Compared to office workers, hardcore gamers on average spend 20% more time sitting down. Naturally, gaming chairs are becoming an important accessory, and in a forward-facing, futuristic gaming industry, it pays to take a quick history lesson.
Let’s take a look at the Eames Lounge Chair, a classic mid-century design that you’ll find in old Bond movies and movie sets that ooze that high-class style (the Continental in John Wick, anyone?). Last century’s best seating solution for avid and serious readers is one of the most comfortable and stylish chairs ever designed. Reading and gaming are actually pretty similar, and the lounge chair excels as a gaming chair in some cases.
We’ll dive deeper into the subject; read on and find out if the lounge chair is a good choice for you depending on your height, gaming style, your gaming console/PC of choice and budget. If you’re in a rush and already decided you want the lounge chair, we’ve already covered what the best Eames lounge replica is and how to choose one.
Compared to office workers, hardcore gamers on average spend 20% more time sitting down. Naturally, gaming chairs are becoming an important accessory, and in a forward-facing, futuristic gaming industry, it pays to take a quick history lesson.
Let’s take a look at the Eames Lounge Chair, a classic mid-century design that you’ll find in old Bond movies and movie sets that ooze that high-class style (the Continental in John Wick, anyone?). Last century’s best seating solution for avid and serious readers is one of the most comfortable and stylish chairs ever designed. Reading and gaming are actually pretty similar, and the lounge chair excels as a gaming chair in some cases.
We’ll dive deeper into the subject; read on and find out if the lounge chair is a good choice for you depending on your height, gaming style, your gaming console/PC of choice and budget. If you’re in a rush and already decided you want the lounge chair, we’ve already covered what the best Eames lounge replica is and how to choose one.
If you’re a console gamer (regardless if you own an Xbox, Playstation, or a Nintendo console), you’re going to be surprised by just how great the lounge chair is as a console gaming chair. The lounge chair is a superbly comfortable reclining reading chair, and it lets you get cozy and relax with your joystick. The ottoman that comes with the chair is perfect and lets you kick your feet up and really relax. The quality ottoman could even be used by a friend in a couch co-op session.
There’s a certain joy when you come home from your office job and sit down for a gaming session in a chair that’s completely different from your regular old office chair. There’s a definitive change in mindset; you won’t think about emails or reports, but kick your feet up and boot up a quick round of Helldivers or Need for Speed.
Console gamers naturally prefer lower, more comfortable chairs (or couches) compared to PC gamers, as they can easily sit back and enjoy their gaming nights in a very relaxed, natural slouching pose. This pose is a healthy way to sit for a long time, and is just what the Eames lounge chair was designed to do. When the going gets tough (like how it can in a competitive round of Destiny 2), you’ll easily sit up, give it your best and immerse yourself in the game.
For most PC gamers that use a mouse and keyboard, the lounge chair isn’t the best option. A more modern office chair is a much better choice for PC gamers. But the lounge chair might work in some cases. Some people are so in love with how comfortable the Eames chair is, that they use block risers to raise the lounge chair up to the level of a regular office chair.
The other option for lounge chair lovers is having a wireless mouse and keyboard and sitting back in the chair; this is only a good idea if your main PC monitor is your TV as a regular monitor is too small for this. A full-HD 60Hz gaming TV is good enough for PC gamers that aren’t interested in the highest competitive ranks that require special monitors.
PC gamers are at risk of back and shoulder pain, and they should consult this infographic and this post about PC gaming ergonomics on how to improve their posture. Those who are comfortable with the lounging, relaxed pose are less at risk for back pain.
Lounge chairs were meant for serious reading; people half a century ago would spend hours immersed in a good book, reading for days or weeks. As such, these chairs had to be especially comfortable for very long sessions. As we said, the lounge chair is the most comfortable gaming chair, and it comes with a footrest, which is a feature many gamers didn’t know they needed.
Many gamers are asking for a quality reclining feature on their chair, and the Eames comes with it. The armrests are naturally, a very welcome addition for people that have to keep their hands in a similar position for hours.
Gaming in a comfortable, relaxing chair is the best and the healthiest way to play video games for an extended session. A lot of gamers clock more hours in a video game than an average office worker at their desk; and as such, they are unfortunately risking their health, posture, and comfort.
Using an ergonomic, well-made Eames lounge chair is just one piece of the puzzle; gamers (and office workers) are encouraged to take 5 or 10-minute breaks every hour to stretch and take a short walk around their room. Going to the gym and doing squats and deadlifts will also improve both your health and posture.
Both adults and kids can enjoy the comfort of an Eames lounge chair, especially for gaming. If you were a kid when you first sat down in a lounge chair, you’d remember just how comfortable it is to sink into one and watch the hours pass by, immersed in a good book or movie. Today, you can let your kids game in your lounge chair.
In short, a quality Eames lounge chair will likely outlive you. You can find 20-30 year old lounge chairs that sell for the same price as a brand new chair; their base design is so good that even the Eames lounge chair replicas are quality chairs that will serve you for a long time. The more expensive replicas use better materials and will last longer.
The lounge chair is a heavy duty chair; it’ll accommodate people of all weights and sizes. Big and tall customers will rejoice in knowing that most lounge chairs can handle people up to 6’ tall and a weight limit of up to 300 lbs.
The original Eames Lounge Chair costs about $5,200, while the more affordable replicas cost from $500 to several thousand dollars. Here’s what you need to know if you’re buying a replica. The general rule of thumb is, the more you pay the better chair you’ll get; a $300 chair is good, but a $1100 chair is a lot better.
If you’re quite unsure if you’ll like the lounge chair, you can buy the least expensive option and resell it later; these chairs don’t tend to depreciate unlike most other office or gaming chairs.
It is rather weird to compare the lounge chair to other chairs, but here we are. As higher-end furniture and comfort enthusiasts, let us disappoint “gaming chair enthusiasts” immediately. Most popular gaming chairs you see most streamers on Twitch use aren’t high-quality or comfortable enough. First-hand, we’ve seen these chairs break. Their brand and marketing sells their “special gaming” chair, and most gamers have never felt true quality and comfort. Even the cheapest ~$300 Eames lounge chair replicas offer more comfort for a similar price.
Why do we see popular streamers use these “gamer chairs” so often? Because they’re sponsored by the gaming chair manufacturers. The other way the Eames lounge chair beats all these new chairs is pure class and style; nothing brings a properly furnished “man-cave” as a quality leather reading chair.
No review is complete without listing all the drawbacks, and we know that the lounge chair is not the ultimate gaming chair for everyone. Firstly, it’s a low reading chair; while this makes it one of the best reading chairs out there, it’s not an office chair and not many people will ever use one as a PC gaming chair. It is especially uncomfortable for tall PC gamers unless they use a wireless setup and a TV.
Even with the block risers, you’ll need a very specific, short table to house your PC. This table would likely need to be custom made or heavily modified, and that instantly disqualifies the lounge chair as a PC gaming chair.
Secondly, the price. Most gamers are not prepared to pay about $1000 for a quality chair, despite how expensive gaming hardware is.
