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Razer will let you control your PC gaming rig’s lighting effects using Alexa

Razer will let you control your PC gaming rig’s lighting effects using Alexa

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A wild and absurd Alexa integration, to be sure, but a fun one

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Razer has always leaned in hard to the PC gaming stereotype of gaudy, glowing LED lights and other customizable neon aesthetics, and now it’s going to let you verbally control those lights using Amazon’s Alexa. Today at CES, Razer announced a new Alexa integration for its Chroma lighting system, which is the underlying software suite that coordinates color schemes for Razer mice, keyboards, headsets, and other accessories. You’ll now be able to speak through your Razer headset’s microphone to change those colors and how frequently they change or pulsate.

Some examples include, “Alexa, ask Chroma to change my lighting profile to FPS mode,” or, “Alexa, sync all of my devices to my team color.” But because of how Chroma and Synapse 3, Razer’s companion hardware configuration tool, function as a robust controller of both hardware and software, you can also now use Alexa to change PC settings and even launch games. For instance, Razer says you can ask Alexa to launch Overwatch via Chroma and change the DPI settings on your monitor via Razer Synapse.

“Alexa, ask Chroma to start ‘Overwatch’.”

Razer says Alexa voice control will work with both Razer hardware and any third-party products that connect through the company’s Chroma Connected Devices Program. The program, announced last year, lets any company integrate into the Chroma system, and Razer says more than 300 devices from more than 15 brands are now supported. Razer says this feature should be arriving in the US and Canada by the second quarter of the year, and it should arrive with the ability to use third-party headsets and microphones, as well as built-in laptop mics, instead of just Razer gaming headsets for the audio input option.

To round out its extravagant gaming accessories announcements, the company is unveiling some new PC chassis, including its first in-house designed model. It’s called the Tomahawk, and it comes in standard and “elite” variants. The elite model has aluminum panels and tempered glass side panels and a top cover, all of which is affixed to two separate hinges for opening gull-wing style.

Image: Razer

Razer says everything in the Tomahawk Elite’s chassis is positioned to optimize cooling, and there’s even a hydraulic lift for the GPU slot for extra ventilation during more intensive tasks. The standard model is unfortunately far less exciting, but it is a pretty standard mid-tower design that comes with Chroma lighting effects.

Razer isn’t talking about the pricing or concrete availability for the Tomahawk Elite, but it says it’s likely coming in the second or third quarter of the year. The standard Tomahawk case will cost $169.99 and starts shipping from major retailers worldwide sometime in the next few months.