Cooler Master launches MasterPlus+ smart home division

Cooler Master has announced the launch of a new software division MasterPlus+ - yes, 'Master Plus Plus', - with the aim of taking what it knows of the PC customisation market and applying it to the smart home sector, beginning with synchronised control of smart lighting products.

A logical extension from the company's previous software products, which control lighting and cooling systems inside desktop PCs, MasterPlus+ is to concentrate on applying that to what Cooler Master describes as 'a whole-room experience'.

'It’s from the inside to the out,' claims Danny Chen, head of the new software division and Cooler Master's chief technical officer. 'Instead of just building smart systems around internal PC functions, we want to expand that smart control to the entire room and its devices'.

The company's first outing is to be lighting platforms, starting with a Philips AmbiLight-inspired synchronisation system which allows selected smart lighting systems to be synchronised with case and peripheral lighting to alter their hue and brightness according to on-screen activity. At present, though, the list of supported products seems somewhat limited: Cooler Master has confirmed a partnership with smart lighting specialist Nanoleaf and monitor makers Asus and Viewsonic, with no other partners yet named.

Cooler Master's entry into the smart home market is not unopposed: Razer has confirmed similar launch plans, announcing its own partnership with Philips to bring Hue support to the Chroma RGB lighting platform.