I get it, really. If you’re going to hunker down for a long gaming sesh, you need a comfy chair. You need lumbar support. Maybe even a headrest.
What I don’t get is why every single gaming chair has to either be utterly ridiculous or have the aesthetic of an edgy racecar bed. Whether it’s a 318 kg monstrosity, an egg-shaped pod, or a stumpy rocker with speakers built into the sides, every gaming chair is a loud eyesore. (Well, almost every gaming chair; the Herman Miller Logitech collab is at least inoffensive to look at.)
It’d be fine if some gaming chairs rocked the so-called gamer aesthetic. But all of them?! Surely, we have gamers out here that don’t want their home to look like a dank RGB cave. Don’t they deserve comfy chairs too? In any case, here’s a look at the 10 most ridiculous gaming chairs that made our eyes bleed. Feast your eyes on these hideous excuses for seating and despair.
Cooler Master Orb X
It’s a space egg. Cooler Master calls this thing a “multi-purpose semi-enclosed workstation for gamers and professionals” but who among us would have this in our houses? The chair supposedly has 6 ways to adjust the lumbar support and headrest, and the screen mount supports either a single 49″ monitor or three 27″ monitors. Did I mention it has an automated motorised shuttle dome? I just… what kind of house do you need to have where a rainbow egg pod would blend in?
TS85 COW Print LUXX Series Gaming Chair
Supposedly, this $US390 ($532) chair has a “velvet-like fabric upholstery surface.” I mean, I guess if you were really into farming games? So much so that you needed a really supportive chair… that looked… like a cow?
Bestway Inflatable Gaming Chair
Ah yes, nothing screams comfort like a plastic inflatable chair that looks like it came straight from Tron. Nothing against Tron — Tron is cool. Despite the Amazon listing saying this chair’s high backrest and oversized armrests mean you’ll be able to long and game for hours, I have never sat in an INFLATABLE, PLASTIC chair that didn’t suck. Well, at least you can deflate it so no one has to see your shame.
Shinji, GET IN THE INGREM GDRAGON CODING POD AND GAME STATION NOW!
First of all, this thing is listed at $US12,000 ($16,361). Second, it looks like a reject mecha cockpit built exclusively for Tony Stark. Did I mention it’s $US12,000 ($16,361)?
Cluvens Scorpion Chair
Our dearly departed Catie Keck wrote about this monstrosity once. At the time, Catie was promised that Gizmodo would buy the hideous scorpion chair if her write-up got 200 separate comments.
She never got the scorpion chair, even though I’m pretty sure we got up to 200 comments.
But honestly, this is probably for the best because look at this thing. Why, why would you do this to yourself? Also, the Alibaba listing has it at $US2,399 ($3,271). That’s a lot for something so freaking hideous.
Acer Predator Thronos Air
I’ve seen this thing in person. It is not worth $US14,000 ($19,088). Trust me. The irony is the Thronos Air was the “cheaper” version. The original Thronos was $US30,000 ($40,902) and weighed at least 324 kg. At IFA 2019, Acer told me it takes 3-4 hours to dismantle this thing. It was for that exact reason that despite assembling this monstrosity for the press conference, Acer decided it just wasn’t worth it to schlepp it down one hall for their actual booth.
X Rocker
My husband bought one of these — not this exact model, but something very similar. It had the stupid little built-in speakers and for months it was an eyesore in our otherwise very cosy apartment’s living room area. Even though it was foldable, he never put it away. It just sat there, less than a foot away from our TV, mocking me. It’s hard to look “cool” while gaming, but I assure you, it’s impossible when sitting in one of these.
Nevertheless, my husband loved this godawful chair. I was forced to deal with it until in a moment of caprice, our cat decided to take a giant dump on it. I thank the cat every day for that.
Razer Iskur
I mean, yeah, if Razer was going to make a gaming chair it’d look like this. But as it is, this looks like the chair Voldemort would use if he was a sad Millennial gamer.
Whatever This Rainbow Nightmare Is
If you’re ever wondering, “Have we taken RGB lighting too far?” please remember this gaming massage chair. The marketing spiel says the “colourful lights add a sense of science” but I don’t know, man. Also, you have to charge this thing with a power bank instead of a plug because it might break the USB connector. This is too much.
Playseat Challenge Edition Gaming Chair
Um, I’m sorry. This thing is $US249 ($339) for what looks like to be a red-and-black lawn chair or highchair for an adult baby. It is supposedly for simulating racing games but surely, surely, you can get something better for the same price.