You don’t need a Stream Deck to stream. But it makes your life a lot easier if you have one, because it enables you to automate pretty much everything you do. And it looks pretty great on your desk too, with a choice of white or black and lots of swappable face-plates available to order.
The standard Stream Deck connects via USB and has 15 programmable LCD buttons that you can use for whatever features you like, whether that’s triggering specific effects, launching and