I guess monitor light bars are the hot new gaming accessory this year, because Asus has joined Razer in announcing a gamer-oriented light bar: the Asus ROG Aura Monitor Light Bar ALB01.
Like Razer's Aether Monitor Light Bar, the ALB01 features a dual-light setup with white light (warmth-adjustable) in the front and customizable RGB lighting in the back. But while Razer is all about its immersive Chroma RGB integration, Asus describes the ALB01's backlighting as "subtle RGB glow" to boost ambiance (and it does look a lot more subtle).
The light bar offers three modes: back lighting only, front lighting only, and both front and back lighting together (I guess technically Razer's does the same, but Asus wants to emphasize there are three distinct modes).
The ALB01 comes mounted on a monitor clamp with a "patented magnetic buckle" design that will work with a variety of monitors (including both curved and flat). It took a little figuring out, but the lip that sits against the monitor's bezel can be flipped to accommodate thinner/thicker screens, while the rubber puck can also be adjusted with the dial. The following video makes it a little easier to understand:
There doesn't appear to be a way to mount the ALB01 monitor light bar without the clamp (i.e. no tripod attachment point, like we saw on Razer's Aether mount), so I guess this has to sit on top of your monitor.
The rear-facing RGB on the ALB01 works (naturally) with Asus' DisplayWidget Center and Aura Sync, so you can sync the colors with the rest of your ROG peripherals. There's also a physical dial on the front that lets you adjust the light bar's forward-facing light brightness and color temperature (from 2700K to 6500K); presumably this can also be adjusted in Asus' software.
And if you thought this might be a little easier on your wallet than Razer's Aether light bar, think again — the Asus ROG Monitor Light Bar ALB01 is priced to compete with Benq's light bars and will cost around $169 when it launches later this year.
