Much to the dismay of my fellow coworkers, I admit I’ve got a soft spot for gadgets with RGB lighting. I prefer keyboards that light up like a disco ball (after all, you can always turn the lights off), and I pay extra to make sure that all the smart lights in my house can go full RGB instead of being limited to just white or shades of yellow.
But even for me, there is such a thing as too much RGB lighting, so for this holiday season, I’ve put together a list of the most extreme, over-the-top RGB-laden gadgets that you can buy today.
Razer Seiren Emoji ($216)
You know who Razer is, it’s the company that puts Chroma-powered RGB lights into practically everything you can imagine including coffee mugs, wireless chargers, kitty ears, and more. But perhaps the most ridiculous RGB device Razer sells today is this: the Razer Seiren. That’s because unlike a typical stand mic that might have a red light to let you know when its recording, Razer went the extra mile with the Seiren and built an 8-bit dot matrix-style colour display into the mic itself. That means not only can the Seiren display a whole range of RGB lights, with its companion app you can even program it to show animated emoticons, low-res gifs, and more. It’s the ultimate version of an RGB-powered microphone, which isn’t even a thing that most people even want or think about, and yet here it is.
Massage Gaming Chair with RGB LEDs ($400)
Nowadays, gaming chairs have become relatively common, but this no-brand version takes things to the tacky extreme with a strip of RGB LEDs that run along the outside of the chair along and a lumbar pillow with a built-in electric massage motor. The description for the product on Newegg reads “The colourful lights add a sense of science to the game which is unique in your room,” which makes absolutely no sense, but if RGB somehow adds science to your room, then my place might as well be CERN HQ.
However, the bigger issue with this generic RGB gaming chair is its design. This is the kind of product that gives RGB-equipped products a bad name, and the absence of a brand name suggests even its designers don’t want to be associated with it. And while this thing is certainly cheaper than Logitech and Herman Miller’s $2,000 gaming chair (which is basically a regular Herman Miller Embody chair with some neon blue accents), even $400 still seems like an overpay.
Corsair Smart Lighting Tower ($229 for the Starter Kit)
For $229 (for a pair of two), Corsair’s smart lighting towers are basically just RGB lightstrips mounted in a plastic vertical stand. However, Corsair has paid attention to the details, which means you can daisy chain up to four Lighting Towers together and then connect them to your PC, allowing you to sync their RGB lights with the rest of your battlestation. On top of that, the towers even come with a small headset holder, adding a bit of extra functionality to your lights. Neat. So while these things might look a bit silly, they are really just simple and somewhat handy ways of making your gaming setup glow all the colours of the rainbow, which might not be soothing for everyone, but it is for me and many others.
Thermaltake Level 20 RGB Battlestation Gaming Desk ($1,599)
Speaking of battlestations, at this point you can add RGB lighting to basically every component in a desktop, but what about your the desk itself? Well thankfully, Thermaltake has a solution for the problem you didn’t even know you had: a desk with integrated RGB lighting.
Admittedly, while the RGB lightstrip that runs around the outside of the desk might seem superfluous to some, Thermaltake’s desk actually appears to be quite well equipped, with the Level 20 including an electric motor and controls that allows the Battlestation to transform into a standing desk, built-in cable management, a relatively beefy load weight of up to 330 pounds, and support for iTake, Razer Chroma, and Alexa integration, giving you a wide range of ways to sync and control your RGB smart desk.
ESHLDTY T1 RGB Waterproof Power Strip ($85)
The T1 RGB power strip is a true galaxy brain gadget, because not only does it bring the RGB lifestyle to the sedate world of power strips (which are typically available in boring black, white, or beige plastic), it’s also IPX6 certified, which means even if your desktop or laptop won’t survive a splash, your power source will be just fine. On top of that, the T1 also features four built-in 20-watt USB PD charging ports, nine different RGB hues to choose from, surge and overload protection, and even a music rhythm features that lets those lights pulse in sync with your tunes. With the T1, no longer will RGB lighting be confined to your gaming rig.
Asus ROG Phone 3 ($1,699)
The Asus ROG Phone 3 is a bit of a weird one, because while on one hand it has way more RGB lighting than any phone not made by Red Magic (including the limited-edition Cyberpunk OP8T), I think Asus could have pushed things even further. Sure, Asus’ evil eye ROG logo is certainly aggressive, but I’d like to see more ways to customise the colours, some lighting in front, and of course, more RGB lights in general. The Asus ROG Phone 3 is a spec-laden beast of a phone, it should have an equally outlandish technicolor design, so until my retinas bleed, I won’t be truly satisfied.
Vivify Arquus W730 RGB HDMI Cable ($130)
It’s time for Monster cables to move aside, because not only is Vivify’s $130 Arquus W730 RGB HDMI cable much cheaper than Monster’s cash grab cords, it also uses high-quality fibre optics and Kevlar to ensure the cable is durable and your video signal doesn’t suffer from electromagnetic interference. The W730 also supports 4K UHD video with HDR 10 with data speeds of up to 18 Gbps, and as for its RGB, it even has Razer Chroma integration so your rat’s nest of cables behind your TV or monitor can pulse away along with all your other gadgets in front. The only thing the W730 is really missing is HDMI 2.1 support, which sadly means this cable might not be the best thing to pair with a PS5 or Xbox Series X, but that’s OK, nothing’s perfect.
RGB Neck Tie ($50)
Finally, in case any of the previous product didn’t already enchanted with all their RGB glory, I present you with this, a USB-rechargable RGB neck tie. Sporting a series of fiberoptic lines that run down its length, this RGB tie is said to be perfect for “ festival, rave, bars, clubs, electric glow run, costume parties, cosplay, concerts, Mardi Gras, DJ, carnivals, masquerade, dancing, weeding, music shows, EDM, gifts and more.”
Now I kind doubt how many people might want to wear this tie to a masquerade or weeding (?!?), there’s no doubt this thing will make a statement. However, just be careful, because like Cinderella’s carriage after midnight, the RGB tie is going to turn into a pumpkin (or at least a very silly looking non-RGB lit tie) when its battery runs out of juice after two to three and a half hours.