The most expensive gaming chair: how much is too much?

Here it is: 8 hours and 27 minutes every week. That’s how much time gamers spend getting their game on all over the world. On average. That means 30 minutes per week for some casual gamers, and 10-12 hours per day for hardcore streamers and e-sports professionals. 

No matter where you fall on the spectrum, at some point you’re going to shell out some of your hard-earned money for a gaming chair. Which means you’re inevitably going to ask yourself: “How much should I spend, and what will I get for my hard-earned money?”

Do you need the most expensive gaming chair or will a cheap office chair do the job? And if you decide you’re going to shell out some serious coin, how much is too much? Read on and we’ll go over the three most important factors to make sure your gaming chair purchase is money well spent.

How much time do you spend gaming?

Obviously, you don’t want to pump massive bucks into the most expensive gaming chair if you already know it will collect dust like a Christmas fruitcake. If you spend most of your time gaming on the couch, or if “gaming” to you means a few minutes of Candy Crush before you hit the bed, then you absolutely don’t need to invest in the most expensive gaming chair you can find. In fact, you probably don’t need to invest in a gaming chair at all.

If gaming is a big part of your life—you play at a desk more than 20 minutes at a time several times each week—then we can give you the golden rule: definitely, definitely don’t waste your money on a some cheapo office chair that’s had the “gaming” adjective slapped on it. They don’t offer the ergonomic support, adjustability, durability, or quality that a real gaming chair will. Sure, they might be cheap, but they won’t perform, they won’t stand up, and you’ll end up spending more money later. This is a good way to think about gaming chairs and just about any other purchase.

Where should you put your money?

While e-sports team endorsements and clever product placements are cool, they also beg the question: how much of the purchase price for the chair went into the promotion of the chair, and how much went into the steel, foam, and other materials that determine your chair’s performance? Sometimes the gaming chairs you see all over Twitch are just props. Sometimes the most expensive gaming chair is the result of a huge marketing budget and little else.

Look, I’m not talking smack about endorsements. I’m happy whenever a gamer, streamer, or e-sports team gets paid, and there are some good products out there that are just trying to get the word out to the community. All I’m saying is that you need to look deeper. It really comes down to three factors: frame, foam, and ergonomics. Make sure the frame is metal, preferably automotive-grade aluminum or steel. When it comes to foam, molded foam provides more support and holds its shape longer than cut foam.Ergonomics is both objective and subjective: make sure you can adjust seat height, recline angles, and armrest position; and check the dimensions of the chair to make sure it fits your body.

When it comes to the actual materials and engineering of the chair, you really do get what you pay for.

How much is luxury and style worth to you?

Setting aside buzz and hype, there are subjective aspects to gaming chairs that might be worth the extra cost to you. We’re not really talking about quality of materials or ergonomicshere—you should always prioritize the quality factors first—but more about your sense of personal style, taste, and flair.

Are you a form follows function type of gamer? Then save your money when it comes to piping, stitching, and custom colors. Invest in better chair materials and more games. On the other hand, did you spend a month making sure the green backlighting on your mechanical keyboard matched the cooling fluid in your PC? Then you’re going to enjoy details like diamond-stitching, flush-mount recline handles, or even custom embroidery and material choices.

Custom details really are the realm of the most expensive gaming chairs you’ll find. Most custom gaming chairs you see on streams either come with an endorsement or started life as a retail model before being personalized by an independent contractor. If having a one-of-a-kind custom gaming chair with your choice of materials, colors, and personal branding sounds like your jam, then contact the Luxe Master CX team for a quote.