I am an absolute mistake when it comes to Smart Home. Whether it’s speakers, scales, lights, or even kettles, I’m all about that convenience of controlling everything without having to leave my couch.
Truly, we live in an age of wonders.
I already have a Philips Hue Go, a little semi-portable lamp that gives just enough ambient light to read by or wind down before bed. When I saw the Philips Hue Play, I assumed it’d be a similar scenario. But I was pleasantly surprised.
Light up my life
The Hue Play are designed for gaming and multimedia experiences, and so the first stop was the gaming room. After a futile attempt to sync to the TV and PS4 before realising that wasn’t an option without a peripheral, I moved on to my partner’s gaming PC, which she graciously allowed me to install the Hue Sync on and then stick on a bit of Skyrim.
The Hue Play matches the main colours on your screen at a given time, so there was a lot of snow white interspersed with bright orange as dragons and I exchanged words. It certainly did enhance the experience of playing; who needs VR when your entire room can be bathed in fiery light?
The responsiveness was a pleasant surprise, with the Play Bar taking almost no time to match up with my gameplay. There were some hilarious moments when the lights decided they could see colours on the screen that I couldn’t (a random purple in Solitude that I assume must have come from some nearby lavender?), but overall the experience delivered what it promised.
Hue-ge experience
The lights had a brief stint in the gaming room making Darkest Dungeon look less dark. The Hue Play then migrated to the lounge where they were intended to create a glorious cinematic experience.
And, to be fair, they did.
While I couldn’t get the Play Bar to sync with Netflix or even USB content, they still provided beautiful ambient light behind the TV to enhance the viewing experience. A soft, warm white at about 20% brightness gave just enough glow to prevent eye strain while still allowing for a cosy session on the couch.
Switching from basic smart lights to an immersive gaining experience was a breeze. Same with movies; these things not only claim immersion, but they really do cooperate with your computer.
Play it again, Sam… I mean, Philips
Here it is though; these lights are smart, baby. After a quick and easy setup with my existing Smart Home environment, the Philips Hue Play joined my Lounge environment as a very welcome member of the team.
The handy attachments that came with the lights allow for versatility in how they’re set up. They can sit flat, stand up vertically, or be mounted to a wall or, if you’re feeling especially adventurous, the TV itself. I opted to keep mine standing behind the TV facing the wall, personally, but the great thing about these lights is that freedom of choice.
Anyway, Alexa. While she would happily recognise “Alexa, turn on the Hue Play”, that kind of stuff is for amateurs. Creating Routines to sync your life together is the name of the game, so I decided to experiment. “Alexa, dinner time” sets all lights in the lounge to full brightness in Soft White, while “Alexa, movie time” dims them to 20% at Warm White for a cinematic experience.
Honestly, my favourite should be “Alexa, game time”, which puts the Hue Play into Warm White at 50% and turns off everything else. However, I’m a nerd, so my real favourite is “Alexa, Skyrim belongs to the Nords.” When I say that, Alexa says “Never should have come here”, turns the Hue Play to a blood red at 80%, and plays the bandit combat music from Skyrim at volume 7.
I have zero regrets about how long it took me to fine tune that one.
Blinded by the Light
If you want some good backlights for gaming, the Philips Hue Play are easy on the eyes, both aesthetically and functionally. They’re bit pricey just for gaming, though, setting you back over $200 for a pair.
If, however, you want to use these to add to your already smart multimedia and gaming setup, then they’re worth every last penny. I love them. I’m going to buy more. The damn things changed my life.
Alexa, finish review… ALEXA, FINISH REVIEW!