I admit it: I use Razer’s mechanical gaming keyboards and its smart lights to create a bit of an ~aesthetic~ in my office. And people like me are the reason why Razer launched a smart home app for its Chroma RGB lighting ecosystem.
It’s not a bad idea. After all, Razer’s made a name for itself with its black gaming peripherals bedecked in over-the-top, colourful RGB lighting. Razer plans those to unify those accessories, including smart bulbs and light fixtures from other brands, in its new smart home app.
Razer already has planned integration with more than 50 hardware partners and 200 games. And third-party smart light brands have already signed on, including Nanoleaf, LIFX, Yeelight, Monster, and Twinkly. Razer is hoping its CES 2022 announcement will entice more companies to come on board.
Notably missing from the mention is Signify’s Philips Hue, one of the more popular smart bulb ecosystems. There is native Philips Hue bridge integration through Razer’s Synapse PC software for existing Razer users, which syncs up your bulbs with the lights on the gaming keyboard.
Razer’s Smart Home App looks like its own gamer-fied version of the Philips Hue app or even Google Home. However, all we have to go off of is a screenshot of the main app page. I see shortcuts for creating rooms and making routines, but it seems limited to lighting. Razer says its smart home app comes with 16.8 million colours and a suite of lighting effects.
Razer’s peripherals and accessories, and by extension its Chrome RGB platform, are all meant to work in tandem to help set a mood before you plop your butt down at the computer. I think it might actually be easier to do so with the Razer smart home app than it would be to use Google Home, which doesn’t currently have support for changing the colours and patterns on Razer’s light fixtures.
Depending on how the Razer smart home app connects, this might also make it easier for those who don’t have the smart home “keys,” or so to speak, to create custom light scenes without admin access. I’ve reached out to Razer to ask if the light syncing functionality will extend to all of its light-up devices, like its CPU fans and keyboards, which would make for some seriously killer aesthetics.
Look, I wanted to think this was dumb, but it actually seems like it might be useful if you’re designing an entire lighting look for your gaming setup (or your office, whatever, no judgment). And, hey, at least it sounds fun.
Razer plans to launch the new smart home app for Android and iOS in the first half of this year.