Gaming enthusiasts now go beyond just any room decor for their rooms. Apart from a perfectly ready battle station, the rest of the room needs the right ambiance to set you in the mood for Fortnight or Call of Duty. Well, you can spice things up without breaking a bank; you can use cool RGB light strips and smart lights from the comfort of your home. The best part about these light strips is that you can install them at the back of your monitor or on your table’s edge for a diffused glow. Plus, the ability to control some of these lights from your phone is the cherry on top.
If you have a smart home device like the Echo Show or the Echo Spot, you can link and control these lights through voice commands.
So, if you are looking to spruce up your gaming room with some cool lighting, here are some of the best RGB light strips and lights that we have handpicked. Let’s get going, shall we? But first,
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1. Philips Hue Play
The Philips Hue Play is not a LED light strip in the strictest sense. However, if you want to cast diffused light on the walls behind your monitor (bias lighting), you can definitely consider this one. This pack of two comes with two sleek lights that are both light and portable. And the sleek design means it will sit well with the rest of your gaming decor.
From the smart point of view, these light bars are versatile and compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple Homekit, and Google Home and respond to voice commands. And like most smart lights, you will be able to set timers and schedules on these lights. This one can cycle between different hues and shades.
Installation and setup is a pain-free affair. Several users on Amazon have backed this claim. Like most Philips Hue smart lights, these bars will also require a hub to function. If you already have one, it’s well and good. But if not, it will add up to the cost.
Considering the size of these light bars, sticking them up behind the monitor won’t really make sense since the bars tend to fall. On the upside, the company ships two circular bases for the bars to stand.
2. Kasa Smart KL430 LED Strip
Another great alternative to the Philips Hue Lightbars is the Kasa Smart KL430 LED Strip. Unlike the one above, it doesn’t need a hub to function. It’s versatile and is compatible with Amazon Alexa. You can either switch to a basic color temperature or switch to one of the many color presets. Like most smart lights, it comes with its own smarts like schedule, timer, and brightness control. Moreover, the lights are dimmable. For example, if you are playing a graphic intensive game like Cyberpunk 2077 and want the light to be subtle, it is easily doable.
It comes with a self-stick adhesive, and all you need to do is stick it to the undersides of your table or on table edges. And since these strips can be cut, you can also use them as bias lights. For the record, the default strip measures 6.6ft and can be easily extended to 33ft.
The Kasa Smart KL430 connects to your home Wi-Fi, which makes it easy to control even from afar.
So far, this LED light strip has amassed a good number of reviews. People like its colors, easy installation process, and Alexa integration. And as per Fakespot’s estimates about 80% of the reviews are trustworthy and can be relied upon.
Pair it with: If you plan to stick it to the undersides of your gaming table, you can get the Yescom Wi-Fi Smart LED Lights to complete the circle.
3. NZXT HUE 2 Ambient V2 Kit
The NZXT HUE 2 Ambient V2 Kit is the one for you looking for more advanced lighting strips/kit. This one delivers glorious lighting and brings several customizations to the table. While other lights let you control the lighting or make any adjustments via an app or voice commands, this one goes a step ahead and brings a dedicated software to the table, named CAM software. From making the groove of the light to music to adjusting the brightness as per your GPU’s temperature stats, this software lets you do a lot. In short, it’s a gamer’s delight.
The kit has a control unit and a couple of strips of LED. Each LED strip contains around 10 LEDs. You will need to connect the strips to the control center via the two 4-pin connectors and connect the kit to the PC.
Quite obviously, all these arrangements mean you will need to have considerable cable management in place to have a clean look. But the good news is that once you get that out of the way, you will be looking at a beautiful glow behind the monitor.
Naturally, this one costs a little more than the ones above, considering the many customizations the kit brings to the table. The folks at Tweak Town ppines that all the efforts are worth it for the NZXT HUE 2 Ambient V2 delivers an impressive result.
4. Govee Smart RGB LED Strip Lights
How does the idea of lights grooving to the sound of music ‘sound’ to you? If you are excited by this one, it’s time you had a look at the Govee RGB Music Sync lights. This LED strip comes with a built-in mic that changes the lights’ color and brightness as per the ambient sound. It’s a smart light and can either be controlled by Alexa or via the in-house app. The best part? It’s affordable.
There are a couple of presets, and you can choose one depending on the mood you want to set. Do note that the light does not continuously sync with the music. Only when you switch to the music mode does this effect come into play. You will get other smarts such as timers and brightness control.
When it comes to the mic, it’s a little sensitive and responds to the tiniest of sounds, even footsteps, if you are not too careful. Nevertheless, these lights have been received well for their performance. Out of the 3,000 reviews on Amazon, it has managed to accumulate an average rating of 4.4-stars.
Do note that these are not exceptionally bright.
5. NiteBird Smart LED Strip Lights
Another lighting strip that you can use to enhance your gaming room’s looks is the one by NiteBird. It can either be used for bias lighting or in the undersides of your desk. By default, it’s designed for TVs and monitors which measure around 32-inch and more. Like most of the light strips in this list, it’s a smart light and is compatible with Amazon Alexa.
At the same time, it syncs to music, thanks to the built-in mic. Or, if you are not in the mood for that, you can just set it to a hue of your choice out of the 16 million colors.
However, the affordable price tag means you will have to compromise on the setup process and the durability.
Pair it with: How about adding a ‘Game Over’ icon to your gaming room? Take a trip back to the 90s with this classic pixelated lamp.
6. Govee Dreamcolor LED TV Backlights
Another Govee LED light strip you can check out the Dreamcolor, especially if you have a TV in your room. These lights are feature-rich. You control them via the official app or through voice commands. Like most smart lights, you can simply switch to lighting color presets if you want to keep things simple.
So what’s makes these lights special? For one, it comes with a camera that helps the lights sync with the monitor’s color. Here, you’ll need to stick to the top of your TV (preferably 55-inch or bigger) parallel to the floor. Once it detects the color of the light thrown on it, it’ll trigger the LED strip to switch colors.
It will obviously need stronger and bright colors for the sync to be seamless; else, it will stick to more subdued colors. However, the camera sticking out of the TV may turn out to be an eyesore.
So far, it has managed to earn a decent amount of reviews primarily for its performance, easy installation, and brightness.
Pop the Color
LED lighting is not just about adding a splash of color to your gaming room. The right light behind your monitor can reduce eye strain and eye fatigue, especially when you game for long hours. Plus, you can change the color scheme as per your choice without having to recolor your room.
Last updated on 02 February, 2022
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
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