windows 11 Microsoft is Testing Universal RGB Lighting Control in Windows 11, Insider Build Can Control RGB Hardware from the Settings Menu

[BiG StroOnZ]

Summary

Microsoft is looking to be incorporating integrated RGB lighting controls into Windows 11. The feature will allow you to adjust lighting effects for connected peripherals, accessories, and hardware directly in the Windows 11 Settings app. This was revealed in a recent Insider build. Where it shows a new section named “Lighting” listed under the Personalization area in Settings. Twitter user @albacore posted screenshots showing various RGB devices listed in the menu.

 

 

 

 

Quotes

Quote

They include a mouse, an Asus CPU cooler, a Stream Deck, and a generic keyboard. This still leaves out memory, mousepads, and GPUs, but it does seem to include all RGB devices connected to the system. This isn’t the case with most current RGB software, which usually only shows devices from the software manufacturer.

 

A second panel allows you to tweak each device’s lighting. The options are limited; instead of getting about a dozen presets to choose from, there’s just a handful. The lighting effects seem limited to a solid color, blinking, or a rainbow.

 

Microsoft’s own native lighting controls would mean Windows 11 users wouldn’t have to install apps from Razer, Corsair, Logitech and others to get basic support for customizing RGB effects.

 

While it has not been officially announced by Microsoft, the presence of these new settings has been discovered by the Insider community. It remains to be seen if this feature will actually be included in Windows 11, but it looks promising for those who want a fully integrated setup with RGB lighting.

 

The company is working on a number of experimental features that are expected to appear in a larger update to Windows 11 later this year.

 

My thoughts

This is a very useful feature to have, if it ends up actually being added to Windows. I hope they expand the ability to control the RGB on other items too, like memory and GPUs. This is probably why it's an experimental feature currently, as it's probably hard to control all these various items through one seamless option (especially one integrated into the OS). I know there are some other RGB solutions out there like SignalRGB that allow to control different RGB products under one umbrella. If this level of functionality can be implemented in Windows 11, it will be highly convienent to many. I see one of the only downsides of this current implementation is that compared to say Corsair iCue, the customization options are much more limited. Although, this could possibly be addressed in future releases I'm sure. 

 

Sources

https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/windows-11-insider-build-can-control-rgb-hardware-from-the-settings-menu.html

https://videocardz.com/newz/windows-11-may-soon-allow-users-to-control-rgb-lighting-without-third-party-software

https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/10/23593977/microsoft-windows-11-rgb-control-pc-gaming-accessories

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/343030-microsoft-is-testing-universal-rgb-control-in-windows-11

[CommanderAlex]

9 minutes ago, BiG StroOnZ said:

I hope they expand the ability to control the RGB on other items too, like memory and GPUs.

If they can do this and the motherboard, I'll be happy as I don't use Crappy Crate as it's just awful to use. 

[Skiiwee29]

Wow, long time coming and definitely has a chance to be a game changer for rgb. Very interested to see where this goes. 

[Senzelian]

This is insanely good news for anyone with a Razer Blade like me. Hopefully I will be able to change the color of my keyboard to white without Razer's dumb software running in the background all the time. Same goes for the Logitech Powerplay mousepad that needs G Hub running in the background to turn the LED off.

[Middcore]

Finally, a reason to use Windows 11.

[Arika]

if this works, the fact that it took Microsoft to be the one to make it is very funny to me.

[Vishera]

Programmable RGB for the win,

All the RGB in my system is programmable so i install the RGB program, program the RGB to whatever i want and then uninstall the RGB software.

Then even without the RGB software installed it works the way i programmed it no matter what operating system i use.

 

Though i am a function first kind of person so you won't see much RGB in my rig anyway.

[Dabombinable]

This would have been good if I hadn't switch to the Noctua NH-12S, and my mouse and keyboard didn't have dumb RGB (TBH the G402 just has bluish green light).

[Bananasplit_00]

The amount of garbage software that will be obsolete because of this is amazing, even though I don't really have RGB stuff this makes me happy

[Heliian]

Maybe one day they'll put decent audio controls in windows. 

 

Seriously though. 

[Doobeedoo]

Cool. Have no RGB stuff in current PC but it seems everything has it now by default and always shines from start. All ai need it turn everything off button.

[GoodBytes]

2 hours ago, Heliian said:

Maybe one day they'll put decent audio controls in windows. 

 

Seriously though. 

Leaks suggest that Microsoft is working on it.

[GoodBytes]

The only limitations that I see, but we will see, this is work in progress, is that I don't expect it to have individual LED color control or allow custom animations or things like having the LED color go with like CPU load, or content on the screen, or whatever.

 

So you would still need an RGB software for specific things like these.

[TetraSky]

As long as manufacturers get in on this and don't just actively work against it to push their apps that barely works... This could be good news. It was a massive pain in the butt to get my friend's RGB to work. Turns out, we needed to update one of the two controllers to be compatible with the latest app version (lian li), even though it was bought at the same time.

[StDragon]

6 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Leaks suggest that Microsoft is working on it.

If MS was smart about it, they would reference Harman target EQ profiles from sources such as Oratory1990 and Jaakko Pasanen. Provide a drop-down menu for the headphones and the Harman target is pre-configured. Android could do similar if not already. We all know Apple would never provide such an option as they're going to hawk their own wares instead; why help out the competition?

Anyways, the idea of MS providing a common reference for hardware support is what a functional OS is all about - compatibility and HW support in a unified platform. Good job MS, this is the progress we want to see more of.

[Kisai]

16 hours ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

The amount of garbage software that will be obsolete because of this is amazing, even though I don't really have RGB stuff this makes me happy

No kidding,

 

Half the reason I avoided RGB nonsense was because to mix and match RGB junk (eg ASUS, Logitech and Corsair) involved installing these web-driven "please login to your account" to use garbage.

Like Razer was extremely annoying about it. Asus not so much.

 

But I would rather not have to install a dozen CEF-driven apps all because these manufactures want telemetry tracking BS

[Spindel]

Windows the OS for kids wanting to play games.

[leadeater]

1 hour ago, Spindel said:

Windows the OS for kids wanting to play games.

I think you mean actually playing games 

 

Or watching other people play games on YouTube/Twitch lol

[pas008]

5 hours ago, Kisai said:

No kidding,

 

Half the reason I avoided RGB nonsense was because to mix and match RGB junk (eg ASUS, Logitech and Corsair) involved installing these web-driven "please login to your account" to use garbage.

Like Razer was extremely annoying about it. Asus not so much.

 

But I would rather not have to install a dozen CEF-driven apps all because these manufactures want telemetry tracking BS

agred if ms is smart they could implement fan controller too for mobo

i hate nzxt, corsair, etc software or needing bios shit seriously why are these proprietary, sorry i had drinks so might not make sense

but why arent these open source or all in one

like a standard

i have mm gold digger case and i wont replace my fans until then cause i already hate corsairs shit nzxt and not to mention gpu shit

honestly i dont care about rgb but in long run if everything was unified we would have better products win

[GoodBytes]

On 2/12/2023 at 5:25 AM, pas008 said:

agred if ms is smart they could implement fan controller too for mobo

i hate nzxt, corsair, etc software or needing bios shit seriously why are these proprietary, sorry i had drinks so might not make sense

but why arent these open source or all in one

like a standard

i have mm gold digger case and i wont replace my fans until then cause i already hate corsairs shit nzxt and not to mention gpu shit

honestly i dont care about rgb but in long run if everything was unified we would have better products win

I won't have my hopes up. Anything that can affect system performance or reliability is off the table. I mean look at disk Management panel. It doesn't support data shifting when shrinking or splitting a partition.

 

The best we have is IF the chipset driver allows cooling strategy modes to be set via the Power Pan, like you can on laptops (You can set the system cooling option from Active to Passive). Desktop motherboard could enable that for itself. They can have 4 pre-programmed profiles (Silent, Balance, Active and Max, for example), but so far, all prefer you use their software or go through UEFI directly.

[Jerakl]

As long as it's done well I'd welcome it. There's nothing particularly spectacular about any of the companies software that would make me want to use it over a simple RGB control built into windows.

On 2/12/2023 at 10:13 AM, GoodBytes said:

I won't have my hopes up.

Best not to purely because microsoft is super hit and miss for any sort of implementation imo.
They somehow always manage to at least half fudge stuff.