Birth of a Gaming Chair

[Denpa]

Hi guys,

 

I'm doing some research on gaming chairs right now.

My company is build a gaming brand with online-shop for a furniture group.

It's supposed to compete with more premium brands like Maxnomic or Secret Lab.

I'm a young developer, but they thought I would fit in well with the project because i already know a lot about the gaming and e-sports industry.

I also have a good overview of the existing brands and what they focus on.

 

When it comes to recommending gaming chairs, most people recommend buying a good office chair instead.

See: Are gaming chairs worth it or are they gimmicky? or Should you buy a gaming chair?

The characteristic shape of racing seats is apparently even counterproductive for comfort and some people argue that they don't like the design either.

 

Is marketing through e-sport teams and streamers the only thing that makes people buy these chairs?

Do you think there is still potential for innovation in the gaming chair market?

Is there anything you would like to improve on your chair if you could literally create your own?

Do you think its even possible to build a Gaming Brand without the clichés and still appeal to the target audience?

[ELSknutson]

I got a nice high back fo-leather office chair from work  and love it . https://www.amazon.com/BestOffice-OC-2610-Black-Office-Chair-Black/dp/B004ZVHKJE/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1O0GTSXREWAJB&keywords=high+back+office+chair&qid=1559057853&s=gateway&sprefix=hight+back+off%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-4

 

But it started to lose the fo-leather part so I dropped $300.00 on a "gaming chair" and when I got it in and put it all together I hated it.  The base was hard, the arm rest were hard, and for $300.00  it just did not feel like it was built well for the price.  so I dissembled it and returned it.  Now over time the chair might have been fine but I have since gone out and tested several other chairs at Stables, Ikea, and local furniture stores and all the ones that say racing or gaming on them feel about the same.  and the nicer office chairs tend to feel better 

 

[Semper]

I currently use a DXRacer.

After having used this for near five years now, I wouldn't recommend anyone use it. I picked mine up in a "perfect storm" situation, I needed a new chair (my previous one was on the brink of destruction), found this chair on sale (something like 60% off), and at the time, it fit the color design of my rig (orange/black).

Five years later:
I've gone through four arm rests (six if you count the ones currently on it), all of them have started disintegrating at the seams
The foam padding on the seat has lost a significant amount of it's original volume.
The PU leather has started to peel off the back pillow, and seat cushion
I'm on my second gas piston, which is showing signs of failure.
Given that it's a closed material (as opposed to mesh or breathable dimpling), the seat retains heat and makes for an uncomfortable experience during warmer months.
lastly, the back support doesn't securely lock into any one position. It's a minor issue, but when locked in, it's able to rock forward/backward quite substantially.
 

[Dedayog]

2 hours ago, Denpa said:

Hi guys,

 

I'm doing some research on gaming chairs right now.

My company is build a gaming brand with online-shop for a furniture group.

It's supposed to compete with more premium brands like Maxnomic or Secret Lab.

I'm a young developer, but they thought I would fit in well with the project because i already know a lot about the gaming and e-sports industry.

I also have a good overview of the existing brands and what they focus on.

 

When it comes to recommending gaming chairs, most people recommend buying a good office chair instead.

See: Are gaming chairs worth it or are they gimmicky? or Should you buy a gaming chair?

The characteristic shape of racing seats is apparently even counterproductive for comfort and some people argue that they don't like the design either.

 

Is marketing through e-sport teams and streamers the only thing that makes people buy these chairs?

Do you think there is still potential for innovation in the gaming chair market?

Is there anything you would like to improve on your chair if you could literally create your own?

Do you think its even possible to build a Gaming Brand without the clichés and still appeal to the target audience?

I think basically the bottom line is.... don't make a shitty product.  Gaming chairs bank on looks and the gaming marketing, plying the subconscious as well as the conscious mind.

 

I think people could handle a gaming chair being shit and uncomfortable if it had other benefits.  Like laptops have small screens yet are portable.  Big speakers are big on your desk but have great sound.  etc.  Gaming chairs suck for comfort and....????.

 

Frankly, if you can make a good adjustable ergonomic and comfortable office chair appeal in some way to gamers...  then you may have a good product to market.

[jiyeon]

I currently use a racing chair from a brand called GTForce, and have been using it for around 6-9 months now. I've always liked cars such as the Audi R8, Nissan GTR-R35, BMW M4, Lamborghini Huracan, so as a person who liked the comfort and feel of these chairs, I got myself one.

I find these seat types comfortable and nice to sit in which is why I strayed away from a simple office chair.

 

I don't think the stigma regarding 'gaming' chairs will ever fade due to how much they're marketed for the same features and aspects that regular office chairs are marketed for e.g comfort, style, ergonomics

 

2 hours ago, Denpa said:

My company is build a gaming brand with online-shop for a furniture group.

It's supposed to compete with more premium brands like Maxnomic or Secret Lab.

That's very ambitious of the company, these brands markup their products to huge profit margins so in what way do they intend to compete with them? Will they offer a much lower price? In which case, they'll be competing with the cheaper lower-end 'gaming' chairs with less-than-average materials in them.

 

2 hours ago, Denpa said:

The characteristic shape of racing seats is apparently even counterproductive for comfort and some people argue that they don't like the design either.

It depends who you ask, because some people - like myself - genuinely enjoy the feels of these racing seats and can benefit from sitting on a racing bucket.

Regarding design, that's entirely personal preference as people want chairs which will both aesthetically look nice as well as support their own body shape and posture, and look for chairs that offer features for maximum comfort and ergonomics.

[_Hustler_One_]

Here Jay explained Gimmicks vs Features, he mentioned about gaming chair in the end section of this video. Watch it!

[f2bacon]

The alera mid back is a great chair that comes with holes for the lorell headrest. The seat is soft and cushy and the back is breathable mesh. I'm on my 7th year of the same chair and I only needed to get new arms after a friend broke them.
https://smile.amazon.com/Alera-ALEEL41ME10B-Elusion-High-Back-Multifunction/dp/B0049UCECE

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P85C6OU

[CorruptedSanity]

I have a secret labs titan and I love it.  I only have experience with one other chair, a $100ish office chair from Costco.  It could be one of the worst purchases I've ever made.  Within a month or two the cushion was tapped out, just felt like I was sitting on just the plywood underneath and made my back ache.

 

I can game for hours on the titan and if it gets uncomfortable I just take a break and go back.  No back ache anymore.  I even use it instead of the couch sometimes when watching tv with the wife. 

 

That's just my two cents.  I'd love to try a few other chairs but ill wait for the titan to give out first. 

[Denpa]

Thank you very much for the feedback, here are some of my learnings.

Please correct me if you think I'm wrong.

 

ELSknutson

Fo-leather peels of after extended use.

First impressions compared to other chairs is important.

 

Semper

People like to match there Chair colors with there rig.

Component quality is important for long time use.

Closed Materials are uncomfortable during warmer months.

 

jstudrawa

Most Gaming chair Brands bank on looks and the gaming marketing.

People ignore ergonomics for Gimmicks.

Just build a good adjustable ergonomic and comfortable office chair, that appeals to gamers in some way.

 

seoz

People can benefit from the support a racing bucket gives.

Design is entirely a personal preference.

People want chairs which will both aesthetically look nice as well as support their own body shape and posture.

 

_Hustler_One_

Most Gaming Chairs are produced by a single source from China and are rebrandings.

Office Chairs are rated by scientific studies.

Most Gaming Chairs are not designed on the base of scientific research but on gimmicks and branding.

[dizmo]

Gaming chairs are mostly a gimmick. They don't provide particularly great support, and they're generally horrible for your posture.
They're mostly sold because of their exposure with pro gamers. When you see the cheaper brands pop up, they're merely there because people can't afford the "higher end" ones. They're all trash, compared to a proper ergonomic char. Can you make money marketing them? Sure. Come up with a good colorway, neat logo, good price and people will likely purchase them. Just make sure you source good suppliers in China.

On 5/28/2019 at 11:34 AM, seoz said:

I currently use a racing chair from a brand called GTForce, and have been using it for around 6-9 months now. I've always liked cars such as the Audi R8, Nissan GTR-R35, BMW M4, Lamborghini Huracan, so as a person who liked the comfort and feel of these chairs, I got myself one.

I find these seat types comfortable and nice to sit in which is why I strayed away from a simple office chair.

 

I don't think the stigma regarding 'gaming' chairs will ever fade due to how much they're marketed for the same features and aspects that regular office chairs are marketed for e.g comfort, style, ergonomics

 

That's very ambitious of the company, these brands markup their products to huge profit margins so in what way do they intend to compete with them? Will they offer a much lower price? In which case, they'll be competing with the cheaper lower-end 'gaming' chairs with less-than-average materials in them.

 

It depends who you ask, because some people - like myself - genuinely enjoy the feels of these racing seats and can benefit from sitting on a racing bucket.

Regarding design, that's entirely personal preference as people want chairs which will both aesthetically look nice as well as support their own body shape and posture, and look for chairs that offer features for maximum comfort and ergonomics.

I don't think you really benefit from the racing bucket. They're horrible for your body, and while you might find it comfortable, that doesn't mean it's doing your body good. They don't give good posture, they have poor support where you need it, and generally aren't great. These chairs are meant for performance cars, where they're not made to be comfortable or offer your body proper support; they're meant to keep you secure, and to keep you from sloshing from side to side under higher G forces.