Vibrating accessories have become all the rage recently, with a number of PC peripherals appearing in the marketplace that tremble under specific conditions. Razer is developing an entire ecosystem designed to provide 'immersive' haptic feedback while you game, the rather lovely Nari Ultimate being the vanguard here. Gaming chair maker GT decided to pounce on this niche hype train themselves with the recent release of the GT Throne, which uses vibrating motors built into the seat and backrest to shake you in accordance to audio cues piped through your PC. I got the chance to test it recently and (my back) wasn't hugely impressed.
On the surface, it's an interesting concept, and overall the Throne is a pretty comfy chair (though it sits a bit high off the ground for my taste). Unfortunately, its main feature doesn't deliver the immersive experience you may be hoping for. For one, it monopolizes your audio output, so you need to plug headphones into the transmitter to properly use it. And in my experience, gaming with the vibration feedback enabled was more of a distraction and an annoyance than a boon.
For one, the way the motors in the seat agitate the chair is actually physically uncomfortable; it vibrated my spine in a way I found jarring. The motors tucked into the backrest are less egregious if only because they're slightly more subtle, but at their best they still do little to add to the gameplay experience. The way they react to audio cues feels a bit sporadic, so any additional immersion they might provide is diminished by inconsistency. The overall experience was akin to sitting in a malfunctioning, albeit fairly comfortable, massage chair.
The GT Throne is a fine gaming chair with the force feedback systems disabled, but there's nothing particularly exceptional about it to make it stand out from what is an increasingly crowded field. Its lone gimmick actually detracts from its quality, which is unfortunate because it's surely responsible for a significant amount of its $475 MSRP. For some really excellent alternatives, check out our best gaming chair roundup, but unless you're desperate to be physically shaken while you play (not stirred), this is one to approach with caution.
