Elgato Stream Deck Neo Review: A Simple Accessory With Keys To Unlock A More Efficient Workflow

Elgato’s Stream Deck has evolved a lot over the last seven years of its existence, and it’s no longer just a customizable control pad for live-streamers and game broadcasters. It’s essentially a glorified macropad at this point that can be used for pretty much anything you’d push a button for, and Elgato wants to make it more mainstream with its Neo product lineup. Its new Stream Deck Neo, as such, is not a lot different from the bevy of Stream Decks that are already out there, but its $100 price tag certainly makes it more appealing than something like the Stream Deck XL that costs double the price.

The fact that Stream Deck Neo is not too different from the existing hardware is actually great because it essentially means you get the same customizable and useful command center at a cheaper price. It also looks more approachable and appealing in the sense that it’s a simple-looking accessory with just the right number of buttons and no-nonsense knobs. That, believe it or not, makes it more welcoming for both gadget nerds and casual work from home computer jocks. The Stream Deck Neo has become a crucial part of my setup and workflow in just a few days, and I truly believe it’s ready to break out of its shell as a gadget for creators.

The Stream Deck Neo’s $100 asking price, though it is relatively cheaper than some of its predecessors, is still quite steep for it to be a must-have for everyone. That being said, it feels like a fully-finished product that has reached its final form, and I’m definitely adding it to my recommendation list for those looking to make meaningful additions to their desks.

About this review: Elgato shipped XDA a sample for this review but had no input to its contents.

Stream Deck Neo

A glorified macro pad

A surprisingly useful accessory that improves productivity

The Stream Deck Neo is the newest member of Elgato’s Stream Deck family. It’s simpler, more compact, and affordable than most other Stream Decks on the market. This $100 accessory comes with 8 programmable keys with LCD, two touch sensors, and a digital info bar screen. It’s easy to customize and set up, and it also works well on macOS and Windows.

Pros

• 8 programmable keys with LCD
• Easy to use software
• Adjustable stands

Cons

• Capacitive buttons feel a bit redundant
• Non-detachable USB-C cable

Pricing, availability, and specs

The Elgato Stream Deck Neo debuted on April 18 2024, alongside the other Neo products from the brand like the Wave Neo mic, the Game Capture Neo, and more. It’s priced at $100, making it cheaper than other Elgato Stream Deck variants out there. It’s readily available to purchase now, but it can only be had in white color, just like the products in the Neo family. It looks great in my setup which already has a ton of white-colored accessories like a white PC case, but I’m sure it’ll look great in most setups.

What I like

A simple, no frills design for all setups

The Stream Deck Neo, just like its sibling Wave Neo, is a cute-looking accessory that sits on your desk, displaying a bunch of keys with an LCD screen inside of them. This particular model has 8 customizable keys with an LCD that can change their appearance depending on what you’ve set them up and how they are configured. Eight, I believe, is just the right number of keys, as anything more than that would make it look cluttered, whereas anything less would simply make it not as effective. There’s also a customizable info bar at the bottom that can display time and the page you are in, and it’s flanked by touch panels on both sides that let you move between the pages.

The LCD screens all have support for a variety of image formats including GIFs. You can program them very easily using the Elgato Stream Deck software. I was able to customize my keys and make them display logos of the website I frequently visit and the programs I use everyday in just a few clicks. What I also like about these keys are that they can change their appearance and can update in real-time, meaning you can use them as status indicators, too. For instance, I’ve customized one of the Stream Deck Neo keys to display when my camera is on.

The keys themselves are big enough to comfortably rest your fingers on them for actuation, and they each got a membrane switch with a tactile bump for a satisgying click. The base of the Stream Deck Neo also has a rubber padding to ensure it doesn’t slip or move on the desk, and it also has an adjustable stand that can switch between three different position, angled or flat.

Easy to setup and use

The Stream Deck Neo is essentially just a plug-and-play accessory that works without any issues out of the box when connected to a PC, but it still needs to be set up from sratch using the Elgato Stream Deck software for a good experience. Using the software, thankfully, is fairly simple, and it’s not as complicated as fiddling with some third-party utilities to assign macros to a macro pad. The Elgato Stream Deck software has all the options laid out perfectly, and all you really have to do is just drag-and-drop functions and shortcuts to each key. You can either assign a simple shortcut or a toggle to each key, or there’s also an option to create a multi-action key that combines different functions like opening multiple borwsers, applications, and more, simultaneously.

One of the mutli-action function I created for my workflow, for instance, opens a three of my frequently visited websites on Chrome, along with opening Slack and queuing my favorite lo-fi playlist on Spotify. I’ve created multiple muti-action functions to fill an entire page to automate my workflow, and it’s all surprisingly easy to set up provided you are willing to spend some time customizing it according to your workflow. I’ve also setup multiple profiles and app-specific pages with different toggles to further improve my workflow. Creating a custom command center using the Stream Deck Neo is definitely a lot easier than achieving something similar with a macro pad, and you’ll quickly get a hang of it.

What I don’t like

A couple of minor flaws

There’s not a lot to dislike about the Stream Deck Neo, as it is just a simple accessory that works as advertised without causing any trouble. If I had to nitpick, though, then I’d say the two capacitive touch buttons on either side of the digital info bar feel a bit redundant, especially because of how you can’t even customize them to do something different other than moving between the pages. It would’ve been nice if at least one — if not both — capacitive touch buttons were customizable. Yes, it is a bit weird to highlight the “lack” of customizable buttons on a button-laden gadget which is literally meant for pushing fully-customizable buttons, but it just feels a bit weird to have two capacitive touch buttons that do the exact same thing.

I’m also not a huge fan of how the Stream Deck Neo comes with a non-detachable cable as opposed to a removable one. This isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker as the cable won’t go bad as long as you’re not removing and re-plugging your Stream Deck quite often, but it’s still something to keep in mind.

Should you buy the Elgato Stream Deck Neo?

You should buy the Elgato Stream Deck Neo if:

• You want a macropad that’s easy to customize and setup quick access to shortcuts and toggles.
• You want a gadget to streamline and automate your workflows.
• You simply want a nice-looking gadget for your desk that gives you glanceable info.

You should NOT buy the Elgato Stream Deck Neo if:

• You don’t want to spend $100 on what is essentially a glorified macropad.
• You already have a macropad and don’t have enough use for it.
• You don’t have the time or zeal to play with customizable software.

Unlike the Wave Neo microphone that I recently reviewed, the Stream Deck Neo is still not a mainstream product that’ll speak to everyone, in my honest opinion. Yes, it is essentially a simpler, more compact, and affordable version of some of its siblings, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s still a niche product that costs more than a typical programmable macro pad that can help you accomplish most of what it does. Also, the Stream Deck Neo is only good when you spend some time with the software to fine-tune your experience, as its potential is not fully realized out of the box.

That being said, if you were already looking to buy a macro pad for your setup and like the idea of adding a fully customizable command center to help streamline your workflows, then I can’t recommend the Stream Deck Neo enough. It’s a good starting point to the world of Stream Decks that costs half of its more expensive siblings, and it also has a more approachable design, making it more suitable for a variety of setups.

There’s also the Stream Deck Mini that costs less than the Stream Deck Neo, but the latter offers more bang for your buck with the right amount of keys, a digital info bar and capacitive touch buttons to move between pages. There’s nothing in the name of competition to the Stream Deck Neo from the likes of Loupedeck, either, so it is a good option to consider overall, provided you know what you are getting into.

Stream Deck Neo

A fantastic accessory that’s easier to set up and use than a macro pad, and it’s great for those who want to automate workflows for productivity.