Key takeaways

• Razer's Monitor Stand Chroma is available now for$199.
• It lights up your keyboard in an array of customizable RGB lighting, is sleekandsturdy, and acts as a docking station with 3 USB ports and an HDMI.
• I wish it were a little bigger overall, as it's only three inches tall and my monitor's legs go off the edge.

$199.99 at Amazon

Earlier this year at CES, Razer made waves with its thinnest and lightest gaming powerhouse yet: the Razer Blade 16. But that wasn't the only product it dropped. Thecompany also had an immersive demo of its attention-grabbing lineup of RGB Chroma accessories. 

The result is its "Razer Gamer Room," a series of light bars, lamps, light strips, and bulbs that all sync together in one app to transform a room into an illuminated gaming battle station. 

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While I wasn't able (or willing) to completely transform my home office into the Overbridge of an Empire Deathstar, I did get the opportunity to test Razer's newMonitor Stand Chroma and Aether Standing Light Bars , and was pleasantly surprised with the level of customization they're capable of, including -- dare I say -- a level of subtlety they can lend the room. 

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Razer Monitor Stand Chroma

Razer's monitor stand acts both as a docking station and customizable RGB light for your keyboard and deskspace. 

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Not content to simply add a few pops of color, the idea here is to allow the user to transform entire rooms with scaleable light devices imbued with deep personalization. The lights don't just flash pretty colors; they respond to what's happening in-game, matching colors and lighting with the game's content. 

The Monitor Stand Chroma is an RBG monitor stand, yes, but it's not as flashy as you might think. In fact, it's pretty practical. The light is located underneath the stand and projects onto the keyboard. This effect can be as loud or as subtle as you want, as you can customize the color, pattern, and effects. Personally, I went with a static color to illuminate the keyboard and complement the rest of the room. 

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The monitor stand also has some logistical elements, like the port hub on the side. You get an HDMI, two USB-A ports, and a USB-C, as well as a "Chroma Button" that you can customize to map to any function you want in the app. The monitor stand uses Razer Synapse (for Windows or iOS), which is the main app for the rest of Razer's Chroma series. 

Razer Synapse is ultimately pretty straightforward, but there are some deep levels of customization here that come with a bit of a learning curve if you're new to it. The app houses Razer's Chroma Studio, where you can create your own lighting effects and sync them across multiple devices. If you want to make custom light patterns down to each individual key on your (Razer-supported) keyboard, you can. 

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The monitor stand is made of aluminum and feels sturdy, even though it's not very big -- measuring just a little over three inches off the desk space. It's also not very wide, as my monitor's legs go a little bit off the edge. Personally, I would have preferred the stand to be a little bigger overall, as my monitor is just slightly below eye level on the stand. 

That said, it's wide enough to fit a full-sized keyboard underneath, and the black matte finish is sleek and sophisticated. Even if you didn't care about the lighting effects, having a host of USB ports right there is incredibly useful. 

But come on, we're here for the BLING! The amount of customization involved in the lighting effects is pretty deep, and you can go as far as you want to with the granularity of the settings in the app. If you want to set up an entire room, go wild with different colors and effects that bring your game or movie out of the screen and into the real world. 

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I also got to test outRazer's Aether Standing Light Bars , which are basically two mini light sabers for your desk. The lights come as a pair, each measuring 17 inches high, and are lightweight and simple devices. Installation is as easy as connecting the bar to the standing base and plugging it in with a single USB-C cable. They're Matter-compatible and easy enough to pair -- just scan the QR code on the cord.

Once they're set up where you want them, you'll have to install Razer's Gamer Room app for iOS or Android, and you can dive into their customization features. The lights have all the effects you'd expect, from "Breathing" to "Fire" to "Spectrum," or in my case, just a solid color to set the tone. 

When Razer showed off the light bars last month, they were linked to a video game, Dune Awakening. This mode makes the light bars duplicate the color schemes in the game: when there's a landscape on screen, the bottom half of the light bar is tan, while the top is blue, mimicking the deserts of Arrakis and the sky. 

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Another idea is to turn them around and have them project the light onto the wall, making for an ethereal ambient glow that pairs well with other lighting. My only critique is that I wish they were wireless; all the extra cords can ruin the vibe. 

's buying advice

Even without the lights,Razer's Monitor Stand Chroma is a practical and sleek-looking monitor stand for$200. That may or may not sound expensive to you, but considering the utility, I think the price is fair. Plus, the customizable RGB effects add some cool effects to your keyboard, especially when accenting other light products. 

The Aether Standing Light Bars  go for$100 for the pair and bring a unique lighting element to the room. They're versatile enough to be used in a variety of ways and, on their own, are an interesting addition to a room.

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