For gamers, the choice between a comfortable and functional chair has often been a difficult one. After all, if you’re going to spend hours after hours sat in front of your console or PC, often in single sessions, you want to be sure that you have adequate support. As a result, a lot of professional gaming chairs have done away with versatility in favour of functionality.
The result has been a lineup of products that are perfectly accommodating when you need to sit upright to give a particularly serious or challenging game your full attention, but less so when you want to lounge about and play the odd game of Fifa or two with your mates before you head out on the town.
But a niche gaming furniture brand to have the product that offers the best of both of these worlds, in the i-eX Gaming Chair Bean Bag. Bean bags have long been a staple of spare rooms and kids’ bedrooms as a versatile and relatively cheap piece of add-on furniture, called upon when there simply aren’t enough chairs to go around when you’re hosting friends for a movie or gaming session. The i-eX Gaming Chair, however, goes a long way to change these perceptions, and ultimately solidifies itself as a genuine contender worthy of your consideration in the gaming chair market.
Measuring 105cm in diameter and standing 94cm tall, it’s clear from the outset that the i-eX isn’t your typical bean bag. Featuring an authentic-looking faux leather exterior with white piping details and double-stitched seams, the chair has a racecar seat-esque vibe that comes across as stylish rather than tacky. It certainly complemented our gaming room here at PUG HQ, and wouldn’t look out of place at home in our living rooms alongside our black leather sofas, either.
Looks aside, functionality, versatility and comfort are what its manufacturer claims sets the i-eX Gaming Chair apart from other options, so we were keen to put that to the test over the past couple of weeks. The bean bag features a deep bucket seat with a slightly reclined high back support, which moulds to your body and allows you to sit in whatever posture you feel works best at any given time. Want to lay back a little for that late-night session before bed? Need to be sat upright for your online FPS firefight? No problem. Added foam panels in the seat and back ensure that you’ll be comfortable no matter how you decide to sit and for how long your session lasts.
Although the i-eX Gaming Chair Bean Bag is, as mentioned, a pretty hefty unit – hefty enough to provide adequate neck support for this 6’2″ reviewer – it’s still lightweight and versatile enough to move from room to room around your house, depending on where your play sessions take you. At first, we felt the bag felt slightly underfilled when sitting in it, but giving it a bit of a ‘fluffing up’ and a shake to redistribute the beads throughout the product soon put that right.
Based on our experience so far, the i-eX seems to be as durable as it is stylish. The aforementioned double-stitching and foam backing, covered zips that prevent you from scratching your wooden floors as you move around, and high-quality PVC cover all combine to create a chair that is sturdier than just about any bean bag you’ve sat in before.
The chair retails for £74.99, with an optional footstool available for an extra £5 on the purchase price. It’s on the high side for a bean bag, of course, but on the lower end when it comes to gaming chairs – which is the market the i-eX Gaming Chair Bean Bag rightly finds itself at pride of place in. If you’re looking for a versatile, comfortable and stylish way to enjoy your favourite games, it’s certainly worth your consideration.
This product was provided by Bean Bag Bazaar for the purposes of an open and honest review. All views expressed are that of the reviewer – the company has had no input on the contents of this article.
