Ecosystem synergies and lock-in

A gaming room is inherently associated with RGB lighting. The lighting looks really cool and adds to the vibe and immersion of gaming. However, choosing the best lighting is extremely confusing because of the many different brands and models. Moreover, to get the most out of your lighting, you need to stick to one ecosystem, which means you will be more or less locked into that brand when you make your first buy.

You can of course mix and match brands, but having both Hue, Nanoleaf, and Govee in my home, I really don’t recommend that. At least not for gaming. There are several reasons to stick to one ecosystem:

• Controlling is much easier because you only need one app. Sure, you can use Google Home, but it only offers a fraction of the functionality.
• The dynamic scenes will be synchronized.
• You can make cooler effects that use all your lighting, e.g. a wave around your entire room.
• The colors will be the same. The brands do not have the same color accuracy.

As such, reviews comparing individual lighting models, e.g. bulbs or LED strips, are only making things worse because you might be tempted to focus on only one aspect and thus end up having different brands.

It is also important to keep in mind that new products are launched all the time, but the brand strategies remain almost the same. This is another argument in favor of focusing on a brand and not a single product when you have to make your choice.

Just choose between 3 quality brands

The only 3 brands you really need to consider (for gaming) are Philips Hue, Nanoleaf, and Govee. They all make good quality products (for what you pay) and they each have their strengths.

Comparisons

I will start by giving you some brief 1:1 comparisons on important factors and then summarize each of the brands to make it simple – as promised.

Price level

There is no getting around it. Smart lighting for your gaming room is expensive no matter what. Here we are speaking in relative terms.

Philips Hue is expensive as hell bordering overpriced. Especially their light strips cost 4 times as much as Govee and apart from color accuracy, I actually think the Govee light strips are superior.

Nanoleaf has a reasonably priced Essentials line with bulbs and LED strips, but their trademark wall panels in various shapes are by no means cheap either.

Govee, by comparison, is reasonably priced across the board. Especially Govee’s LED strips are really good value compared to Hue and Nanoleaf.

Category	Philips Hue	Nanoleaf	Govee
Essentials, e.g. bulbs and light strips	Expensive as hell	Reasonably	Budget
Panels and lamps	Expensive as hell	Expensive as hell	Reasonably
Additional equipment, e.g. sensors, remotes and sync boxes	Reasonably	Reasonably	Reasonably

Product range

Philips Hue has by far the largest product selection, which ranges far beyond just lights for gaming. In fact, the Hue product range is mostly oriented toward general smart home lighting. In terms of extra equipment like remote controls and sensors, Philips Hue also has the most AND best choices.

Nanoleaf has the smallest range of models, but their wall panels are unique. They can be mixed and matched in all kinds of shapes, where creativity is the only limit.

Govee has more or less all bases covered, but contrary to Philips Hue, most of their models are oriented toward gaming or at least some very colorful homes. If you consider Nanoleaf the king of geometric shapes, Govee is the king of lines and strips.

Models	Philips Hue	Nanoleaf	Govee
Wall panels	No	Yes	Yes
Ceiling panels	Yes	Yes	Yes
Light bars	Yes	No	Yes
LED strips	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tubes	Yes	No	Yes
Floor lamps	Yes	No	Yes
Table lamps	Yes	No	Yes
Spotlights	Yes	Yes	Yes
Light bulbs	Yes	Yes	Yes
Central remote control	Yes	Yes	No
Motion sensors	Yes	Yes	Yes

Features

In relation to features that matter for gaming, all brands tick most boxes. However, the dynamic scenes and customization are much better on Nanoleaf and Govee. Hue has just recently introduced dynamic scenes, which are mostly dull annoying flickering.

Touch Gestures are to date a Nanoleaf exclusive. These gestures allow you to touch the panels and perform various control tasks or even play a few games, like Whack-the-Beaver. This is of course a cool feature, but I’m divided on how useful it actually is.

It’s also worth mentioning that screen mirroring and music visualization from your PC require that you purchase extra sync boxes for Govee. You can, however, do sound visualization through your phone’s speakers in the Govee app.

Features	Philips Hue	Nanoleaf	Govee
Dynamic effects	Yes	Yes	Yes
Screen mirroring	Yes	Yes	Yes
Music and sound visualizer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Touch Gestures	No	Yes	No

Integrations

Hue and Nanoleaf are present on the 3 major smart home platforms. If you have Razer or Corsair equipment in your gaming setup, you can also integrate with these.

Govee lacks Apple and Corsair integration, which I consider a fair trade-off given the lower price level.

Integrations	Philips Hue	Nanoleaf	Govee
Google Home	Yes	Yes	Yes
Apple HomeKit	Yes	Yes	No
Amazon Alexa	Yes	Yes	Yes
Razer Chroma	Yes	Yes	Yes
Corsair iCUE	Yes	Yes	No

Other quality measures

In terms of connectivity, Philips Hue needs a Hue Bridge to function. This might seem annoying at first glance, but it is relatively cheap and when you have it, it just works, i.e. controlling your lights is responsive and reliable. Nanoleaf can work well too, but to get the most out of it you probably need to invest in a new Thread router and a Matter controller (which can be the same router). For most people, basic WiFi with good coverage will work just fine, which gives you good connectivity in all 3 brands. Bluetooth may give you a slight delay, but this is, in my opinion, not anything to fuss about.

Philips Hue has very accurate colors, followed by Nanoleaf. Govee color accuracy isn’t that good, but in my experience is equally off across the board, which means it only becomes a real problem if you mix brands and control your lighting through e.g. Google Home. Your “warm white” will then be off between the brands. If you intend to use it as primarily white (normal) lighting, Philips Hue is also the best. Their white hues look like regular lighting and can be changed into different white hues. Govee on the other hand has an almost pink shade to its cool white and looks almost orange when you change to warm white.

The phone apps for controlling your lighting and customizations are decent, but by no means great. They get the job done with some tinkering.

The Nanoleaf PC app has been a disaster for me since the start, which has forced me to reset my lighting several times. It can only get better with time.

Additional info	Philips Hue	Nanoleaf	Govee
Connectivity	WiFi	WiFi + Bluetooth	WiFi + Bluetooth
Color accuracy	Good	Decent	Decent
Phone app ease of use	Decent	Decent	Good
PC app ease of use	Decent	Bad	Not available
Other remarks	Needs a Hue Bridge to function	Supports Matter and Thread technology	Needs extra equipment for music sync and screen mirroring

The simple summary

As I mentioned, all brands make good quality products and they improve and launch new offerings all the time. However, their appeal is slightly different and depends on your own taste and budget. So, here is the simple, birds-eye view as promised for you to make a choice.

Philips Hue: A premium ecosystem with choices for your entire home

If money is no issue for you and you want to expand your lighting to your entire home, Philips Hue is a good choice. You get premium quality and color accuracy that just works when you flick on the switch (literally or imaginatively). You can choose from a huge selection of different lamps with the Hue technology integrated. If your style is more like a minimalistic home office than a gaming room, the premium look and the superior white colors of Hue products might also appeal to you. When you have the Hue Bridge, there is seamless integration with all your other Hue lighting. But I will reiterate, this is ONLY if money is no issue, because the Hue products are ridiculously expensive. Moreover, the dynamic effects are not as good as the competition. Lastly, while Hue products do look premium, I am not sure their build quality is actually superior despite what you read around the web. In my experience, the light strips break easily and sometimes the light is blinking.

Check out the Hue selection on Amazon.

Please note that I may get a small commission from links at absolutely no extra cost to you.

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See Hue lighting on Instagram to get a feel.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Philips Hue (@philipshue)

Nanoleaf: Unique shapes on your wall

Nanoleaf has the smallest range of products, but really unique light panels. The geometric shapes can be combined in endless ways, which is sure to decorate and light up your wall in a beautiful, eye-catching way. Sure, Govee also has some light panels, but honestly, their shapes look like a cheaper knock-off. Add to that a reasonably priced Essentials line with particularly light strips to complement your wall panels, and you have a solid offering when it comes to RGB in your gaming room. However, to make really unique shapes you will need more panels than the starter kits offer, and filling out your entire wall will be extremely expensive.

Check out the Nanoleaf selection on Amazon.

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Check out their lighting on Instagram to get a feel.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nanoleaf (@nanoleaf)

Govee: A solid budget choice in a good, straight-line way

Govee is a good all-round budget choice when you just want a lot of colors, which fits perfectly for a gaming room. Their strongest offerings are “straight-line” lighting, i.e. their LED strips, lines, and tubes and the cost is about 1/3 of the price compared to Hue. Nanoleaf also offers lines and LED strips, but they also cost more and here the quality doesn’t seem to be better.

Check out the Govee selection on Amazon.

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Check out their lighting on Instagram to get a feel.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Govee (@goveeofficial)

It’s really simple

Pick Philips Hue if you want premium lighting for your entire home.

Pick Nanoleaf if you want unique shapes on your wall.

Pick Govee if you’re on a budget.

Useful links

Philips Hue product range

Nanoleaf product range

Govee product range