PC Gaming Chair Roundup 2016

PC Gaming Chair Roundup 2016

As PC gaming has gone from strength to strength in recent years, the ways we physically interact with our systems have been given more and more focus. Mechanical keyboards, high-end gaming mice, true surround sound headsets and so on are all marketed as being able to give you an all-important edge in your favourite games, and the number of brands pumping such products out is seemingly endless.


Another product that has grown in popularity is the PC gaming chair. Whereas once the vast majority of gamers would find themselves sat on a standard IKEA office chair or the like, such models are no longer deemed worthy – go to any LAN event or esports tournament and you'll probably find a whole host of gaming chairs in front of the rigs. For the companies involved, there's good money to be made in this business as well, with PC gaming chairs rarely found for under £100 and some models fetching over £400.


While a chair is unlikely to make you better at pulling off headshots, the main draw of gaming chairs is, of course, comfort, which is certainly important if you're into your long gaming sessions. Typical PC gaming chairs offer improved lumbar support over standard office chairs, as well as more comfortable arm rests, a headrest and all manner of physical adjustments to keep you comfortable. This is important for posture too – there are specific recommendations on how to sit for long periods of time, so being able to adjust your chair to meet these is an advantage.


We've only ever looked at a couple of gaming chairs here at bit-tech, so for this article we thought we'd hit the ground running. We've rounded up seven models, each from a different manufacturer, and we've covered a wide range of price points too. Given just how subjective the experience of a chair is, we're not offering full reviews of the chairs. Instead, we're looking at various aspects like ease of assembly, what adjustments are offered and how easy they are to use, the quality of the materials and so on, and then offering our thoughts and plenty of photos in the hope that we can aid your decision making process if you've decided to take the plunge and enter the world of PC gaming chairs. This will be as much a learning experience for us as it will for you, so without further ado here's the list of chairs we're looking at:

• Noblechairs Epic
  
• Nitro Concepts C80 Pure
  
• Vertagear PL6000
  
• Arozzi Verona-Pro-Gy
  
• GT Omega Racing Master XL
  
• AK Racing AK-Nitro-RD
  
• Speedlink Regger

Do let us know your thoughts on these products, and feel free to share your own experience with gaming chairs in the forums too.