We recently launched an article where we try to help users who suffer the same problems with each brand’s RGB lighting and control programs. Although not perfect as such, it is a first step towards an ecosystem that, for the moment, is far from being produced officially. This generates a debate both in forums and internally about where this RGB industry is going and, above all, users ask themselves: why is there not a single lighting control program?
The PC industry is a continuous war that logically no manufacturer wants to lose. As usual, if there is no specific standard that is a priority for a primary or secondary technology, each brand takes a different path in the search to differentiate itself.
As for the RGB lighting and control industry for PCs and the manufacturers of boards or GPUs, there is an important disruptive in the arguments, since some implement and others follow them, all under two unique standards that, above all, are not respected 100 %.
The LED war will end without a winner and with many defeated
The entire PC and LED industry is constantly at war. Each manufacturer has chosen one of the standards or both if possible for their own benefit. The idea has been simple: create an individual ecosystem, personalized and focused on each brand with the aim of dragging users who have a product already purchased to achieve efficient synchronization with the rest of the components of that manufacturer.
It is a kind of obligatory loyalty that both ASUS , as GIGABYTE , ASRock , Razer , Logitech and other brands have followed at the same time to start users, where they have had to install one or more lighting control software and where among them there is no come.
This causes such monumental anger that it is only comparable to the price that the products that integrate RGB are obtaining, which in the end ends up forcing the average user to either dispense with LEDs or to lean towards one of the brands. This is a useless war that will end without victors and with many defeated, where now it seems that a little light is looming after the exchange of blows.
ASUS and Corsair show the way
If adopting the 4-pin, 12-volt standard and the 3-pin, 5-volt standard was somewhat difficult for manufacturers to assimilate for the LED industry, Corsair went their own way without caring about anything or anyone.
Their connectors are their own, quite limited in terms of duplication of systems and to top it off many times we need extra hardware that allows us to add or control more of their products. It does not seem that the Americans are going to change their strategy, especially when their system is complete, complex and works really well with iCUE, but what is clear is that they have to open up to the world.
The rest of the manufacturers try to do the same with other manufacturers such as those of SSD, RAM or sound cards, which implies a greater variety of products to include in their software, ergo more work and optimization for each version. For this reason, ASUS and Corsair are already working on a first mutual project that, yes, will respect their independent software. It is not ideal, without a doubt, but it is the first step for two large companies to set an example of what can be achieved while respecting the investment previously made, and it may lay the foundations for future software where, who knows, more brands will be added to its development by dividing expenses.
A single program for RGB control of LEDs of any brand?
Perhaps it is a dream that never comes, especially since it implies admitting a defeat already known to all and flushing years and thousands of dollars in engineers and developers. But you never know, the first step is that between brands they end up giving support, whether they are motherboards, headphones, mice, graphics cards and more, where once you create stability, perhaps you can talk about a common program.
Perhaps an intermediary (Microsoft with Windows?) Is needed to reach a successful port, where you can create a .dll repository for each component and product, upload it to the Redmond cloud and from the operating system itself control everything. In any case, this will not happen tomorrow or next year, nor possibly in 2022.
They have to sit down, talk, reach agreements and understand that the user wants to buy the product that best suits their needs without having to depend on external software for each one that has a different brand to synchronize a lighting system that share bus with others.
When the brands understand that they have all lost, that there are no winners, it may be the time when this occurs and the entire industry will celebrate.
