STACK #185 Mar 2020

GAMING FEATURE

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Comfort and support Designers are well aware that gamers can effectively stay seated for 12-16 hour sessions, so comfort is an essential component to any chair and you’ll notice this the minute you drop into one. Thick padding on the seating areas, the ability to tilt and lock in any position, and full 360˚ swivel access in the base and arm rests that can be raised to any height and angled to suit arm positions. The chairs come with the all-important additional lumbar support options to ensure that your posture is kept in good order for long periods of time. A comfortable gamer is a happy gamer. Style For many gamers, particularly those that stream or content create, style is a big factor in purchase. Yes, comfort is imperative but if you’re on camera – or just looking to impress your friends when they come around to peruse your gaming space – having a sharp, eye-catching seat design is of paramount importance. First impressions count! Durability Gaming chairs come in a range of materials, from leather and PVC to mesh and cloth. Like anything though, if you want it to last you have to look after it. If you’re going to be eating in your chair (this is highly likely) then perhaps look at a leather or PVC covered model that can be easily wiped down. Are you a heavy sweater? Maybe a mesh chair is more suitable.

Price point Gaming chairs don’t come cheap. If you’re entering the market for the first time or even upgrading from an existing one, you’re going to have to fork out a fair bit of moolah on your purchase. Our advice is to go for the best you can afford from a reputable manufacturer. Cost cutting for a cheap entry model will invariably mean upgrading at some point sooner than expected, but if you go for a quality gaming seat that could even potentially double as an office chair (that’s us!), you’ll be sat in it for many, many years to come. Bottoms up We reached out to a handful of gaming chair companies that supply JB Hi-Fi and asked them to send us some chairs to review. When they arrived, scenes in the office were

reminiscent of a Black Friday sale, although fortunately, no one was hurt! Once the dust had settled we got down to the business of actually testing them out, and this is what we discovered...

Anda AD 12XL-03 Far out! The first thing you need to consider when taking delivery of the AD 12XL is that you have someone with you to get it into the house; it’s a weighty chair. Assembly is a cinch and it takes a little over 15 minutes of Allen key wrangling to put it all together. Once it's complete, the AD 12XL commands a formidable presence in the room and lives up to the XL letters in the title. Given the moniker of Dark Knight in reference to the Batman armour-like design, the Anda 12XL resembles an amalgamation of the Caped Crusader, Darth Vader and a B-2 stealth bomber, with a high back rising like the Iron Throne. This is a wide chair coming in at 23” – that's wider than the average Business Class seat on an aircraft. Mould shaping foam contours perfectly around the bum, and the padding is very comfortable. The seat is a PVC leatherette material that purports to be highly stain-resistant and can be easily cleaned with a cloth and warm water. A sturdy beast with a steel framework, the chair can recline to 160 degrees and features armrests that are adjustable in four directions. It can support a load of up to 182kg. Like any chair that you spend a lot of time in, lumbar support is essential not only for spine health but good posture. Here, it’s not just the lumbar support but also the neck pillow that proves invaluable. Both provide essential cushioning and support over long periods of time. The Anda AD 12XL is one of the most

comfortable gaming chairs we’ve had the pleasure of sitting in. It’s a perfect fit for both larger frames and those who just like a lot of wiggle room in their seats.

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MARCH 2020

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