Macro pads are common amongst streamers, and for good purpose—mapping shortcuts to a single button press makes life simpler. The one of many best-known pads is the ever-popular Elgato Stream Deck, however its time because the reigning accent is perhaps over. Cooler Master simply unveiled its MasterHub machine at Computex, and it takes the idea of a macro pad to an entire new degree.

Unlike the Stream Deck, the MasterHub is modular—a running theme at Cooler Master’s sales space this yr. You snap totally different modules onto a base (i.e., the “hub”), creating your individual customized mixture and structure to fit your wants. Macro keys, bodily quantity sliders, management knobs, scrub bars, and contact display shows are simply a few of the choices. It supplies loads of flexibility, sufficient in order that you might swap modules primarily based on how your work modifications in the course of the day. Paul’s Hardware took the {hardware} for a spin, which you’ll be able to see under.

At launch, three MasterHub bundles might be obtainable—one for streamers, one for video editors, and one for photographers. Each has a distinct configuration, tailor-made for the same old wants of every sort of creator. If you need to regulate your setup, you should purchase extra modules from Cooler Master; the corporate says 9 varieties might be obtainable for particular person buy on its web site. Cooler Master additionally plans to finally provide quite a lot of base sizes, which may assist remove the necessity for several types of management decks at your desk (Stream Deck, quantity controller, and so forth). You can have only one central machine.

To tweak settings on your MasterHub, you’ll use Cooler Master’s upcoming MasterManagement software program, which can arrive first in mid-July (Paul took at peek at it earlier than the hub within the video above). The MasterHub will observe in late November. Cost has but to be introduced, however Cooler Master’s plans are bold for this new piece of equipment. Controlling your PC is simply the beginning—finally, that may increase to your room atmosphere in 2024, then full sensible residence automation, in 2025. The ultimate price ticket may mirror these ambitions.