WTF?! We've seen some outlandishly-priced devices from the tech industry many times over the years, and we usually cover the more egregious examples. There's the $100,000 Samsung Q900 "The Wall" TV, the $42,000 "Type 2" luxury watch from Ressence, and, of course, the $20,000 Predator Thronos gaming chair/throne from Acer. At IFA 2019 today, Acer announced a "cheaper" $14,000 version of that last product, dubbed the Predator Thronos Air.
Obviously, $14,000 is still an insane amount of money for the average consumer to pay for pretty much anything, much less a gaming chair. However, it is $6,000 cheaper than the standard Thronos, so if you absolutely must have an all-inclusive gaming setup and money is no object, at least you can save a decent chunk of change with the Air.
For those who have no idea what the Thronos is, it's pretty much what the name suggests: a massive throne that almost fully encapsulates the user in slightly over-the-top PC gaming technology. There's a giant arm that mounts up to three high-end monitors, the vibrating (and ultra-adjustable) chair itself, two booth-like half-walls (fitted with lights), and a tray for your keyboard and mouse.
The chair ships with a built-in foot/legrest, but any extra add-ons will cost you. After all, how can one expect a company like Acer to turn a profit on the Thronos if they include a free cupholder?
There is one major caveat with the Air aside from its high price tag: it does not actually ship with any functional PC hardware or peripherals. You'll need to snag your own rig, monitors, mouse, and keyboard. In other words, you're basically paying $14,000 for an (admittedly comfortable-looking) shell, and you'll be expected to fill it out yourself.
If you do have money to burn and have decided the Thronos Air is the best way to spend it, you'll still have to hold off for a while. The Air isn't available for purchase or pre-order yet (as far as we can tell), and apartment dwellers may wish to skip it outright due to its astonishing 715-pound bulk. Either way, it's expected to launch sometime in the fourth quarter of the year.