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A popular form of hardware for PCs is the stream controller. Today, I’m looking at the Razer Stream Controller.
It may look familiar to some because it is, in fact, the Loupedeck Live, released by Razer. I’ve always been fascinated by what a PC user can do with something like this, and I was delighted to see how far it can go.
I’m still learning the extent of what sorts of things I can do with it, and that’s a great thing. It may be on the expensive side, but it is an incredible piece of tech for livestreamers.
Even if you don’t stream, it has some serious upsides.
What can Razer Stream Controller do?
Of course, the ideal use for the Razer Stream Controller is to help make streaming significantly easier. It has seven buttons on the front panel and six dials.
In addition, there’s a “Home” button, which is, by default, mapped to the main page of whatever workstation is currently in use.
These “workstations” are profiles that players can swap between, so they can have a set of commands and buttons for work, streaming, digital art, or whatever they feel a need to have buttons for.
The seven buttons default to swapping between pages of icons on the UI of the Razer Stream Controller. Each page has 12 buttons, and I can program them for many things.
For example, I have a dedicated page on mine that just controls my various randomizer overlays for my stream, TheBottomTier. With a simple button press, I can turn off or on any of these overlays with no issue.
I also have a separate set of buttons for all three scenes I occasionally use on stream.
Since my capture card is mapped to a different scene, I have different commands for those compared to what I use for my regular, retro/PC gaming. In addition, I can call up various websites I use while I work on a completely different workstation and have another workstation for when I’m writing in my downtime.
The six dials can also adjust various audio settings, and I imagine they also have uses for video and audio editing. While I do not create art or music, I could easily make a setup to pull up desired programs or run macros for those arts as well.
It’s a very flexible set of hardware and software.
Razer Stream Controller’s software can be incredibly easy to use
It’s pretty easy to set up commands, macros, and call up websites through the Loupedeck software. You can easily connect OBS, Streamlabs, Twitch, and Spotify to set up commands, macros, music, or load websites on your PC.
The Razer Stream Controller allows for some serious control over every facet of your work, stream or otherwise. It’s a simple enough matter to set it up to do video editing, call up specific art tools, and more.
I primarily set mine up for streaming, though. I added overlays and commands for my stream.
The only problem I had was that, for reasons I could not figure out, an image or gif would occasionally not work randomly on one of my buttons.
It was the most baffling thing because the image would then work on a different button. It was the only problem I had with the software.
While the base uses are pretty straightforward, it can be incredibly complex to go beyond that.
I wish the saved commands were sorted and organized better. It was too difficult to sort through them to figure out what audio commands I was looking for on my dials, for example.
Dragging the commands onto the Razer Stream Controller UI also felt very slow. It’s not the worst thing, but it is annoying.
It’s easy enough to set up various profiles and workstations, and while it’s very easy to set up stream control options on the device, there’s just so much more it can do, which could overwhelm some.
In Conclusion
I love the Razer Stream Controller because it can do so much more than help me run my stream. Sure, it’s marketed at streamers, but so many people can get a great deal of use out of it. It offers control over my PC that the competitors simply cannot hope to match.
However, it’s incredibly expensive. It’s not a cheap purchase, but it, in my estimation, is a worthwhile purchase. I love the feel of the haptic feedback on the buttons, and I love being able to turn on so many parts of my PC.
I learned I could even run my FFX14 macros through it, saving space on my screen. It’s easy enough to set a button to summon my mount, as an example.
I’m excited to figure out what else I can set up to make playing MMOs and other games much more accessible.
Razer Stream Controller
Product reviewed: Razer Stream Controller
Product provided by: Razer
Release date: Fall 2022
Size: 151 x 101.5 x 30.2mm
Weight: 210g (Stream Controller only, 216g with Angle Stand)
Interface: 12 LCD Touch Buttons, 2 Side LCD Screen, 6 Multi-Function Dials, 8 Multi-Function Buttons
Connectivity: 2-meter USB-A to USB-C cable
Contents: Razer Stream Controller, 2-meter cable, Detachable Stand
System requirements: macOS X 10.14 and later, Windows 10, Loupedeck software
