StreamPi

What's the best way to spark a conversation with typical Gen X and Z representatives and could even work on Millennials? That's right - streaming.

After you've exhausted all the possible topics, it's time to talk about the unseen reality of streaming - the involved costs.

Besides expensive computers, webcams, microphones, and all the required software (some of it paid), a good stream is also the result of the so-called "additional streaming gear": lighting accessories, green screens, capture cards, and, of course, the mighty ElGato Stream Deck.

While you can't cut corners on most of them, you can get away with having to pay up to $140-150 for a  Stream Deck.

Behold StreamPi, the blood, sweat, and tears of two passionate developers, Samuel Quinones and Debayan Sutradhar.

It's an interesting open-source and totally free alternative to the ElGato Stream Deck, designed for Raspberry Pi. In short, since it's free, you can get the full Stream Deck experience by simply paying the tiny cost of a Raspberry Pi (somewhere around $35).

Short answer is - yes. For starters, it features full OBS integration, (it doesn't require you to set up hotkeys, and it automatically detects scenes, sources, and transitions).

Even more so, it has awesome cross-platform compatibility (just Windows and Linux, but iOS, Android, and others are in the works).

Twitter integration is also checked. This allows you to create tweets with a single push of a button. Last but not least, here is a look at some planned features: computer control, IFTTT support, and integration for basically everything that has an API (Spotify, Adobe, Discord, etc.).

StreamPi consists of two main parts: the client and the server. To get started, simply download the client and server from their respective repositories. The client can be installed either on the Client (like a Raspberry Pi device) or on any modern PC.

Extract the contents to a folder you can remember on the Raspberry Pi, open the CMD and change the directory to the extracted folder from the previous step and run the following command: "sudo ./install.sh".

Once the setup is done, ensure that StreamPi boots at startup, and run the following command in the CMD window "sudo /home/pi/StreamPi/start_streampi".

The Server install is less complex, but before anything, you need to install the OBS Socket Plugin.

Download the archive from the repository, extract the contents to a folder to any location of your choosing, and run the app (and take note of the IP that it provides you with). All that's left to do now is to go to the Client Settings section and change the default IP to the one listed on the server app. You're done!

More in-depth information regarding the installation process can be found on the official Download section.

How can you replace the somewhat expensive Stream Deck? Well, you can either opt for a fancy macro keyboard, or you buy yourself a cheap Raspberry Pi and download StreamPi.

It offers all the Stream Deck experience, but it does require you to take a small amount of time to set it up properly. On the upside, this way you save a lot of money. And, since you're saving money, maybe consider helping the project out by donating.