Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light Review: Dimensional Gaming Lights Cobranded with the Revered Anime Series

Hong Kong-based Govee, a well-established manufacturer of smart home lighting, is partnering with the Japanese anime series Evangelion to release three new gaming lights: the Govee x Evangelion Glide Y Lights, Gaming Light Bars, and the product they sent me to test, the Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light.

What inspired Govee to partner with Evangelion for this special edition series?

Govee’s partnership with Evangelion stems from a shared vision of pushing creative boundaries and enhancing fans’ experiences through innovative technology. Evangelion’s deep narratives and iconic visual style, combined with Govee’s cutting-edge lighting technology, create a perfect synergy to offer gamers and fans a unique, immersive experience.

What makes the Govee x Evangelion lights different from other gaming lights in the market?

The Govee x Evangelion series stands out with its exclusive Evangelion-themed designs and animations, highly customizable settings, and the ability to create a comprehensive, synchronized lighting environment with Govee’s Dreamview technology. These features collectively provide an unmatched immersive experience.

Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion, also known simply as Evangelion or Eva, is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax, animated by Tatsunoko, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. Evangelion is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm called the Second Impact, particularly in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo-3. The protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy recruited by his father Gendo to the mysterious organization Nerv to pilot a giant biomechanical mecha called an Evangelion and fight against beings known as Angels. – Wikipedia

Packaging and Branding

As soon as you see the Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light’s black and red outer packaging, you can tell it’s different and special. Pulling the cardboard strip from the back panel reveals the box inside. The purple and green color scheme, the typefaces, kanji, and graphics reflect the Evangelion anime brand.

The box splits from its middle, revealing four of six light strips and the branded “Top Secret” documents. Removing the top tier of packaging exposes the other two light strips, the square and triangle connectors, and the cords, adapter, and control panel.

It is a very impressive package, and if you are a fan of the anime series, you will undoubtedly like what you see.

Design

There are many different types of gaming lights on the market today. Popular types of gaming lights include light strips, rope lights, and various panels of different shapes, some of which we have reviewed here at Gear Diary.

The Evangelion lights are based on Govee’s Gaming Wall Lights, which are distinctly different in several ways. First, the lights are dimensional, as the light bars themselves have raised light elements that resemble neon tubes with smaller, flat, detailed elements behind them. These elements are covered by a removable pyramidal transparent plastic shield that is held to the base magnetically.

Govee describes the lights as constructed of four parts: an LED base, a swappable faceplate, elevated diffusion lines, and a clear protective cover.

The Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light features detailed elements in the form of symbols, type, and kanji, all pertaining to the anime series. Each panel is also labeled with the phrases “Evangelion-01 Test Type” and “Blood Type: Blue.”

There are three shapes: the strip and the square and triangle junctions. The Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light bars are interconnected by plastic tabs that are shaped in a way that makes assembly easy and foolproof. They have a unique look from the other gaming light types when joined together.

What’s in the Box?

• Six Light Sections
• One Square Connector
• One Triangle Connector
• One Power Adapter
• Nine Connecting Pieces
• A User Manual
• A Control Box
• A Cleaning Cloth
• An EVA Special Lighting Effects Activation card

Installation and Setup

Govee does everything possible to make installation quick and easy. Following the Quick Start Guide, users are prompted to scan a QR code linked to an installation video explaining all the important steps and things to consider. Then, following the guide, users are walked through the process.

First, you will need to determine your desired overall shape. This will vary for each installation, mainly based on personal preference and available space. We tried several potential layouts before selecting an asymmetrical pattern that we thought best fit our spot.

Testing potential patterns can be as simple as laying the light elements out on a dining room table, as we did, or users can use the included black cardboard patterns directly on the target wall. Govee also has suggested patterns available through the app.

Before hanging the lights, Govee recommends cleaning the wall surface with the included alcohol wipe to remove any dirt or oils and ensure a secure mounting. It is also recommended that a level be used to ensure that the first light mounted is perfectly vertical or horizontal unless preferred otherwise.

Once a layout design has been selected, you simply connect the control box (with the attached power cable) to the first light element using the plastic connecting pieces. The connecting piece slides into the first element, and the second light element is clicked into place from above.

This ensures that you can attach each light to the wall surface using the double-sided Velcro strips, knowing you won’t need to pull the light off the wall to connect it to the next part.

The entire process takes less than half an hour—from opening the box to determining our desired pattern and mounting it to the wall. My only complaint is that the kit only includes one square and one triangle connector. This severely limits the number of potential layouts and the kind of layouts that are possible.

The power cable from the control box is connected to a small control panel, which is, in turn, connected to the AC adapter, which plugs into the wall. The cords are long enough to allow the control panel to be placed anywhere near the light or slightly out of the way.

The control panel features three buttons that toggle the power, change the color, and switch between the various lighting effects.

The lights are also sensitive to sound and music. The Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light is compatible with Hey Google, Alexa, Razer Chroma, and the Govee App.

The Govee App

The Govee app is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Pairing the Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light with the app is quick and simple, and the quick start guide explains how. Once connected, users can set the lights to do whatever suits their mood. General controls include a timer and overall brightness settings.

The controls are grouped into four modes: Music, Color, Scene, and DIY. Music sets the lights to respond to music detected either by the device’s microphone or the connected smartphone. More detailed settings allow for the sensitivity and type of reaction from presets such as Party, Dynamic, and Calm.

Color allows for the selection of desired hues in several ways, including a color wheel, white light from cool to warm, preset colors, user-saved colors, and a menu of palettes including Basic, Ingredients, Dessert, Natural, Emotions, Stars, Seasons, Fruit, etc.

Scene mode allows users to select from a large number of preset scenes in categories such as Game, Natural, Life, Emotion, and Festival. Each mode has its own detailed settings for Speed and Looping, and some include settings for Direction.

DIY Mode allows users to create their own scenes with varied patterns, colors, and timing.

The Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light is also compatible with Govee’s DreamView mode, where it can be synced with other Govee lighting products.

Part of the Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light package, along with the “Top Secret” branded materials, is a metallic card that includes a one-time use-only QR code that, when scanned through the Govee App, unlocks eight special Evangelion-themed lighting effects that replicate the complete battle sequence, from alert modes to AT Field and Berserk status.

The lighting mimics various combat scenarios from Evangelion alongside specific themes for EVA-01 and EVA-02.

Specifications

As are most gaming-related smart products, the Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light is a specialty item for a specific target audience. Some might consider spending $200 on custom lighting frivolous, but for many serious gamers, establishing the right environment is important, and lighting is a key part of the equation.

For fans of the anime series “…widely considered one of the greatest anime series of all time…” (Wikipedia), cobranded products like these lights are a welcome addition.

As far as the cost is concerned, the Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light, which includes six strip lights and two connectors for $199.99, is a bargain compared to the standard Govee Gaming Wall Lights, which include only three strip lights and a single connector for $119.99.

The Govee x Evangelion Gaming Wall Light sells for $199.99; it will be available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon starting on July 29th.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Dimensional design stands out in the smart gaming lighting world; Attention to detail of the Evangelion anime brand; Fully customizable via the Govee App; Easy to install and setup

What Needs Improvement: Only providing two connectors limits the possible layouts