This ‘gaming UPS’ has customizable RGB lighting because of course it does

It had to happen, and it did—a battery backup designed specifically with gamers in mind, or what hardware makers think gamers are all about. That's to say, Schneider Electric's new APC Back-UPS Pro Gaming UPS delivers electrical impulses to help with overclocking your GPU, to achieve faster framerates in games! No wait, that would be silly. What I meant to say is, it has (*checks notes*) a dozen RGB LEDs that you can customize.

To be fair, I wouldn't want an uninterruptible power supply that offers to zap my PC. That's not what they do. UPS units are intended to protect PCs and other electronics from sudden surges in electricity (the good ones do, anyway), and of course provide some emergency power if the electricity goes out for any reason, like if someone crashes into a utility pole outside your home and knocks it down, along with the power on your block (speaking from experience). 

In such a scenario, a UPS gives you time to save your work and properly shut down your PC. Or as it applies here, to also avoid making your virtual stuff vulnerable to opportunistic opponents.

"Tens of millions of gamers suffer from unexpected disconnects due to power issues every year. The device will be a must-have to guard one’s gear and their reputation in online multiplayer games (whether playing casually or competing in professional esports tournaments); it also keeps homes connected in case of an emergency," Schneider Electric explains.

The RGB lighting is just icing on the cake, and let's be frank, it's what constitutes this as a gaming UPS, as opposed to a regular UPS. Schneider Electric's stated intent with the RGB light ring (and overall design) is to "enable gamers to match their unique gaming PC and console designs" to the UPS.

I'll say this—it's certainly a sleek looking UPS, as far as battery backup designs go, at least from what I can tell from the press renders. It's also well equipped for a UPS. The sole model being offered (in black or white) is a 1,500VA / 900W unit with true sine-wave output and automatic voltage regulation, both of which are desirable features in a UPS. That's enough power for even the beefiest gaming PCs (unless maybe you're running quad GPUs)—generally speaking, it should give you a 10-20 minute window (depending on your setup) if the power goes out.

There are 10 outlets in total, including six that offer battery backup and four that deliver surge protection only. It also has an RJ45 LAN/data port on the rear, and three USB charging ports (two Type-A and one Type-C) on the front to charge your headset, smartphone, or whatever else.

On paper, at least, it matches up with the best UPS battery backups for PC gaming, offering similar features and specifications as CyberPower's CP1500PFCLCD (our top pick, currently). It's a little more expensive though, at least out of the gate—Schneider Electric's new UPS is available now for $260 (MSRP) at Amazon, B&H Photo, and Newegg, where's as CyberPower's model can be found for $210.