When it comes to buying a new piece of equipment to bring home and lovingly add to the set-up, we gamers like to go about things slow.
Carefully researching and comparing and reviewing various products before coming to a conclusion as to which one may be best for us, and unfortunately, the market tends to take advantage of this very fact and makes and markets various products as “Gaming” this and “Gaming” that.
When a product carries the word “Gaming” in its name, you can also expect it to carry a large premium in its price-tag.
Most people who are regularly involved in the industry are aware of this, and thus the careful research before a purchase, but others simply are not, and fall into this marketing trap almost daily.
Because of this, more and more “Gaming” items are forever hitting the shelves, with bigger and grander price tags seemingly by the year.
Things are no different when it comes to chairs. It’s an interesting topic because naturally, someone who sits in a chair for any large portion of time is going to want, or need, a comfortable chair with good back support and a solid frame.
Birth of Gaming Chairs
While these more premium chairs were generally reserved for office workers in the past, today a lot of people spend a lot of time sitting at their desks just playing video-games.
While that may sound unhealthy or unproductive to most, it’s becoming more and more common for people like this to get involved with platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, oftentimes garnering an audience, and turning their hobbies into their dream jobs.
This, in turn, gives birth to the “Gaming chair”. A chair designed for comfort and support, but also a fair amount of style.
These come at an extremely premium price, with the more popular brands averaging at around 350-450 dollars.
A company you’ve probably seen pop up quite often if you spend any time watching these gaming personalities on the likes of YouTube and Twitch is DXRacer.
DXracer is a company whose sole focus is to produce high quality, stylish, attractive gaming chairs. The way they go about their marketing, however, is very clever. And very sneaky.
You may not often see any actual adverts from them, but you will find plenty of “Unboxing” videos on YouTube, and looking around the more popular streamers on Twitch, a good amount of them will be sitting in one of these chairs.
Why is this, you might ask? Well, DXRacer likes to pick out influencers they consider to have a large enough audience and send them out a chair.
This is in no way a bad thing, as for the people receiving these chairs, it’s a delight. But looking around, you begin to notice more and more of them, it’s like a quiet take-over.
If all your favorite internet gaming personalities are sitting in and using these chairs, and you decide to go buy a chair for yourself, where will you think to look first? DXRacer of course.
This isn’t to say they’re bad chairs though, because they really aren’t. They’re comfortable and have decent back support. However, given the price point, it’s a little hard to justify it, considering a good regular office chair will provide similar comfort and support for a much smaller price.
Then again, if you’re really into having the “Gamer” look that’s surprisingly popular these days, you may want to invest.
You see, these chairs are fashioned after a race car’s bucket seat design, and are made to look.. Well, speedy. Racing stripes and all.
If you’re looking at buying one of these chairs, you’re probably drawn in a big part to the actual look of the chair.
Types of Gaming Chairs
There are three main types of gaming chairs currently on the market that you’ll regularly encounter, these are; Rocker, PC, and Racer.
- Rocker is an interesting build. These chairs are built in a sort of banana shape, usually resting right on the ground, with the occasional build being raised for extra rocking fun.
- They generally don’t feature armrests and are meant for those who like to kick back and relax. These are likely the worst on the list for your back, but they sure are comfy.
- PC is what you’ll see most often in regard to computer chairs. It’s more or less your basic office chair, featuring a seat raised from the ground on a pedestal, usually with the ability to swivel built-in. Armrests are usually present but aren’t a given here, unlike with the Racer style seats.
- Racer style seats are built for comfort and style. As we mentioned above, these chairs are heavily marketed toward the gaming world and feature a variety of designs and colors.
They’re modeled directly after a race car’s bucket seat design.
Which One Should I Buy?
So which seat is best for you? Everyone has different needs and desires, but for the most part, if you’re interested in looking after yourself and want to keep your back and posture healthy, the PC style seat is probably for you. However you wouldn’t be going too wrong with a Racer chair either, but you would be forking out some extra cash for it.
If all you want is comfort and to be able to lie back and relax, you might want to look into purchasing a Rocker seat. It’s worth noting that most Racer seats will also recline a decent amount for a similar effect, but never quite reaching the extreme lazy comfort of a Rocker.
Lower-End Budget Recommendations:
If you’re not willing to give out a large amount of cash for a chair and to be honest, we feel you, then look no further than here, as there are three lower budget gaming chairs that still provide a solid performance and comfortable long-term sitting experience.
1. AmazonBasics Mid-Back Office Chair
The first recommendation is from Amazon? Really? Yup! Amazon’s basics range offers decent quality products at affordable prices, and their office chair is no different.
Featuring a soft faux leather exterior, five solid casters, and decent armrests.
It’s your basic office chair but is perfectly viable for gaming. Don’t forget, just because it doesn’t have “Gaming” in the name, doesn’t mean it won’t work wonders for just that.
It may be recommended not to spend too many hours on this one though.
It comes in at an extremely reasonable $64.99 and is available in a range of colors.
You can find it here on Amazon.
2. Flash Furniture Mid-Back Black Swivel Chair
This classy PC style chair features a mesh design, ideal for those in warmer climates, who may want something a little more breathable.
With built-in lumbar support, padded armrests and a seat designed to promote healthy blood flow, you’ll be raking in the benefits here, and at a reasonable price to boot.
You can find the Flash Furniture Chair here on Amazon.
3. Furmax Ergonomic Racing Chair
If you’re in this price bracket and looking for something more akin to the popular stylings of the DXRacer, Furmax has a fantastic offering in this high-backed bucket seat chair.
You’re getting a fully padded, ergonomically designed racer-style chair, fashioned after the ever-popular brands in the higher-budget range, with a reclining feature for those who want to sit back a bit, perhaps as the night goes on.
It’s priced extremely modestly at $57.99 and comes in a range of colors. An easy recommendation for those looking for something in this style.
You can find it here: Furmax Ergonomic Racing Chair
Mid-Range Recommendations
For those of us with a bit more of a budget, and looking to buy something of real, lasting quality, we now enter the mid-range budget.
Typically here, we’re getting a product that may well be on par with the higher-end stuff but is merely lacking the brand name to back it up.
Prices definitely go up a bit here, but the quality goes up to match.
1. Respawn – 115 racing style gaming chair
Respawn has gone out of their way to ensure the classy look with this chair.
It’s a racing-style design at heart, but with the intention of being more acceptable in a professional setting.
Featuring 180-degree reclining, adjustable armrests, an adjustable lumbar and headrest pillow, you won’t be disappointed with this purchase.
It comes in full black, or with silver trims and will run you a respectable $149.99.
You can find it on their website, here: Respawn – 115
2. Noblechairs Epic, PU Leather Edition
Stepping away from the ludicrous pricing of the real leather alternative to this chair, and sticking with the still somewhat madly priced PU leather version, we’re left with what is undoubtedly an incredible chair.
Noblechairs are known for creating some of the most luxurious, high-end gaming chairs on the market, and that attention to detail isn’t lost when trickling down to their cheaper offerings.
Featuring everything you’d expect from a high-end gaming chair. Reclining, adjustable armrests, ergonomic-focused design, breathable upholstery and a stylish, racing style design.
If you can afford it, you’ll be more than happy with this chair.
Also, can I just say that the white/black version is very nice.
It’s priced at the somewhat premium $339.90.
You can find it here: Noblechairs Epic
3. X Rocker 51259 H3
This rocker style gaming chair is ideal for those who want the utmost in relaxation when traversing their favorite games. It’s got speakers and a subwoofer built into the actual chair, with the ability to connect via Bluetooth or through a stereo headphone jack, it puts you right in the center of the action for a truly immersive experience.
It connects wirelessly to just about any console you can think of too, so open up your Playstation and have at it.
Also, for those of you a little more tight on space, you can fold it up for easy storage.
The only downfall that comes with this type of chair is that it is not suited for desktop use, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a good amount of people.
It’ll run you a hefty, but somewhat respectable $209.99.
You can find it here on Amazon.
High-End Gaming Chairs
Here we are, moving into the big boys. The kings and queens of the gaming chair world.
These are the best of the best and have terrifying prices to match, but if you’re shopping in this bracket, then pricing probably doesn’t scare you off too much.
Each of these chairs will offer an absurdly good experience and will do wonders for your posture and overall back and body health.
1. Steelseries Gesture
The chair that’s designed to form to the way you sit. It’s designed to move and conform to your sitting position, and work with anybody’s size or shape.
Back and posture support is the big deal here, and this chair goes well out of its way to ensure that with every movement and adjustment you make, it is there to cup and hold you firmly, comfortably in place.
Its an engineering marvel, and comes with a price tag to make most people faint.
But if you’re concerned for the long-term health of your body due to excessive hours spent sitting, this one may be worth looking into.
It costs $1,014.00.
You can find the Steelseries Gesture Gaming Chair here.
2. Vertagear Triigger 350 Special Edition Gaming Chair
The most breathable high-end pick on this list, featuring a more gaming-oriented design and the typical red and black color scheme often found in gaming-focused products.
Ergonomics were the main concern when designing this chair, and the end result is adjustable in just about every way. The backrest, the height, the armrests, seat depth, and lumbar support, can all be adjusted to fit perfectly to your body size and shape for ultimate comfort and support.
The built-in lumbar support allows for the entire angle of the whole back frame to be adjusted, making for a truly form-fitting design.
It comes in at the terrifying price of $899.99, but if the other options in this bracket are that little bit too out there for you, this is a great alternative.
You can find it here on their Official Website.
3. Herman Miller Embody
The holy grail. The epitome of back support. This chair is designed to support your every movement, through and through.
The build-up of the chair is visible through the back and even resembles a spine. You won’t find a better chair out there, but you’ll also be hard-pressed to find one as expensive.
The embody comes in at a starting price of $1,500, with the ability to far exceed that, depending on what extras you add and whatnot.
It’s the ultimate chair. But is it worth it? Hard to say.
If you have the funds, then sure, go for it. But if you’re at all struggling to pay for it, then many cheaper options will likely keep you perfectly happy.
You can find it here on Amazon.
Do I even Need a Gaming Chair?
Well, depends. Are you sitting in a cheap 30-40 dollars chair you picked up at a cheap furniture store? Is your back and/or neck aching as you read this?
If that’s the case, then yes, absolutely. If you work full-time at a computer or spend hours gaming on one, you owe it to your spine to invest in a proper chair.
Not enough people do, and it leads to some serious back and posture problems down the road.
But do you need a “gaming” chair? Probably not. There are some extremely good gaming chair options out there. And some come at perfectly reasonable prices too. If you find one you like the look of and want to pay for it, good for you.
For many though, it’s often just as viable to pick up a decent office chair, not necessarily marketed at the gaming world, but provides the same levels of comfort and support as one with “gaming” written on the box.
You do, however, miss out on the extra style points by going this route.
The choice is entirely up to you, and with any of the chairs recommended on this list, you should be in safe hands.
While when shopping in lower budget bracket, it may be recommended to upgrade when financially viable, it will never be as hard-pressed a need as it would have been had you continued to use something that physically made your backache.
So go, be free! Run into the world armed with your newfound knowledge of the gaming chair world, and make better decisions when your personal health is in consideration.
I want to hear what you think though. Are there any obvious omissions? What would you recommend?
The prices listed in this article were correct at the time of writing.
