I've been looking for quite a while now at the Elgato Stream Deck XL and would be interested in hearing thoughts about this product from anyone who has been using it with MSFS. I've seen a few videos on YouTube, but it seems a little complicated and not that intuitive. Is this a fair perception I have? Would be great to hear some thoughts. Thanks fellas.

Edited October 16, 20214 yr by Rockliffe

Howard I bought one about 4 months ago and I think it is an amazing piece of kit.

Definitely not complicated and I thought it was fairly easy to learn. There are excellent templates on flightsim.to cover off most of the aircraft that require the interaction of the Stream Deck.

One major example is the CRJ. I find that with the buttons strewn all over the aircraft that the Stream Deck in invaluable for providing various inputs while maintaining my preferred cockpit view.

Even flying the C172, I use it for autopilot inputs.

A few people here on Avsim have this product so if you require any assistance making a start there will be plenty of people to help out.

In summary I wouldn’t want to be without it now.

I have two StreamDecks (32 button XL and 15 button) and absolutely love them.  I use SPAD.NEXT to handle all the mappings (config for each plane I fly).  I know there are many who use Axis & Ohs to run their StreamDecks.  I use one for whatever buttons/switches I want to map and the other for camera views and master caution/warning lights.  Seriously considering getting another one but for now, the two work for me.  Does take time to set up the configs due to finding the appropriate Simconnect & LVAR events to map.  But it's well worth it.

 

do you need the complete edition of SPAD.NEXT for it to recognize StreamDeck?

You can download the Stream Deck software (https://www.elgato.com/en/downloads) without actually buying the device, so you can get a feel of how things work and how you set them up on the software side.  I did this as kind of a preview before purchasing.  What an amazing device and software.  The abilities are simply endless and go far beyond MSFS or streaming.

I just bought flightdeck.to ‘s software for the stream deck (works for all sims). The MSFS version is actually open source, so you could download it without paying.

It has a bunch of ready-made profiles for a few different a/c, it makes it really easy.

I haven’t had time to use it all that much but seems great so far.

what do you guys mostly use stream deck for? Could you explain some good uses for it?

I've been using an XL with Lorby's Axis & Ohs for a few weeks now, and for me it's a game changer when flying complex aircraft like the DC-6. I no longer need to take my eyes off the instruments, for example when engaging the AP after take-off. And no more view changes or head contortions with Track-IR whilst starting from cold & dark.

Sure, you could probably map some switches to your conventional controllers, but you'll soon run out of buttons. In addition, Stream Deck buttons are dynamic and provide visual feedback and display other information that's not otherwise readily available. For example: when flying the Piaggio P.149 my Stream Deck profile has a read-out of the DME distance of the dialed-in VOR. Whilst not "realistic" (the aircraft doesn't come equipped with a DME receiver) it was sorely lacking. Ditto for OAT.

I also don't believe it isn't intuitive. Plus, there's free profiles available for almost all MSFS aircraft (including payware a/c) on flightsim.to

Edited October 17, 20214 yr by gunther

8 hours ago, Rockliffe said:

I've been looking for quite a while now at the Elgato Stream Deck XL and would be interested in hearing thoughts about this product from anyone who has been using it with MSFS

Interesting thread and posts. I looked into it but haven’t got one : 

- I love a good VC and manipulating switches, levers and whatnots. Case in point : the gyropilot in the DC6. How dull would it be to handle it without looking at it ?

- it is a slick gizmo all right but, at the end of the day, isn't just a glorified numpad ? 

Now, never say never. 

A numpad with 32 Buttons, where you can have animated gauges/Switches. Different for each aircraft, different switches, different layout. 

Or run several programs at once if you like it. 

 

Thanks all so much for the replies guys, really very helpful. It looks like the credit card is going to get a bashing  which is a bit of a pain, 'cos I've just paid for a FulcrumSim yoke! 

Howard-

@guenseli is much too modest to toot his own horn, but he's THE GUENTER from LINDA and now Axis' and Ohs and author of most of the BRILLIANT profiles available for LINDA and A&O.  He is a huge believer in Streamdeck and works very hard at supporting the community.

https://flightsim.to/profile/Guenseli/uploads

HTH- C

How does this compare to Touch Portal for Tablets.

Brian

1 hour ago, cavaricooper said:

Howard-

@guenseli is much too modest to toot his own horn, but he's THE GUENTER from LINDA and now Axis' and Ohs and author of most of the BRILLIANT profiles available for LINDA and A&O.  He is a huge believer in Streamdeck and works very hard at supporting the community.

https://flightsim.to/profile/Guenseli/uploads

HTH- C

Ahh, good old Guenter. I see, that is very helpful Carl. Many thanks for the info, appreciated.

I will add one more source for those who want to explore further - there is a plugin on github that allows you to use the stream deck with FSUIPCs Virtual Buttons facility - giving you even more functions to play with

https://github.com/IslandJohn/StreamDeckFSUIPC

Edited October 17, 20214 yr by TonyD