Logitech MX Creative Console Is a Stream Deck for Digital Artists

Most modern keyboards, even the smallest ones, come with at least 100 keys. But for streamers and digital artists, that’s often not enough. That’s where the popular macro pad comes in. Elgato Stream Deckcomes. These handy gadgets let you avoid keyboard shortcuts altogether, mapping commonly used actions that typically require multiple clicks or button presses to a single button. The best ones include extra features like on-screen dials or buttons for custom icons. Today, PC accessory maker Logitech is jumping into the ring with the MX Creative Console, a macro pad aimed primarily at professionals, especially those who use Adobe products.

At first glance, the MX Creative Console seems a bit expanded Stream Deck MiniAt a price point of $199, it comes with nine full-color LCD keys — a significant jump from the $59 Mini (though that device only comes with six). But below those nine keys, you’ll find two dedicated page-changing buttons that let you scroll through dozens of actions without using the macro keys. More importantly, there’s also a separate physical dial in the box, with four physical buttons and an additional wheel.

That’s a good amount of control, but no amount of additions will change the fact that only nine LCD keys can be active at once, which is far fewer than 32. Stream Deck XLit also costs $199. Still, Logitech hopes its target audience will be different enough from Elgato that it sets it apart. With the MX Creative Console, the company is targeting digital artists first, particularly those who use Adobe programs. While the Stream Deck can be used for creation, it’s sold more to streamers and gamers and is used to control aspects of a stream during a live broadcast or to give players more hotkeys to use in-game.

For creators and artists, the granular control that comes with a dial is more useful than a bunch of hotkeys, as a dial can more easily control things like zoom or brush size. Since the Creative Console comes with one large dial and one small wheel, Logitech is hoping that it will serve these users well.

Perhaps that’s why the company has partnered with Adobe to pre-program several plug-ins for its apps. These plug-ins automatically populate the Creative Console with useful macros as soon as you open an Adobe program, and switch to a new set of macros when you switch to a different Adobe program. You also get three months of Adobe Creative Cloud free with your purchase, up from the two months you get with the Stream Deck.

It’s not night and day, as various Stream Deck models also feature Adobe plugin support. The most obvious contender here Stream Deck +It costs $199 and has eight LCD buttons, a long rectangular touchscreen, and four small dials. Whether you go for the Creative Console depends on whether size or quantity of dials is more important to you.

Outside of Adobe, users can customize and share their own macros and icons using the device’s software, which comes preloaded with plug-ins for some non-Adobe apps like Spotify or Zoom.

I had a chance to play around with the Creative Console a bit ahead of its release, and while I thought the buttons were vibrant and the whole device had a luxurious feel to it, it’s definitely not for everyone. Probably my biggest complaint is that the dial doesn’t have a latch, which feels sleek and makes it a bit easier to make large movements, but it also makes precise adjustments more difficult. It takes a surprising amount of force to push the buttons on the macro pad, and the device itself has a confusing setup: The macro pad requires a wired USB-C connection, but the dial connects via Bluetooth or a Logi Bolt connector. Frustratingly, there’s no Logi Bolt connector in the box, so you’ll either have to buy one separately for $15 or hope to get one from another Logitech accessory.

It’s also frustrating that Logitech uses the Creative Console to ensure its own security. Ring of Actions feature that allows you to access a series of macros by holding down a button on your mouse and selecting them from a radial menu. Currently, the only way to access the Actions Ring is Sign up for early access on the Logitech websitebut Creative Console users can get access to it right away. It works with non-Logitech mice, but there’s no reason for the feature to be hard-wired. A Logitech representative told me that Actions Ring will be available for public download next year, but if it’s ready now, I don’t see any reason to restrict its launch in such a specific way.

And that’s really it. The MX Creative Console is a fine piece of hardware, but it’s quite specific and frustratingly stingy. I’d suggest waiting a bit, at least until the software ecosystem is more populated. The Stream Deck has had community support for years, so it’s a good idea to give Logitech some time to catch up.

The Logitech MX Creative Console will be available online on October 14, but the company says it will only be sold physically at B&H stores. It comes in two colors: white and black. Right now, the macro pad and dial pad are only sold together, but a Logitech representative told me the company may consider separate versions starting next year, which could help the device compete with Elgato’s multiple Stream Deck models.