From WIRED · Louryn Strampe · · 1m 30s
An office chair in Sega cosplay
Branch put Sonic, Genesis, and Dreamcast skins on a proper ergonomic chair, and the result beats most gaming seats.
In brief
Branch put Sonic, Genesis, and Dreamcast skins on a proper ergonomic chair, and the result beats most gaming seats. Gaming chairs and office chairs are mostly the same product with different marketing, so buy the one with real ergonomics and pick the look you like. Originally reported by WIRED.
Same chair, different pitch
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A good gaming chair and a good office chair need nearly identical things. What usually separates them is the marketing, not the engineering.
“And that's usually what separates them: marketing.”
Sega skins, three flavors
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The Sonic version gets a mesh back; Genesis and Dreamcast use vegan leather. The Dreamcast model borrows controller wheel shapes and an orange armrest stripe from the console logo.
Assembly that didn't hurt
About an hour solo, roughly 50 pounds of box up the stairs. Labeled bolt packs and a sturdy included Allen key made it go faster than most furniture.
White leather, spicy chips
The Dreamcast build is white while the other two run dark. Staining and cleaning are the open questions for long-term use, plus a cat with opinions.
“I will just cross my fingers that my cat doesn't take too much of a liking to it”
Fourteen knobs to learn
Lumbar, seat tilt, seat depth, and armrests on multiple planes take patience to set. Once dialed in, it holds a comfortable position for hours.
Worth it at $569
Office-grade ergonomics with just enough gamer styling, no fake race car seat. The headrest sits too high for a 5'1" frame, and taller users can add the tall cylinder.
“The design isn't so over-the-top that your office will look like a Twitch streamer's game cave.”
The takeaway
Gaming chairs and office chairs are mostly the same product with different marketing, so buy the one with real ergonomics and pick the look you like.
