom's Hardware's review explicitly steers this audience toward Loupedeck instead: "The Stream Deck+ notably doesn't feature native support for Photoshop (though you can do some programming to get it there), while Loupedeck does."
• Users who primarily need many one-touch macros — the standard 15-key Stream Deck MK.2 or 32-key XL gives you more buttons per dollar.
• Users who only need a couple of mute / push-to-talk / scene-switch buttons — the Stream Deck Mini (six keys) or a software hotkey mapping is cheaper.
• Audio engineers needing a motorized DAW fader surface with mute/solo/select — that is a different category (e.g., Mackie Control, Avid S1, PreSonus FaderPort).
• Users who need extensive haptic feedback or physical jog wheels rather than continuous-rotation encoders — a Loupedeck CT or a Contour ShuttlePro will fit better.

Alternatives Worth Considering

The "macro-and-encoder controller" category has expanded significantly. Alternatives that show up most often in reviews and community discussion:

• Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 (15 keys). Same software ecosystem, more buttons, no encoders, lower price. The right pick for users whose workflow is mostly one-touch macros.
• Elgato Stream Deck XL (32 keys). Same software ecosystem, even more buttons, no encoders, higher price. The right pick for users running large macro libraries and complex profile sets.
• Loupedeck Live. A direct competitor in the touchscreen-and-dial form factor, with twelve touch buttons and six dials plus a touch strip. Tom's Hardware's review specifically points Photoshop users to the Loupedeck family because of its native Adobe support — if your primary workflow is photo retouching, this is the alternative the cited Tier-1 review recommends.
• Loupedeck CT. A larger, more expensive Loupedeck with a center jog wheel and additional dials. Often the comparison point for editors and color graders. Significantly higher price than the Stream Deck+.
• Razer Stream Controller / Stream Controller X. Razer's macro-pad family, built around Loupedeck's underlying platform. Competitor in the same category as the Stream Deck+ but with Razer-branded hardware.

None of these alternatives is "better" or "worse" than the Stream Deck+ in absolute terms — they are different trade-offs around button count, dial count, software ecosystem, and price. The deciding factor for most buyers, per the cited Tom's Hardware review, is which software ecosystem natively supports the specific applications they use most often (Elgato's stack for OBS/Twitch/Streamlabs streamers; Loupedeck's stack for Photoshop and Lightroom users).

The Bottom Line

The Elgato Stream Deck+ is a credible prosumer-tier controller that earns its price for users who specifically want tactile rotary control alongside the standard Stream Deck macro-key experience. Tom's Hardware's verdict captures it well: it adds dials and a touch strip to a button-heavy device, but with no native Photoshop support — meaning OBS / Twitch / Streamlabs streamers in Elgato's ecosystem are the primary target, while Photoshop and Lightroom users are explicitly steered toward Loupedeck. Windows Central frames the unique additions as worth the price premium over the standard Stream Deck; PC Gamer and GamesRadar both rate it positively while flagging that the value is highest in "the right setup." If your workflow is in that target zone, this is the obvious Elgato pick. If your workflow centers on Adobe Creative Cloud retouching, Tom's Hardware's published recommendation is to look at Loupedeck instead.

See Full Details

Sources & Citations

1. Sarah Jacobsson Purewal, "Elgato Stream Deck+ Review: More Than Just Buttons," Tom's Hardware, November 15, 2022, https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/elgato-stream-deck-review-more-than-just-buttons (touch strip dimensions, dial materials and click-press behaviour, programming limitation, "no native Photoshop support" comparative finding, "a little bulky" form-factor note, direct-USB requirement, $199.99 launch price, OBS/Twitch/Streamlabs native plugin support).
2. Windows Central, "Elgato Stream Deck Plus review," https://www.windowscentral.com/accessories/elgato-stream-deck-plus-review (price-vs-additions value framing).
3. PC Gamer, "Elgato Stream Deck Plus review," https://www.pcgamer.com/elgato-stream-deck-plus-review/ ("brilliant product for content creators with solid construction"; "confusing software omissions and functionality issues" framing for software-stability discussion).
4. GamesRadar, "Elgato Stream Deck Plus review," https://www.gamesradar.com/elgato-stream-deck-plus-review/ ("a brilliant device that, in the right setup, will open a lot of new doors").
5. AppleInsider, "Elgato Stream Deck review — completely unnecessary but totally compelling," https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/04/04/elgato-stream-deck-review-completely-unnecessary-but-totally-compelling (Mac-perspective review).
6. Elgato (Corsair Memory, Inc.), "Stream Deck+ — Product Page and Tech Specs," https://www.elgato.com/us/en/p/stream-deck-plus-black (manufacturer specs: key count, encoder count, touch strip, USB-C connectivity, bus power, software platform support, profile auto-switching, plugin marketplace).