MSl's new PortalX website 'eliminates the need for software' to control your gear's RGB lighting and I'm happy to ditch the PC apps

If you're anything like me, there's a good chance you are sick of all the software your gaming hardware has made you download just to customise it. MSI has just announced that it will no longer be one of those companies, if you prefer

MSI has shown off MSI Portal X, a website that "eliminates the need for software installation." Effectively, you will be able to synchronise RGB lighting on MSI gear without a dedicated app. Given that software is routinely the worst part of most hardware, I'm happy to see that MSI is allowing users the chance to skip it.

However, it is worth noting that this website is not a way for your gear to get software updates. You will need to source drivers every now and then to keep your gear up-to-date. I am cautious that this may lead users to ignore software updates, but updating only when there's a problem is a fairly common way to use hardware.

If you want to control RGB and get any of the latest updates at the same time, MSI Center is still available to download, and though our experiences with MSI's handheld software aren't great, we don't have major complaints with MSI Center, just a fair few little ones.

The biggest crime MSI Center commits is just being another app to keep up-to-date, and an app you have to stop from booting up when you turn on your PC. After the first install, it feels like just more bloat on a rig.

Early screenshots suggest that PortalX is a very simple app, giving users the ability to change colours, brightness, and the effect of their hardware's lighting, and not much more. That's more than enough to get your rig looking a bit more colourful, at least.

MSI PortalX marks a trend I'm a big fan of. Just last month, Corsair announced it would be implementing its own web app for peripherals, and manufacturers like Wooting and Keychron have web apps you can use to avoid downloading software.

Unfortunately, the Corsair app only works with peripherals, but MSI PortalX, as shown off in the press release, will also work with hardware like an MSI RTX 5090 and MSI motherboards.

We don't yet have a full release date on MSI PortalX, but given its announcement, we think it could go live in the near future. Just make sure that, if you do uninstall MSI Center, you make a habit of updating your gear manually. It's good practice to always have the latest drivers.

Best gaming monitor: Pixel-perfect panels.
Best high refresh rate monitor: Screaming quick.
Best 4K monitor for gaming: High-res only.
Best 4K TV for gaming: Big-screen 4K PC gaming.