When I first saw the Elgato Stream Deck Pedal, I was a bit confused as to who this could be for. If you’ve got the standard Stream Deck, Mini, XL and more, do you really need a pedal? And why a pedal? It seemed so far out of left field for me that it wasn’t until I tried it that it made sense. The Elgato Stream Deck Pedal isn’t going to be something every streamer needs, but it’s a nice addition if you choose to pick one up.
Specifications
- Size: 175 x 244 x 49m / 6.9 x 9.6 x 1.9in
- Weight: 960 g / 2.1 lbs
- Pedals: 3 x customizable foot pedals
- Spring tension sets: 4 x soft, 4 x medium, 4 x hard and 2 x stoppers
- Interface: USB 2.0
- Cable: USB-C to USB-A Cable, detachable
- Price: $89.99 on Elgato Site
First Thoughts
Taking the pedal out of the box, I’m once again impressed by Elgato’s willingness to use zero plastic materials in their packaging. Instead of tiny plastic bags to hold the additional springs that come with the Stream Deck Pedal, tiny paper sachets keep the packaging sustainable, and the whole package screams premium.
The pedal itself is pretty plain looking, which makes some sense since you’ll spend most of your time stepping on the face. A large Elgato logo adorns the larger, central pedal while two angled pedals flank either side. Connecting the pedal to the PC is a simple USB-C to USB-A cable, which is thankfully detachable. Elgato has leaned into that lately with the Stream Deck 2.0 and Elgato FaceCam, and it’s nice to see the company continue this trend.
While I really preferred the default springs installed on the pedal itself, Elgato includes multiple spring sets so you can ensure the actuation of each pedal is exactly how you want it to be. The bottom of the Stream Deck Pedal also includes anti-slip feet that grip even carpet, meaning the pedal never moved on me during use - a pretty key performance feature here.
I’ve used pedals before in the past to control audio. Playing as a musician in my 20s, I would use a pedal to mute my Saxophone mic on stage when I wasn’t playing, as well as add effects through the mic itself when I needed them. I understand that in this context for sure, and for session musicians and more, the pedal makes total sense. For streaming, I was wondering what this could add to a set up, especially if you’re already integrated in the Elgato ecosystem, like I am.
Surprisingly, the pedal can contribute a lot.
Foot Control
Elgato’s Stream Deck Pedal is controlled by using the Elgato Steam Deck software. If you’ve used this before, it’ll be pretty familiar. The drag and drop interface allows you to easily set up the actions you want each pedal to perform, from changing scenes in OBS to muting your microphone to Discord so you can talk simply to chat.
Additionally, Smart Profiles in the Elgato Stream Deck app mean that your pedal isn’t relegated to just three actions. Want a separate profile for Premiere Pro? Set up a profile and the Pedal will switch profiles when you swap apps. Recording music and need an effect or the ability to quickly run a track back in your headphones? Set up a profile.
For me, using it to create new layers in Photoshop, mute my mic during calls and recordings, as well as simply start and stop media became almost second nature. The pedal’s smooth actuation and satisfying click when it actuated never felt mushy in practice, though I will say it took some getting used to initially. I’m used to springy guitar pedals that have a lot of play in them, especially to help give certain distortion effects and such. This feels more like simply pressing a button, not necessarily swinging a pedal down.
This isn’t a bad thing, but if you’re looking for something to replace a Wah, reverb pedal and more, it might not be the best thing. However, if you want control over your recording studio set up, such as muting the microphone, starting or stopping the track in your monitors, and more, the Pedal can do that.
If you’re also looking for a way to make some of your games easier, the Elgato Stream Deck Pedal and help here. Assigning a pedal to an in-game macro can make firing it off during a raid as easy as tapping your foot. Want to peek around a wall or easily bring up the build menu in Fortnite? You can assign practically anything to the pedal, and actuating it during the heat of gameplay is much easier than pressing a button on the Stream Deck.
That said, this isn’t a device every gamer, or even every streamer needs. I’ve got both a Steam Deck Mini and Steam Deck 2.0, both decked out with macros, transitions and more to help with both workflow and streaming. Integrating the Pedal was easy, but I found myself at first defaulting to using the established set up as I got used to the pedal. It felt like an unnecessary addition at first.
However, once I got used to using it for actions such as screen transitions in OBS, muting an audio source in my Wave Link and Starting/Stopping the stream at the click of my foot, it slowly started to work into my workflow. Now it feels second nature, but I’m not sure it was necessary.
Conclusion
There isn’t a lot going wrong with the Elgato Stream Deck Pedal. It’s a good piece of kit that, when you get used to using it, can make a good addition to any workflow. Whether you’re a video editor, game streamer or musician, it has a use case for you. But is it necessary?
Short answer: no. You don’t need a Stream Deck Pedal, especially if you’re already engrained in the current Elgato ecosystem. But I will say it’s a very nice addition to have. The fact that it seems so limited at first, but when paired with the real star of any Elgato product, the software, it has so many possibilities, is great. And it means that, regardless of your personal use-case you’ll likely find a spot for it in your set up.
At $89.99, it’s a bit expensive for many budget-minded streamers out there, but it’s not priced poorly when you look at the pedal market otherwise. Pedals for racing kits, guitar pedals and more can be as, if not more, expensive. It’s the software here that makes the pedal worth the money in the end, as well. It’s seriously powerful and allows the Elgato Stream Deck Pedal to come into its own.
The Elgato Stream Deck Pedal is a nice piece of kit. It’s built really well, the ability to tune it to your liking both with software and with physical springs is a great touch, and it fits right into most setups on the floor under the desk. The software makes this a seriously powerful addition to your streaming or recording set up, and the ability to use it beyond those applications just adds to its value.
Being able to swap tools in Photoshop, turn off your video for a moment on a Zoom call, or simply mute your mic during a call at the tap of your foot is nice. While the pedal isn’t a necessary addition to your setup, unlike say a Stream Deck or FaceCam, it’s nice to have regardless of that little extra control.
Whether you’re buying it as a necessary addition to your set-up, or simply as a novelty to add a little extra control, you’re not going to be disappointed with the Stream Deck Pedal.
