Bigger isn’t always better. But for my sake, I really hope the adage holds true for my new Elgato Stream Deck XL. Let’s open this thing up together!
When you pop the top, you’ll be greeted with the quick start guide. It’s made of a thick stock and features some nice diagrams.
Just underneath is the Stream Deck XL contained in a thin cloth bag. Nice touch to make the product feel more premium and prevent any scratches in transport.
Taking it out of the box and the bag, it was hard to ignore a few aspects about its build quality. For starters, the XL is a hefty piece of kit. At 14.46 oz, it weighs more than double the original. Between its weight and overall sturdiness, the XL feels like a step up in build quality.
The other immediate difference was its stand. Unlike the cheap flappy plastic contraption that props up the original Stream Deck, the XL has a beefy stand that attaches to the deck with magnets. While you can’t adjust its angle, the stand is incredibly sturdy. The hole at the bottom that acts as a pass-thru for the braided USB-C cable.
Now let’s talk about the star of the show. Look at all of those buttons! The Stream Deck XL contains a whopping 32 buttons over the standard edition’s 15. If paired with another Stream Deck, the potential functions you can program rise considerably. Can’t wait to use them all!
Here’s a top-down look of the Stream Deck XL just cause.
One last look at the Stream Deck XL beside my standard Stream Deck. Both shown with 15 buttons programmed in. As you can see, the Stream Deck XL has many extra buttons to fill in.
The most curious thing worth noting is the differences in the screens on each button. For some reason, the XL buttons that look greenish in the picture look more dark grey on the original. It doesn’t really hurt my experience, but it is an odd difference worth noting.
Let me spend a few more days test driving this beast. Will get back to you with a full review soon!
In Third Person 
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