Corsair launches iCUE Nexus companion touch screen

by Mark Tyson on 15 July 2020, 13:11

Tags: Corsair

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Corsair has launched a new PC accessory to control your accessories. OK, that might be somewhat flippant, as the Corsair iCUE Nexus companion touch screen allows for real-time system monitoring and up to six action buttons on screen at once to launch apps and games, execute macros, adjust system and peripheral settings, and more.

Corsair's iCUE Nexus companion touch screen was designed to deliver all the iCUE functionality you might use to a convenience touch screen. If you own a compatible Corsair keyboard like the Corsair K70 RGB MK.2 or K95 RGB Platinum XT the touch screen clips onto the back of the keyboard at an angle and connects to the keyboard USB port too. Otherwise you have to connect it to your PC USB and mount it by some other method but a selection of mounts are supplied and the device can also sit on your desk.

The flexibility of the 5-inch 640 x 48 pixel touch screen system makes it hard to describe the full range of functionality here but that is a better problem to have, if you buy the device, than being restricted. Corsair suggests using the screen to keep an eye on your system's vitals with real-time system monitoring data from the CPU, GPU, and iCUE-compatible devices, including temperatures, frequencies, fan speeds, and more.

With any actions programmable in iCUE mapable to one of the iCUE Nexus' virtual buttons, the possibilities go much further than system monitoring. Sitting next to one of the system monitor readouts, you might want an action button to make pertinent adjustments, for example.

If you have other iCUE compatible PC components and accessories settings for these can also be twiddled quickly directly from the touch screen with a tap and swipe. Giving examples of this functionality Corsair says you can change the sensitivity of your mouse, cycle your headset’s equalizer profile, change your keyboard’s RGB lighting profile, and more.

Lastly, outside of system monitoring/control, and iCUE peripheral adjustments, the Corsair iCUE Nexus companion touch screen sounds like it would be a pretty good highly configurable launcher or macro key execution device. Corsair already has some ideas and integration with the screen for gamers lined up. There are downloadable pre-programmed screens with unique visuals and custom actions for games such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, and The Division 2, it says. Corsair has put together a FAQ and some video guides for setting up this device if you wish to learn more.

Corsair sells the iCUE Nexus companion touch screen with a two year warranty. It is listed at US$99.99 stateside, I can't find a UK price today but you will know what to expect.



HEXUS Forums :: 19 Comments

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Fair play to Corsair, this looks on paper to be a very usable and highly capable little device. Assuming it's around £99, the price isn't especially horrific for all those features, either.
It's essentially a variant of what my G19 keyboard already does, with some extra stuff that it can't, all rolled up in iCUE's vast capacity for those with the time and patience to do all the setup.

It's just a little annoying that it appears to be locked into the iCUE ecosystem, though… understandable, but still annoying.
I was debating building a little box with lots of buttons to do this kind of thing. The cost was approaching £50 and was just getting too excessive. I wouldn't mind this but for the price, I am relying completely on Corsair's software keeping up to date and maintaining support. For £100 I just will not do that. I've been bitten too many times by software support dying and taking my expensive hardware with it.
Looks like it might be an offshoot of Corsair buying Elgato.
Odd t hat you couldn't find UK pricing as Scan had it in their inventory yesterday -https://www.scan.co.uk/products/corsair-icue-nexus-5-touch-screen-6-programmable-virtual-macros-live-system-readouts-icue-compatible, it is £89.99
As per Ttaskmaster, this looks an interesting and potentially very useful product. However the cornerstone of its utility will be the iCue software - and that's something that makes me a bit reluctant to shell out £90 given Corsair's unwillingness/inability to fix some very longstanding bugs in it. And that's just the ones they acknowledge.

The other thing that is strikingly obvious about this design, once you see it, is the very low screen vs bezel ratio. There's lots of black around the display. And reviews elsewhere picking up limitations with the viewing angle and colour rendition too.

Hmm…