Accessory Power’s Enhance Moonbright CST is a simple projection-style light with customizable 256-color-capable LEDs. And while it’s not a gaming-specific device, it does make a nice compliment to your gaming desktop/environment.
Although I have to confess I have a bit of a soft spot for such devices…
A little story about ‘gaming’ lights
When I was asked to review the Moonbright CST, I didn’t really look too closely at the email. I thought it would be a product more akin to the Mad Catz Cyborg Gaming Lights (basically a dead product now), which I reviewed in 2011.
The Mad Catz gaming lights were USB lights that interfaced with DirectX and their own software drivers to cast light on your back wall that augmented your games.If your screen was ablaze with yellow because of a fire, the lights case yellow all over your back wall.
Unlike a lot of gaming press folks at the time, I actually really liked the Mad Catz Cyborg Gaming Lights. Sure, they were frivolous, the drivers were spotty, and they required a lot of cabling. They were hardly a must-have item, but they did enhance the gaming environment, and they interfaced with media player visualizations and could drive a little mini-desktop rave on your PC.
Just ask my cat (demo below).
Eventually, I parted ways with the Mad Catz gaming lights, but mainly because the USB and power requirements created a lot of extra cabling around my desktop PC. In addition, the drivers were spotty, and (as I later found out) AmBX—a commercial lighting company behind the technology that powered the Mad Catz gaming lights—largely went belly up.
But I really liked the Mad Catz gaming lights, and often relied upon their nightlight-glow when I gamed in my darkened office.
Once the Mad Catz gaming lights were gone, I needed a small desk lamp for a little ambient light. I eventually purchased something almost identical to the Moonbright CST. In other words, I at the very least liked the accent lighting enough to replace it.
Enter the Enhance Moonbright CST
So with all that said, you can understand why I might like the Moonbright CST. No, it’s not a device that will enhance your gaming. It’s essentially a desk lamp with a customizable color designed to cast accent lighting on a wall, powered by a short USB cable or two AAA batteries. A simple touch-strip along the back of the Moonbright CST lets you pick a color to project.
And that’s all there is to it. The Enhance Moonbright CST is a cool little device. It’s not the only one out there, nor does it offer options such as a remote, or even software drivers to enable further customization.
Overall: Recommended
At only $20 the Moonbright CST makes a nice accent to your gaming area, desktop, or even bedside table. It can make a good bedside light or reading light if you use its white/blue-white colors. (It’s a decent night light too, but you’ll chew through AAA batteries fast if you don’t have a USB power source handy.)
My kids dig it, and it’s inexpensive enough to make a decent gift for gamers (especially if you’re not a gamer yourelf, don’t know what to get, and can’t spend much).
Still, I’d love to see someone come up with something akin to those Mad Catz gaming lights again…
PC & Video Gaming Examiner 