A gaming PC is so much more than a video game platform. A gaming computer is a customizable aesthetic, a visual centerpiece, and a machine that requires some degree of maintenance and supervision. PC gaming hobbyists love tinkering with their set up to get the most performance and personality out of their set up. It’s not always easy to monitor or convenient to monitor your system and make changes though. There’s no shortage of ugly, overly complicated ways to monitor stats and temperatures of your system, and depending on how complex your system is, you may find yourself using more than one competing software to just see all the information you want to see.
Corsair has simplified and streamlined system monitoring and customization with their intuitive iCUE software, and the new iCUE Nexus is the companion touch screen that brings the controls right to your fingertips. The Nexus integrates seamlessly into your setup and has an absolutely insane amount of functionality. This customizable touch screen has changed has added so much convenience and control to my setup. At first, I couldn’t imagine needing it, now I can’t imagine not having it.
A Fit Like It Was Always Meant To Be There
The iCUE Nexus is a 6"x 1" touch screen with a USB connection. In the box is a standalone base it can snap into and be placed anywhere on your desk that is convenient for you, but if you have a Corsair Keyboard you can mount the Nexus there too. The Nexus comes with 3 different mounting brackets with 3M on the back that are designed to fit onto Corsair Keyboards. I’m using the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT, a phenomenal mechanical keyboard with a full range of volume, lighting, and media controls, as well as a column of macro keys that can even be used for streaming. The Nexus attaches to the top of the K95 and plugs directly into the keyboard, creating a seamless aesthetic that instantly transforms a Corsair keyboard into a command center.
Control At Your Finger Tips
The Nexus is designed to work with all the Corsair products in the iCUE ecosystem, but the functionality isn’t limited only to Corsair products. You’ll need to use the iCUE software to customize the Nexus. I’ve talked about how easy iCUE in the past, and I’m still incredibly impressed by how intuitive and simple to use the software is.
The Nexus will automatically populate screens for all of the iCUE devices plugged into your computer. For example, my Nexus made a screen for my K95 keyboard that includes buttons for mute/volume controls, lighting adjustment, and macro key functions. I also have a screen for my Corsair H100i liquid cooler which has buttons for switching profiles, changing lighting, and widget that show my CPU temperature in real-time.
There’s practically no limit to the types of buttons and widgets you can create. You can fit 6 buttons on each screen and switch between them with a swipe. Each button has its own text, icon, color, and background. You can even drag and drop images directly onto a button and the Nexus will automatically resize them. I customized one of my screens with icons for 6 of my favorite games and assigned each button to launch the game.
Bring Your Nexus Alive With Cuescreens
One of the coolest features of the Nexus is the ability to create and add animated backgrounds using .cuescreen files. There is a default Cuescreen that comes preloaded, but otherwise, Cuescreens need to be created yourself or imported into iCUE. Corsair will have a curated list of Cuescreens available at launch, but I wish there were some preset options available in the same way that lighting presets are available to choose from in iCUE. I understand the need to keep the software lightweight, but it’s a bit cumbersome to have to go out to find Cuescreen files on your own or create them yourself.
Limitless Potential
When a new accessory or category of accessory like this comes out it’s a little bit hard to wrap your mind around what exactly it’s for. I found the most use for the Nexus out of creating hotkeys for things I routinely do on my PC. Ive got a page that controls my lights with buttons assigned to each profile. I’ve got another page that opens all the apps I use for work, like Slack, Discord, and Photoshop. I think there are some diminishing returns if you add too many screens, eventually it would just be faster to click through than swipe from page to page to find what you need, but I’m using 4 screens right now and it covers pretty much everything I could ever need.
But that is far from the only way to use the Nexus buttons. You can create media controls, remap buttons to the screen, and even create macros that include both keystrokes and mouse inputs. The Nexus is a fascinating platform that’s really open to whatever you want it to be. It has managed to tie my entire Corsair iCUE ecosystem together and focused into this one easy-to-use device. For custom PC builders, RGB light enthusiasts, or anyone that just wants a fresh way to control their system, the iCUE Nexus is a dream come true.
An iCUE Nexus and K95 keyboard were provided to TheGamer for this review. Learn more about the Nexus on Corsair’s website.
