Software: Stream Deck

As with the CORSAIR K95 RGB Platinum XT that introduced the feature first and then added to the company's flagship mechanical keyboards, the use of Elgato Stream Deck for the G-keys to be used as Stream Deck keys is an important feature of the K55 RGB PRO XT (and non-XT). As such, there is a second software driver in the form of Elgato's Stream Deck, and the installer can be downloaded from the Elgato downloads page. The latest release at the time of testing was version 4.9 (beta drivers with support for the K55 RGB PRO keyboards), and the installer is 96 MB in size. As seen above, installation is fairly straightforward, and the final package approximately takes up 225 MB.


When you do open the program, it is best to have the keyboard connected and iCUE installed and running or there will not be much to see or do here. Opening it for the first time with both conditions satisfied, we see a minimalist layout with part of the keyboard shown, and the six compatible, selectable keys. There is also G-Keys Action Bar, a floating OSD widget that stays in the foreground even if the software window is minimized, and you need to pick the hide option in the system tray icon to close it, which is an improvement compared to before. The widget otherwise acts as a quick reference for the actions set to these six keys, and the software as a whole is extremely easy to use and stable. CORSAIR seems to have moved away from the S-key referral that was on the K95 RGB Platinum XT, so "CORSAIR G-Keys" is the general product name in the software for all applicable keyboards.

Using the Stream Deck app to customize the six compatible keys on the K55 RGB PRO XT is as simple as choosing your preferred function of choice and dragging it over to the key you want. There is a good deal of compatibility with various video streaming platforms and add-on modules to make your life easier, with XSplit Broadcasting and Twitch Studio integration as the major additions since the last time we took a look at it. This effectively makes the new K55 RGB PRO XT (and non-XT) a small Stream Deck kit and offers easier streaming controls to gamers. Note that the program has to be running, be it in the foreground or system tray, for these functions to work since the onboard hardware profiles are restricted to iCUE functions. So to make the most of this keyboard, you would want to have both iCUE and Stream Deck installed and running, which may not be what some people would like to hear, but you don't need to do it to have a functional keyboard anyway.