Logitech MX Creative Console Is a Streaming Platform for Digital Artists
Most modern keyboards, even the smallest ones, have at least 100 keys. But for streamers and digital artists, this is often not enough. This is where the Macro Dashboard, popularized by the Elgato Stream Deck , comes in. These handy devices allow you to avoid using keyboard shortcuts entirely, instead mapping frequently used actions that would normally require multiple mouse clicks or button presses onto a single button. The best ones include additional features such as watch faces or buttons with screens for custom icons. PC accessories maker Logitech today introduces the MX Creative Console, a macro panel aimed primarily at professionals, especially those who use Adobe products.
At first glance, the MX Creative Console looks like a slightly beefed-up version of the Stream Deck Mini : it comes with nine full-color LCD keys for $199, which is a significant premium over the Mini’s $59 price (though that unit only comes with six keys). But underneath those nine keys, you’ll notice two dedicated page switch buttons that let you scroll through dozens of actions without using macro keys. More importantly, the box also includes a separate physical watch face with four physical buttons and an additional wheel.
That’s a good number of controls, although no amount of extras will change the fact that you can only have nine active LCD keys at a time, which is much less than the 32 on the Stream Deck XL , which also costs $199. However, Logitech hopes its audience is different enough from Elgato’s to set it apart from its competitors. With the MX Creative Console, the company is primarily targeting digital artists, especially those using Adobe programs. While the Stream Deck can be used for creation, it is more often sold to streamers and gamers and is used to control aspects of the stream while it is being broadcast, or even to provide players with more hotkeys to use in-game.
For creators and artists, granular control with the dial is often more useful than multiple hotkeys because the dial makes it easier to control parameters like zoom or brush size. Since the Creative Console has one large dial and one small wheel, Logitech hopes it will serve these users well.
Perhaps that’s why the company has partnered with Adobe to pre-program various plugins for its apps that automatically populate the Creative Console with handy macros as soon as you open an Adobe program, and switch to a new set of macros when you switch to another Adobe program. With your purchase you also get three free months of Adobe Creative Cloud instead of the two you get with the Stream Deck purchase.
It’s not night and day, as various Stream Deck models also support Adobe plugins. The most obvious competitor here is the Stream Deck+ , which also costs $199 and has eight LCD buttons, a long, rectangular touchscreen, and four small dials. Whether you prefer Creative Console depends on whether the size or number of your watch faces matters more to you.
Outside of Adobe, users can also customize and share their own macros and icons using the device’s software, which comes pre-loaded with plugins for several non-Adobe apps, such as Spotify or Zoom.
I had to play around with Creative’s console a bit before release, and while I think the buttons are bright and the whole device looks luxurious, it’s definitely not for everyone. My biggest complaint is probably that the dial doesn’t have a ratcheting mechanism, which looks unusual and makes large movements easier, but also makes fine adjustments difficult. The buttons on the macro panel also require a surprising amount of force to press, and the device itself has a confusing setup: the macro panel requires a wired USB-C connection, but the watch face connects via either Bluetooth or a Logi Bolt connector. Unfortunately, there’s no Logi Bolt connector in the box, so you’ll either have to buy it separately for $15 or hope you already have one from another Logitech accessory.
It’s also disappointing that Logitech uses the Creative Console to disable the Actions Ring feature, which allows your mouse to access a number of macros by holding down a button and selecting them from a radial menu. Currently, the only way to access Actions Ring is to sign up for early access on the Logitech website , but Creative Console users will have access to it right away. It works with third-party mice, but there’s no reason to tie this feature to hardware. A Logitech rep 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 limit its release in that specific way.
And this is true. The MX Creative Console is good hardware, but very specific and annoyingly stingy. I’d suggest holding off on it for a bit, at least until its software ecosystem becomes more populated. The Stream Deck has many years of community support, so it’s good to give Logitech time to catch up.
The Logitech MX Creative Console will go on sale online on October 14, although the company says it will only be sold physically at B&H stores. It comes in two colors: white and black. For now, the Macro Deck and Dial Pad are only sold together, although a Logitech rep told me that the company may be considering separate editions starting next year, which could help the device compete with several Elgato Stream Deck models.