Gaming chair vs ergonomic chair: which offers a better sitting experience?

If you pictured your perfect PC setup, it would likely consist of a magnificent statement case that simultaneously screams speed, power and silence, with lighting that could be subtle or garish to match your mood, cable management that would sit well next to Michelangelo’s David, plus peripherals that compliment and enhance an ultimate gaming space. 

But what about the chair? 

Whether such a gaming rig reflects an achievable reality or is just an aspirational dream, when it comes to seating, for many gamers it’s tempting to choose one of the myriad, cheap, glitzy gaming chairs that have flooded the market—focusing on aesthetic considerations, while function *cough* takes a back seat. 

But you wouldn’t tolerate a cheap gaming mouse, monitor or keyboard, nor (for most of us) would you choose one because it looks better than the model you know will perform better—and it’s this consideration that should be front of mind when it comes to sitting down at your PC for hours at a time. 

So, will an ergonomic chair or a gaming chair suit you better?

Aches, pains and ergonomics

When inspecting the average gaming chair, it doesn’t take long to realise that quality, comfort and posture were probably not primary considerations when the designers built it. Fancy coverings routinely mask a structure formed of cheap components that frequently don’t fit together as well as they should. This can leave you with a wobbly seat that might not even sit flat in the first place. Spending hours at a time on such a seat can result in your musculoskeletal system being curved into shapes that it shouldn’t. You’ll be lucky if you don’t experience acute pain after a while and, over time, this can cause injury and turn into chronic problems.

So, is an ‘ergonomic’ chair a better option? While these seats may have originally been designed for the office, given many gamers can also end up sitting at their desks for multiple hours a day, these types of chairs do make good sense as part of a gaming setup.

While high-quality ergonomic chairs are almost always designed with function over form, that doesn’t mean they’re all ugly—although you likely won’t see flashy plastic coatings and support pads that were copied from a picture of a supercar. Whether it arrives fully built or requires minor assembly, good ergonomic chairs rest atop a planted, flat base. They’ll also feature lumbar and neck support to ensure that no matter how long you sit there, you can get up and walk away without issue.

At the end of the day, less pain and discomfort should allow for longer gaming sessions, and reduced recovery time between them.

The new normal

Now that many workplaces are learning to live with a post-Covid world, a new normal exists for many of us. If you’re working from home, it’s not uncommon to go straight from the shower to sit at your work PC, then take breaks at the PC, and finally clock-off at the end of the day… to then game or watch videos at your PC for an hour or two (or three). For many gamers, the home PC has become our work, rest and play space and so it’s more important than ever to ensure that your body’s looked after while you’re using it, however long that may be for.

Longevity

One of the most telling features of cheap gaming chairs is the warranty you get—they’re usually 3 years or less, showing they are essentially disposable items which aren’t built to last. While ergonomic chairs can cost more upfront, you don’t just get what you pay for—they’ll likely be cheaper in the long run. This is because a high-quality ergonomic chair will come with a warranty that spans 8 to 10 years meaning that if anything goes wrong down the road, you’re still covered. It also means that spreading the cost of the chair over a decade means the total cost of ownership can be considerably less than repeatedly buying cheaper models over the same period.

Mesh vs cushion

Some gamers might be concerned by a mesh chair over what appears to be a comfy padded model, but they need to consider the benefits. In hot, sticky countries – like many parts of Australia—sitting on fabric upholstery (or worse… plastic) can easily make you overheat. This doesn’t just leave you sweaty and uncomfortable – it can detrimentally affect the chair. In contrast, a mesh chair will let your body breathe and new hybrid mesh-fabric textiles, like DuraWeave, also won’t sag over time, are easy to clean and will continue to look shiny and new years down the line.

Adjustability

Few gaming chairs offer adjustability beyond up, down and recline. But everybody’s body is different, and these limited movements rarely fit all people—so it’s a bit like trying to look good in a hire suit. A good ergonomic chair, on the other hand, enables every element to be tailored to your body type. This includes having armrests that also move inwards, outwards and swivel, a backrest that can be raised or lowered to suit tall and short people alike, neck support that can be adjusted across multiple axes, a high-quality gas-lift system that remains planted and can cater to those with long or short legs, an adjustable seat that suits different-sized posteriors, and finally, adjustable reclining.

Which chair should you choose?

If you want to optimise your time and performance at a PC – whatever you’re doing – NorthDay’s redesigned and refined ErgoTune Supreme V3 ergonomic chair has you covered. It doesn’t just look futuristic in shape, it’s available in three colours to suit your preferred style: Charcoal Black, Aqua Blue and Coral Red.

More importantly, it’s been designed in conjunction with a community of users that’s developed around the company’s high-quality products, which has helped to ensure that this third-generation ergonomic chair addresses real-world user requests and feedback.

New innovations include enhanced lumbar support with tension adjustments, plus the ability to raise or lower the backrest across nine different settings to fit each user’s natural curvature. There’s also increased adjustable height range from the gas-lift (so it now suits people all the way from petite to very tall) and a new TriTune three-axis neck rest to support your head and protect your upper spine. These join pre-existing innovations like ErgoTune’s DuraWeave hybrid mesh, adjustable seat depth, TrueTilt Precision Recline for when you want to sit-back and relax, alongside the highly adjustable GyroBrace armrests, which can be adjusted in four different ways including 270º pivoting.

Added up, this means that whatever shape or size you are, NorthDay’s ErgoTune Supreme V3 will comfortably support you throughout the day, and help maximise your PC usage. 

To find out more visit the official NorthDay website.