Are you on the fence about purchasing a gaming chair? To assist you in making your selection, we go over seven distinct elements to consider when purchasing a new PC gaming chair in this post.
Gaming chairs receive a lot of flak, but the truth is that people purchase them because they look nice, and people will keep purchasing them as long as they look cool. I’m one of them.
Gaming chairs, on the other hand, aren’t all bad, and some are better than others. So, in this essay, we’ll go over seven things you should think about before purchasing a gaming chair.
These will assist you A) determine whether or not a gaming chair is right for you, and B) determine which gaming chair, out of the many types available, is right for you.
So, let’s get started….
7 Things to Consider Before Buying
The design of a gaming chair is the primary reason for purchasing one.
This isn’t to imply that gaming seats aren’t pleasant to sit on. Many gaming seats, from mid-range to high-end, are extremely comfy.
However, if your sole concern when purchasing a chair is comfort and you don’t care about the style, you’ll be better off looking at the office chairs in your price range.
This is because office chair producers often do not have to spend as much money on the chair’s design as they do on its ergonomics and comfortability.
Racing-style gaming chairs, on the other hand, offer a variety of design elements that aren’t usually favorable to comfortable seating.
These chairs’ bucket-style seats are wonderful for keeping riders in place in race vehicles, but they’re not the best design for long-term sitting.
That isn’t to imply that racing-style chairs aren’t suitable for long periods of sitting. In fact, I spend 8 or more hours every day in my gaming chair (the Secretlab Titan, which features a less-exaggerated bucket seat). It’s merely that a seat that isn’t bucket-style is more ergonomically sound.
However, if you want a cool-looking racing-style chair and are ready to compromise a little comfort and ergonomics, that’s acceptable as well.
Second, the most important factors in deciding which gaming chair to purchase are your height and weight.
There are certain seats that will not fit your body type if you are 6-foot-5 inches tall and weigh 250 pounds.
A lot of the time, gaming chairs are slammed because someone buys one that doesn’t fit their body type and is uncomfortable as a result.
They would have discovered that the chair was not the proper choice for them if they had noted the chair’s height and weight limitations.
As a result, make sure to check the gaming chair’s height and weight limitations before purchasing.
Some chairs, such as DXRacer’s Formula Series and Secretlab’s Omega, are created expressly for smaller users.
Other chairs, such as DXRacer’s Tank series, are designed specifically for larger users. (For more heavy-duty options, see our guide to the Best Gaming Chairs for Big Guys.)
If you like a chair but can’t discover the suggested height and weight criteria for it online, you’d be better off seeking for another option.
The basic line is that there aren’t many one-size-fits-all gaming chairs on the market. As a result, make certain you’re only looking at gaming chairs that are appropriate for your body shape.
Third, many gaming chairs are manufactured by the same company but renamed by different firms.
Take a peek at Amazon’s gaming chair product listing. You’ll notice a lot of chairs with similar designs from various manufacturers.
According to rumours, someone imitated DXRacer’s design and began mass-producing them in China. I’m not sure if that’s the case. It’s a distinct possibility.
However, there are a slew of other chair firms today selling essentially the same chair model.
This is referred to as “private labelling.” Essentially, anyone can go to the primary chair manufacturer, send them a custom design and branding to put on the chair, buy them in quantity, and then market them as their own.
So, in essence, you’ll find a lot of the same seats, with the only difference being the branding and style.
This is comparable to how NVIDIA and AMD produce GPUs, which are then repackaged by firms like EVGA, ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, and others with variable cooling and clock speeds.
But, if you’re shopping for a gaming chair, what does this mean for you?
It means that before you buy a gaming chair, you should consider your other possibilities. If the only difference is the chair’s design and logo, you might be able to purchase the same exact chair for less money from a different company.
Now, I usually advocate sticking to well-known brands like DXRacer, Secretlab, Vertagear, or Maxnomic since if you have an issue with the chair later on, you’ll have an easier time dealing with a famous brand than with one of the smaller random companies selling chairs.
However, if you’re on a limited budget and absolutely need one of these racing-style gaming chairs, you might not be able to afford a chair from a more respected manufacturer. And, if that’s the case, you should search about because you might be able to buy the same chair for cheaper from a different manufacturer.
Fourth, think about which elements of adjustment are most essential to you.
If you have your heart set on a racing-style gaming chair, there are a few qualities that distinguish them apart. Obviously, one of such elements is the design and colour palette. The second most important element that distinguishes one gaming chair from another is its adjusting capabilities.
Armrest adjustment and tilt-and-recline adjustment are the two most important adjustment features that differ from chair to chair.
Almost every gaming chair on the market has height adjustment, the ability to recline backward, and, at the very least, adjustable armrests.
The higher-end chairs, on the other hand, can often recline further than the low-end or mid-range alternatives, have adjustable armrests in numerous directions, and can tilt at their base and be locked at a tilted angle or unlocked to rock back and forth.
For me, the recline option on these chairs is appealing, but the ability to lock the chair at a slanted angle is much more appealing.
When I want to feel very comfy during gaming sessions, I can tilt the base back a little bit and recline the backrest a little bit, which is more pleasant than just reclining the backrest back.
Certain gaming chairs also have adjustable armrests that may be moved from side to side, forward and backward, and at an angle. Of course, there’s also up and down.
These additional adjustment options are crucial since they will assist you in getting the armrests into the best position for your setup.
So, while you’re shopping for a gaming chair, think about what kind of adjustments are vital to you.
Fifth, the lumbar support pillows that come with gaming seats are hit-or-miss.
I’ve evaluated a number of gaming chairs and have yet to find one that provides the ideal lumbar support. In terms of lumbar support, none of the chairs I’ve assessed have been poor choices, and a number of them have provided excellent support.
However, I have yet to find a racing-style gaming chair with optimal lumbar support. The same might be said, though, for office seats. You’re unlikely to find the ideal lumbar support feature unless you spend a thousand dollars on a high-end Herman Miller chair.
This is due to the fact that appropriate lumbar support will differ from person to person.
However, I would admit that the exact types of lumbar support pillows that most gaming seats come with have certain drawbacks.
For example, the lumbar support pillow in the DXRacer Formula series chair that I examined was adequate but a little on the bulkier side and a little too hard for me.
It was then a more comfortable lumbar pillow on the Secretlab Omega, but because it didn’t attach to the chair, if you wanted it to rest higher on your back, it would sometimes tumble down to the chair’s base when you moved around.
Secretlab’s Titan has the best lumbar support I’ve seen on a chair so far. That’s because it doesn’t have a lumbar support pillow; instead, lumbar support is incorporated right into the chair.
The Titan’s lumbar function did have one minor flaw: it struck me somewhat higher on my back than I preferred. There’s also no way to change the height at which it strikes you. This issue with the Titan would be a deal breaker for taller users, but it was a minor fault for me.
And, to be honest, that pretty well sums up the experience of purchasing a gaming chair, or any chair for that matter. It’s difficult to find a chair that fits you precisely, even if it’s a high-quality chair.
However, when it comes to lumbar support pillows, it’s definitely a good idea to do some research on the many options available and see if you can find other reviews who share your lumbar support preferences.
Sixth, it’s easier said than done when it comes to gaming seats to “sit on the chair before you buy it.”
“Hey, don’t buy a chair until you sit in it and try it out,” a lot of people will tell you. And, while that is sound advice, for many of these racing-style gaming chairs, sitting in them before purchasing isn’t a possibility.
The majority of them are only available for purchase online.
So, if you’re dead bent on acquiring a gaming chair, you’re probably not going to be able to try it out before you buy it.
And, if you can’t live with it, you’d be better off walking down to an office chair store and finding one you like there.
Some office stores, I believe, have a few different racing-style chairs in stock, so you might still be able to try out some gaming chairs.
However, if you have a specific colour scheme in mind or a specific chair brand in mind, you won’t be able to test them out beforehand.
And that’s something you’ll just have to accept. Another reason to spend a little more to obtain a chair from a reputed manufacturer with a great return policy is because of this.
Alternatively, you might purchase through Amazon, which offers a 30-day return period.
Seventh, give your chair a few weeks before deciding it isn’t right for you.
Even with higher-end chair reviews—and not just with high-end gaming chairs, but also with high-end office chairs—one thing I’ve found is that reviewers frequently mention how unpleasant the chair was to sit in at first.
Go read some evaluations of the Herman Miller Embody, Aeron, or Steelcase Leap and Gesture chairs. Many reviewers mention how uncomfortable the chair was for the first few weeks (if not longer) they sat on it.
If you have poor sitting posture (due to sitting in a low-quality chair) and upgrade to a higher-end chair, the higher-end chair will force your body into a position it is not accustomed to.
Even if it is a BETTER sitting posture, the fact that your body will have to shift to the new position may cause you to feel sore as you acclimate to the new position.
So, instead of sitting in a new chair for a day or two and then getting rid of it because you’re sore, try sitting in it for a week or two. It’s possible that your body isn’t accustomed to sitting in proper posture.
Do you require a gaming chair? Take a look at our Buyer’s Guide.
Leave any queries about gaming chairs in particular in the comments section below. Check out our PC Gaming Chair Buyer’s Guide if you’re looking for a good gaming chair.
