I didn’t think I needed a modular keypad — until I tried this one

I’ve dabbled in streaming in the past, but I am definitely not a streamer. I play my games alone, with a little music turned on in the background and plenty of volume to get me immersed. So, devices like the wildly popular Elgato Stream Deck never appealed to me.

I could see the utility of having dedicated buttons for productivity purposes, but I couldn’t justify actually spending money on a device. But then Cooler Master’s Stream Deck competitor, the MasterHub, showed up on my doorstep.

The modular desktop control panel is squarely targeting the Stream Deck, but Cooler Master has a unique approach on a desktop control center. It’s fully modular, allowing you to mix, match, and swap out different components instantly to make a command center uniquely suited to you. The MasterHub won’t get me started on streaming, but it quickly became second nature for accessing some of my most frequent settings, files, and applications.

What you make of it

The MasterHub is fully modular. The device itself is just a plastic base with a slew of gold-plated pins, and you add modules on top that secure themselves magnetically. That allows you not only to choose what modules you want on your MasterHub but also how they’re laid out. I wrote off that second point when I saw the MasterHub earlier this year, but it makes a huge difference.

I used the large dial module with an IPS display in the bottom-left corner of the device, and given that the MasterHub is set up on the right side of my desk, it’s the closest control to my hands. If I were streaming, however, I might put the 15-key IPS display module closer to my hand, or if I was using Photoshop controls, I might use the precision fader module.

There are various different versions of the Stream Deck, but the MasterHub’s modular approach is truly something special. You have to adapt your workflow to one of the Stream Deck’s layouts, and although Elgato makes that easy to do, it’s still a transition. The MasterHub adapts to your workflow. You set up the modules you want in the layout you want, and you can even double-up on modules if you need more controls of a specific type.

You can change the layout at any time, too. Cooler Master has done a great job of making the MasterHub feel responsive to changes. While writing this article, I swapped every module I had set up to go from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation, and everything populated to the correct orientation with my correct settings within seconds. You can store multiple profiles through the MasterHub software (more on that next), so it’s not out of the question to completely change the layout for different purposes.

I’ve touched on a few of the modules here, but overall, Cooler Master has five modules for the MasterHub now. There’s the large dial with an IPS display and the 15-key IPS display module, but Cooler Master also offers a module with dual scroller wheels, a module with three knobs, and a module with five mini faders. That’s a solid starting lineup, but I suspect Cooler Master will design and release more modules over time. When I visited the company’s headquarters earlier this year, for example, it showed off a dedicated display module that could slot into the MasterHub base.

Tactile response

Although the Stream Deck and MasterHub are targeted at streaming, it’s hard to overstate how nice it is having tactile knobs and buttons for digital controls. I can control my volume with a large knob, scroll webpages with a roller, and launch my frequent apps like Steam and Discord with a button. I even set up a couple of hotkeys I use commonly as buttons, including turning on HDR and opening the volume mixer in Windows.

All of this comes together with the MasterHub software, which is easy to use but a bit barebones at the moment. You’ll find a list of commands on the right side, which you can filter by selecting a knob or button. Once you find the setting you want, you drag it over to the knob or button you want to assign it to. If it’s a button, you can use one of several icons Cooler Master includes or upload your own, as well as rename the assignment.

The most powerful module is undoubtedly the 15-key IPS display, where all of the actions in MasterHub are available. There are dozens of settings for your system and getting around your PC, from launching websites or applications to triggering hotkeys to adjusting media. MasterHub has a multitasking option, as well, allowing you to trigger a series of actions with a single button press. And, if 15 keys isn’t enough for you, you can store multiple pages and flip through them directly from the keypad.

There are a good amount of options for your system and MasterHub (as well as Cooler Master’s MasterCTRL with a compatible cooler), but these types of control pads live and die by their integrations. And out of the gate, Cooler Master has a good suite of options available. For streamers, you have controls for both OBS Studio and Streamlabs. Both include options to start and stop streaming, transition between scenes, and control your various audio sources. There are definitely more options for OBS, though. You can control the virtual camera, apply a filter, and much more.

Options for Twitch are available, too, from triggering an ad to chat settings to making a clip. Cooler Master doesn’t have controls for any other streaming platform, however. That’s not going to be a big deal in most cases, but the Stream Deck has controls for just about every platform you could want.

Somewhere the MasterHub has a leg up is Adobe apps, or at least Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Illustrator. You’ll find controls for all of these apps in MasterHub, free of charge. The Stream Deck technically supports these apps — and even more Adobe apps — but you’ll need to spend $15 for the hotkeys and icons for each if you don’t want to set up the controls manually.

Although Cooler Master has a solid number of options out of the gate, it needs a lot of work. There are so many tools that benefit from this type of control center, and Cooler Master doesn’t have a system to integrate those tools yet.

Cooler Master needs to go further

Cooler Master could make the best Stream Deck alternative in the world, and it wouldn’t matter. Elgato has had years to build up a large library of plugins from first- and third-party sources that you can download directly to the Stream Deck, and usually for free. Cooler Master doesn’t have that yet. The company says it will launch a marketplace for plugins at some point, but it will really come down to community interest if that marketplace is worth investing in or not.

The other issue is price. The MasterHub kit is very expensive. You can pick up the basic streaming kit with faders, rollers, and the 15-key display for $299 on the MasterHub Kickstarter now, but it will be $399 when it officially launches. And if you want all of the modules, you’ll spend $399 now or $549 when it officially launches. Meanwhile, the Stream Deck+ will run you $200, and you can get a basic Stream Deck for less than $150.

The MasterHub appeals to those who need a lot of controls, not just a few shortcuts. It offers some clear advantages over a regular Stream Deck, but it also comes in at a much higher price. Cooler Master has built a solid foundation, but I’d hold off on investing in the ecosystem until we can see what the marketplace has to offer, as well as what Cooler Master plans to do with its modular system in the future.