Corsair made a $200 gaming chair and then tested it like it was going into battle

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Gaming Comfort: Gaming chairs are often one of the most overlooked pieces of furniture in a gaming setup. While luxury "thrones" can be left to customers with truly deep pockets, most gamers should at least consider investing in a somewhat expensive chair to ease the discomfort that comes with long gaming sessions.

Corsair recently launched the TC80 Gaming Chair, a new armchair designed to provide a durable and comfortable seating option for PC-focused gaming setups. The Fremont-based corporation highlights how its new chair has undergone more than 30 durability and safety tests, suggesting that it should accommodate gamers with a wide range of body types.

The TC80 Gaming Chair meets the BIFMA X5.1 and EN 1335 standards for office chairs, Corsair said. The chair underwent a series of demanding durability, stability, and weight-load tests, with Corsair particularly proud of how its new product survived the onslaught.

These tests included dropping a 136kg load onto the center of the seat, applying a 1,001N load to the backrest for 60 seconds, and placing 13 heavy discs against the backrest. Furthermore, the chair survived 100,000 cycles of a 57kg weight falling onto the seat, 60,000 cycles of 400N being applied to each armrest, and 120,000 swivel-test cycles with 122kg placed on the seat at both its maximum and minimum height.

The TC80 Gaming Chair provides a "generously" wide and flat seat with plush padding, breathable fabric upholstery, and 100mm of adjustable seat height. There is even a detachable neck pillow for people who like to alternate between office work sessions and more relaxing activities. The chair's stability comes from a steel five-star base, 50mm casters, and a Class 4 steel gas lift that should last for years.

Talking about comfort, Corsair's new chair offers a recline range of 90° to 115°. Users can adjust and lock the chair at their preferred angle, so there is no need to settle for a fixed position straight out of the box.

Corsair is already selling the TC80 Gaming Chair through its own store and other major retailers. The chair costs $200 in the US, while customers in Europe and the UK can get it for €180 and £170, respectively. The company's official announcement provides a full list of regional launch prices.

Corsair also highlights the TC80 as an entry-level product in its growing lineup of gaming chairs. The company already offers more expensive models, such as the TC100 Relaxed and the premium TC500 Luxe.

The TC500 comes with a €550 price tag in Europe, which is still a relatively affordable purchase compared with some truly expensive chairs, such as the obscenely priced Herman Miller x Logitech Embody. For now, I think I'll stick with my cheap Songmics gaming chair.

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Corsair made a $200 gaming chair and then tested it like it was going into battle

 

[yRaz]

I have been struggling to find a quality chair. it feels like some of these chairs are really nice at first but they almost always end up breaking in about a year. Whether it starts to tilt weird, the piston won't hold air anymore or one of the position locks break. But shortly after that breaks the plastic fake leather starts to delaminate anyway.

But then I got take the chairs back and it seems like the companies don't exist anymore and I'm tired of basically renting a chair for $150 a year.

 

[NumberNine]

I don't buy this trash. A $150 chair is already a hint that you're wasting money and will need another soon. Office chairs should be bought exclusively from office chair manufacturers. Not rebranded gaming accessory manufacturers. Not car companies. It's 2026, materials science has taken us beyond fake leather, but not for free.

 

[toooooot]

The one issue most of my chairs got was the upholstery breaking first.
Seemingly perfect chair without issues but a torn shabby seat cushion.
And it did not matter what the price was.
I was a fan of Lazy Boy for a while. But my last one from them lasted the shortest time.

I would pay more specifically for upholstery lasting more because
I would keep a dozen of chairs if it was not for peeled upholstery

 

[OortCloud]

I'll stick to my Aeron thanks. 20 years old now and as good as ever.

 

[shmowie]

I have been struggling to find a quality chair. it feels like some of these chairs are really nice at first but they almost always end up breaking in about a year. Whether it starts to tilt weird, the piston won't hold air anymore or one of the position locks break. But shortly after that breaks the plastic fake leather starts to delaminate anyway.

But then I got take the chairs back and it seems like the companies don't exist anymore and I'm tired of basically renting a chair for $150 a year.

It will be like this unless you spend at least $1K-2K on something nice. I went through chairs every couple years, including the DX-Racer chairs (which I recommend everyone avoid.)

Bought a HM Embody 6 years ago and hopefully won't ever have to replace it.

 

[starfalls]

I'll stick to my Aeron thanks. 20 years old now and as good as ever.

I found a good 130 dollar chair, that seem to last a good 7-10 years. Sure, I keep replacing them... but still not too bad. This chair is really comfy too. I bought 4, so I'm good until 2040.

 

[Axiarus]

Gaming chairs are all trash. Save up and get a proper office chair.

 

[Axeia]

There's two things in life I would recommend spending more on than you'd like in life, and in this order as well.
1) Matrass
2) Chair

Cheaping out on a matrass will lead to back problems and poor quality sleep and will just make life so much worse than it needs to be. However, at least there the quality doesn't drop as bad as it does with chairs on the lower end imo.

There's way too many people hyping up absolutely terrible chairs.
- Cheap office chairs you find in schools and such - terrible, they'll have you aching. Just don't even bother.
- Cheap fancier office chairs, in my experience you'll be cycling through one every 1.5-2years. They just start falling apart with fake leather peeling, seams ripping, armrests falling off, gas spring no longer coming back up etc etc.
- Ikea Markus often comes recommended on the internet and I have no idea why. Tried sitting in one at Ikea itself and I see no redeeming features. Instant discomfort and wtf are those are arm rests, I can't rests my arms on something that narrow and they're not height adjustable either.
- Gaming chairs are popular are imo a step up from the 'cheap fancier office chairs'. They cost 3 times the amount but the decent ones last about 3-4 times longer as well and are comfier to start with. I might actually give a fabric one a chance next time.
- Herman miller / Steelcase are basically the satisfaction guaranteed advice but will break the bank. Supposedly used/refurbished ones are the more budget friendly option but the ones I can get that way are barely cheaper than a new one.

The corsair one in the photo strikes me as the typical $100-250 chair but with a Corsair logo. Knowing how much they charge for some very poor quality keyboards - hard pass from me.
Of all the hardware manufacturers jumping in the chair market (aside from the obvious Logitech Herman Miller collab) the most interesting option to me seems to be the Fractal Design Refine 2.

Also props to 'Ahnestly' in the video, one of few sources for 'reviews' of chairs (hard to review something rather personal that you can't really benchmark). And the only one I've found that doesn't seem to have a conflict of interest to push you towards certain sellers/brands.

 

[lonetac]

I don't buy this trash. A $150 chair is already a hint that you're wasting money and will need another soon.

Herman Miller would disagree with you and so would anyone who has ever owned one.

Gaming chairs are trash, I agree with that. But the price of a good Herman Miller is worth every penny and holds its resale value 10 years later.

 

[OortCloud]

Herman Miller would disagree with you and so would anyone who has ever owned one.

Gaming chairs are trash, I agree with that. But the price of a good Herman Miller is worth every penny and holds its resale value 10 years later.

Yeah I bought my Herman Miller Aeron secondhand and it looked like new. Still does 20 years later. I have a really bad back and I'm a dev so sit on my arse all day. I used to get terrible problems but the Aeron completely solved the issue. Can't recommend them enough.

 

[Loli Pop Carbon]

I find it funny that a chair discussion like this are always very US centric where all recommendations are either Steelcase or Herman Miller.

Dropping $1k-2k on a chair is NOT normal in majority part of the world unless you're very rich, including where I live. Also no sane office would procure HM/SC here, second hand is not even an option.

That's why I gave up looking advice from reddit or forum when I was looking for a new chair, because every single answer was "find used HM/SC".

Ended up buying a local well established brand specializing in ergonomic office chair for $200, very high quality as far as I can feel, if anything is broken down the road the staff will come and replace the broken part so I don't have to buy new chair. I never regret buying it even one bit.

No, $200-300 chair is not a waste. There are other good chairs other than HM/SC out there. HM/SC are just unaffordable for majority of people in developing countries, no matter how good people say about it, the price is just not worth it there if only the rich can afford it.

 

[PsyDuck87]

My DXRacer Kings series chair is like 7 years old now, and it won't break ffs. I need an excuse to buy a new one already.

 

[lonetac]

I find it funny that a chair discussion like this are always very US centric where all recommendations are either Steelcase or Herman Miller.

Dropping $1k-2k on a chair is NOT normal in majority part of the world unless you're very rich, including where I live. Also no sane office would procure HM/SC here, second hand is not even an option.

That's why I gave up looking advice from reddit or forum when I was looking for a new chair, because every single answer was "find used HM/SC".

Ended up buying a local well established brand specializing in ergonomic office chair for $200, very high quality as far as I can feel, if anything is broken down the road the staff will come and replace the broken part so I don't have to buy new chair. I never regret buying it even one bit.

No, $200-300 chair is not a waste. There are other good chairs other than HM/SC out there. HM/SC are just unaffordable for majority of people in developing countries, no matter how good people say about it, the price is just not worth it there if only the rich can afford it.

I had spent over $1000 on office chairs replacing them every other year over my lifetime. Office chairs, especially gaming chairs dont last more than a year or two.

Buying a HM 2nd hand for less than $1000 has saved me a fortune. It might cost more up front but its the last chair you ever need and over time is a investment that saves you money. And when you dont need it, its one of the few chairs that you can sell.

I hear your complaint and acknowledge it but over time, that investment pays for itself. No chair has been able to handle being sat in for 10 hours a day up until I found a HM. In 10 years, this will have saved me a small fortune in buying new ones all the time and will have a way higher return on value. You are right, they are expensive but the fact its the last chair you ever need makes it worth it.

Im glad you found a brand that works. May I ask what brand it is? how long have you had it? Ive never heard of staff that comes and fixes home chairs for free. Id like to know more.

 

[OortCloud]

I find it funny that a chair discussion like this are always very US centric where all recommendations are either Steelcase or Herman Miller.

Dropping $1k-2k on a chair is NOT normal in majority part of the world unless you're very rich, including where I live. Also no sane office would procure HM/SC here, second hand is not even an option.

That's why I gave up looking advice from reddit or forum when I was looking for a new chair, because every single answer was "find used HM/SC".

Ended up buying a local well established brand specializing in ergonomic office chair for $200, very high quality as far as I can feel, if anything is broken down the road the staff will come and replace the broken part so I don't have to buy new chair. I never regret buying it even one bit.

No, $200-300 chair is not a waste. There are other good chairs other than HM/SC out there. HM/SC are just unaffordable for majority of people in developing countries, no matter how good people say about it, the price is just not worth it there if only the rich can afford it.

I'm not from the US. You can get Aerons all over the world. As I said mine was secondhand - you can buy a million of them secondhand and often in fantastic condition for a fraction of the new price. As they are so well made (also they're very heavy) you are unlikely to have any issues.

 

[Benny26]

I have the TC100 (£200) and it's terrible for a "gaming" chair. Your backside goes totally numb after 2 hours because of a simple lack of cushioning in the seat. I've had more comfort and longevity out of old £50 chairs.

Shame because I like Corsair as a brand.