Vertagear Racing Series PL4500 & RGB Upgrade Kit Review

RGB Upgrade Kit

Designed to work with the Vertagear PL4500 gaming chair, Vertagear launched two RGB upgrade kits designed to work with both the top and bottom aspects.

So, with them (rather kindly) sending me both of them, my work wasn’t done yet. It was time to see how these installed and, more importantly, how the final finished product looked!

RGB LED Bottom Kit

Starting with the box, we must note that the kit is amazingly well presented and, quite simply, just the packaging makes it look like an expensive and impressive addition.

Inside, you’ll find all of the components neatly separated and presented including a detailed product manual that is (somehow) surprisingly beefier than the one for the actual chair.

The first component to install is the controlling hub which, once you’ve lined up correctly to the base of the chair (and it does need to go in a specific position), simply attaches via 4 screws.

The base itself has a 4 battery power pack which inserts easily. These are rechargeable batteries which, if you own a vape, will be instantly recognizable.

Once inserted, the 3 light indicators will show you how much battery life you have while the magnetic charging cable means that you’ll never damage the port if you decide to charge your chair while sitting in it.

From this point, you install the 5 LED strips which follow under each ‘leg’ of the chair. These simply clip into place with each being held in my 2 screws.

With all those components in place, all you need to do is attach the wireless dongle to your PC (or laptop) install the CAM software (a link is provided in the manual), link it all together and you’re good to configure the lighting on the base of your Vertagear PL4500.

With the logo always remaining present, you can customize this based on pre-set light patterns or it can set to adjust itself to whatever music you’re listening to.

For more information on the RGB LED bottom kit, you can check out the official website via the link here!

RGB LED Top Kit

Similar to the bottom kit, the presentation of the top kit out the box is excellent and you are also provided with an (equally hefty, but clear) instruction manual.

In terms of the installation, the top kit is a little bit more complicated than the bottom. Largely because it initially involves some disassembly of your chair. So, to start, you have to remove the plastic covering to the recessed inserts on the back of your chair. This isn’t, however, a particularly tiresome chore as it’s only held in place by two screws and, after removing it, the front plastic sections simply pop out.

From there, you install your new RGB lit coverings, insert your acrylic Vertagear branded panels and then fit your new back covering which acts as the control device for the lighting.

Like the bottom model, you require four batteries (that are provided) which insert into the rear panel. This can be accessed by simply turning the handle. Following that, repeat the above steps with the dongle, CAM software and connection and your RGB LED top kit is ready to rock your world!

As a completed set-up, this is much more obvious aesthetically than the bottom kit, but we must admit that the kit does improve on the look of the original design.

In terms of the RGB effects, as you can see in the image below, not only do the outer parts of the kit light up, but the Vertagear logo to the center also shines giving you an overall much higher level of visual presentation than the base chair ever did!

The Final Finished Product

So, we have our Vertagear PL4500 gaming chair, and we now have our RGB LED kits fitted, so what do we think? Well, honestly, it’s something of a mixed bag.

While the RGB upgrades are excellent (and do add significantly to the overall aesthetic) we found that the lighting effects were rather tepid. Don’t get us wrong, you could see them, but I was left wishing that the lighting was a bit more vivid and a heck of a lot brighter!

I can’t help but feel that upgrade kits like this should always err on the garish and, instead, this is more understated. To get the pictures I did (in an environment that would work) I had to go to some rather unusual lengths and, overall, while I was impressed with the kids, I just wished that the lights were brighter.

Now, it should be noted that depending on where you game, these kits might be perfect for you. In a dark room, for example, the effects were amazing. In addition, with the CAM software, you have loads of configurations to pick from to suit your needs and it can even coordinate to the music you listen to or the games you play.

Taking this product as a whole, however, while this gaming chair is excellent. With the addition of the RGB LED kits though, it really take the aesthetic to a whole new level. Admittedly, the kits are rather expensive (as you’ll find out shortly). As such, many will question whether the effects they provide are really worth it. If you can, however, make the stretch, then it provides a huge upgrade on what is already an excellent throne!