Noblechairs ICON Gaming Chair

IT TOOK ME A LONG time to get my head around “gaming chairs”—those bucket seat designs that fool nobody. Seriously, there are no Gs in gaming. And if there are, you’re doing it wrong. Problem is, if you’re looking for a premium office chair, you’re penned into one style of stool. As much as you hate them, gaming chairs are competing against one another in a far more aggressive market than standard furniture companies. Which means better designs, better prices, and greater improvements.

My gripe is that ridiculous bucket style. I don’t need that—I want a chair that looks like an office chair, not some plumped-up, go-faster bucket that would look more at home in a stock car than next to my glamorous setup.

So when Noblechairs announced its latest range of ICON gaming chairs, it was a no-brainer. Having used the bucket variant at work, I trotted the black/platinum one home, placed my posterior on it, and realized how much better it was. Consisting of a faux leather finish, hard padded armrests, memory foam, a variety of adjustments, tilts, and rockers, it’s a joy to sit in.

I have two setups for it: a relaxed style, where I can prop my feet up on my desk, and a serious “I care about my posture” style, with a higher angled backrest. It’s a fair price if you’ve got the dollar, and its comfort, ease of construction, and luscious style makes it stand out from the rest of the gaming chair market. $370, www.noblechairs.com