Govee DreamView G1 Pro Gaming Light review: Customizable interactive ambiance

Govee makes a number of solid lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoor settings, but recently, the company has prepped a new set of reactive programmable and reactive RGB lighting for gaming and PC areas. The Govee DreamView G1 Pro Gaming Light is one of the newest centerpieces of Govee’s catalog and, after some use and testing, I can see why. While it’s a bit pricey and bulky in its setup, the DreamView G1 provides an ambient, reliable, and highly customizable lighting solution.

Set up and what’s in the box

The Govee DreamView G1 Pro Gaming Light comes with four major pieces: a 55’ light strip, two 16.7’ light bars, and a display scanner which also acts as a physical power switch. Additionally, it comes with brackets with sticky sides for mounting the light strip, wires for connecting the light bars and strip to the scanner/power unit, and a power supply wall adaptor. You can also download the Govee Home app on any iOS or Android device and use it to power the lighting kit on and off, as well as customizing your lighting.

I will say it’s a bit bulky for something that’s said to be for a desktop setup. It’s not that you wouldn’t be able to attach the Govee DreamView G1 to a smaller display, but it would get quite cramped in a jiffy. I felt more comfortable attaching the Govee to the back of a small or midsize TV display. A bigger or wide-screen monitor would likely also be a better fit for this lighting kit.

It’s also got quite a bit of wire clutter to consider between attaching the lightstrip, the two light bars, and the power supply to the power/scanner unit and a wall outlet.

Nonetheless, everything is fairly easy to set up. The only complication I had in the matter was with the connection of the power/scanner to the top of my display. Where the adhesive on the brackets is pretty good and has kept the light strip in place since installation, the sticker on the bracket of the power source/scanner failed to adhere appropriately and has not attached properly since. Fortunately, the clamp of the power/scanner’s bracket seems to hold well enough and I haven’t had an issue with it falling off save for one time in weeks of testing.

Satisfying customization, reactivity, and presets

As far as the light on the Govee Dreamview G1 Pro Gaming Light, it’s been quite fun to play with and use with my entertainment system. The lighting is capable of producing an advertised spectrum of around 16.8 million colors and there are three solid ways to go about it. You can either choose from a preset of over 42 different scenes, customize your own light display, effects, and colors, or set the system to display colors in reaction to what’s playing on your display through the scanner.

Accessing any of these options is fun and fairly easy for the most part. The hardest one to do is customize your own lighting colors and pattern properly as the app has a dizzying array of options. I will say that the reactive lighting via the scanner is pretty dang good. I used vibrant games like Guilty Gear Strive and Horizon Forbidden West and throughout my play sessions, it did a good job of choosing colors to compliment the on-screen scenery on the fly. It moved well between the intense red and fiery colors that dominate Guilty Gear and the aqua blues and verdant greens in Horizon Forbidden West. Of course, I also got some golden hues from Elden Ring. As long as you calibrate the screen proper, the DreamView G1 does a good job of responding to what’s on it.

If you don’t want to think about it much, the DreamView G1 Pro Gaming Light also offers some decent presets. Some are far too busy and I’d never choose them no matter how I was feeling. Themes like Card Playing, Meditation, and Dreamlike were very ambient and relaxing while themes like Party, Christmas, and Puzzle Game were more fun and high-energy. However, themes like Halloween, Fright, and Shooting Game strobed way too much and I’d very much recommend against them if you have photosensitivity issues such as epilepsy.

That said, there are plenty of options on the DreamView G1 Pro Gaming Light that shouldn’t cause any issues, are quite fun, and you can even adjust the brightness and intensity of the lighting. That should help to assuage any intensity issues and help you lock down your desired mood. The only other thing I’d be remiss to mention is that the DreamView G1 Pro Gaming Light comes with a hefty price tag at $179.99 USD retail – a stiff price even among other Govee products. Still, the sheer amount of customizability is sure to provide whatever lighting mood you’re looking for in your gaming space.

Ultimate gaming ambience

If the stiff price doesn’t drive you away and you want some of the most customizable and vibrant lighting available for your gaming space, the DreamView G1 Pro Gaming Light might more than fit the bill. Whether you want to attach it to a mid-to-large TV or a decently-sized PC display, it will fill that space with a bevy of lighting moods that you can easily control and adjust to your heart’s content via the Govee Home app.

This review is based on a sample product provided by the manufacturer. The Govee DreamView G1 Pro Gaming Light is available now via the Govee online shop or via participating retailers.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.