Why Are Gaming Chairs So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)

 

Being a gamer is more expensive than many people realize.

Besides needing the latest console or hardware for a computer, you also need several other accessories to complete your gaming setup.

One of those accessories is a gaming chair.

The problem with gaming chairs is that they can be extremely expensive.

Here are 10 reasons gaming chairs are so expensive.

 

Why Are Gaming Chairs So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)

 

1. Durability

 

A major difference between a cheap gaming chair and an expensive gaming chair is its durability.

Expensive gaming chairs have greater durability.

This is important in gaming because you’re often moving around a lot on the chair.

When you’re engrossed in a game, you often find yourself leaning in, leaning back, and sometimes even leaning to the side.

You may fidget or move suddenly in response to the stimuli that you receive on the screen.

All those movements cause a lot of wear and tear on the chair.

If the chair isn’t durable to begin with, then it’s possible to break it while you’re using it.

Gaming chairs with greater durability can last against the abuse that they take.

If you’re a professional gamer, then it’s even more important to buy a chair with greater durability.

You’ll be moving more because, if you’re a streamer, then you’re also an entertainer.

Audiences respond to entertainers who are mobile or active.

The amount of movement that you do on the chair can influence its lifespan.

Investing in a chair with greater durability can help it last longer.

You’ll need to save up for the investment, however, since gaming chairs with greater durability cost more.

That’s because they use more materials and more parts to offer great support for the chair.

It bends and stays rigid in all the right areas to prolong its life.

That sort of engineering doesn’t come cheap.

 

2. Stability

 

The other aspect that makes for a great gaming chair is its stability.

Key things to look for in a gaming chair’s stability are how easily it moves across the floor, whether it retains its shape while you’re moving on it, and its weight distribution.

A gaming chair with wheels, for example, is going to be easier to move across the floor than one without wheels.

However, its ability to move across the floor is important, too.

Do the wheels jam at all?

Do they seem as though they’re about to fall off of the chair?

If so, then the chair doesn’t have great stability.

Another thing to look at with your chair is if it keeps its shape even when you’re moving on it.

When you bend to the side of your chair, does your chair bend with you, or does it remain in place?

If it bends too much, then it doesn’t have great stability.

Finally, you need to check its weight distribution.

If you bend to the side, does the chair still sit firmly on the floor?

If so, then it has great weight distribution.

All these factors are something that engineers and designers have to solve to make a high-quality chair.

The more stable a chair is, the more engineering and design went into it.

As a result, the chair will be more expensive.

Gaming chairs that aren’t as stable didn’t have as much effort put into their engineering and design.

Since it doesn’t have as many parts or materials to keep it stable, it’s cheaper.

If you want a chair that you can rely on, then you’ll want to invest in a more expensive chair that has great stability.

 

3. Design

 

The design of a chair also plays a major role in how expensive it is.

A great-looking chair is going to be more expensive than a chair that looks like any other gaming chair.

Gamers are more likely to pay extra if a chair has a unique design.

Gamers who stream put a lot of thought into their gaming chairs.

Since there’s only so much to look at in a streamer’s window, what is there needs to look professional.

That includes their gaming chair.

Unique designs are more expensive than standard or cookie-cutter designs because they’re rare.

Since there are only a few of them in the world, the price is higher.

Manufacturing a unique design also means that the factory needs to be temporarily calibrated to match the needs of that design.

It might mean that the manufacturer needs to bring in extra machines.

It might even mean that they need to move workers for the unique project.

That costs them money.

To make up for it, the price of the unique design is high.

If you want something that stands out from the other gaming chairs out there, then you can expect to pay a high price.

 

4. Ergonomic Design

 

Another important design feature that can add to the price of a gaming chair is whether it’s ergonomic or not.

Ergonomic refers to a product that helps support the body.

Primarily, it aims to support joint health.

When you use a particular object often without taking breaks, your joints can start to wear out.

The most obvious symptom of this is inflammation and pain.

The pain can become so bad that you’re unable to use that object again for a few hours—if not a few days.

An object that has an ergonomic design, on the other hand, helps distribute the work that the joint is doing.

In so doing, the joint isn’t worn down.

Gaming chairs also have ergonomic designs available.

That’s because playing with a controller or a keyboard and sitting in the same position for hours on end can wear out the body.

In particular, gamers are at risk for neck and back problems.

An ergonomic gaming chair gives them support in these areas.

Some even feature ergonomic arms for their chairs.

The gaming chair helps them play longer, more comfortably, and reduces wear and tear on their joints over time.

Since they’re specialized gaming chairs, they cost more.

The engineering and design of the chair require greater work.

Some chairs are even made custom for buyers to ensure it fits their body perfectly.

Ergonomic gaming chairs are going to be far more expensive than standard gaming chairs.

The investment may be worth it if you find yourself gaming for hours without a break.

 

5. Ability To Adjust

 

Few chairs have the ability to be adjusted aside from height.

However, standard chairs rarely fit a person.

They’re created to fit the average person, but not everyone fits within the average size regardless of the kind of research that the company does.

More expensive gaming chairs give you the ability to adjust various aspects of the gaming chair to ensure it fits your body.

Certain areas you might adjust are the height of the chair, the head or neck support, the back support, and the arm support.

Even rarer, and more expensive gaming chairs, will even have a leg rest that you can adjust to fit your size.

The advantage of expensive adjustable gaming chairs is that you can have a chair that’s fit for your body.

That means it will provide greater comfort and support.

If the chair doesn’t fit you, then you’re not getting the right support where you need it.

Even an ergonomic gaming chair will be useless if you don’t fit in it.

There are various adjustable gaming chairs on the market.

The more expensive ones have greater variety in their adjustability.

The reason they’re more expensive is that manufacturers have to add those parts to the chair and ensure that they’re working.

Standard chairs don’t have them.

As a result, they’re released faster.

To make up for the loss of efficiency and the added parts, the cost of adjustable gaming chairs is higher.

 

6. Racing Chairs

 

A variant of the gaming chair is a racing chair.

This is one of the most expensive types of gaming chairs that you can buy.

That’s because it features a steering wheel, brake pedal, and gas pedal.

Its goal is to replicate what it’s like to be in a racecar or a standard car.

The steering wheel controls the car on the screen and has other buttons that allow you to use it as a controller.

The brake and gas pedals also connect to the game and respond to your actions.

This sophisticated gaming chair is understandably expensive because it incorporates gaming technology within its design.

The chair, itself, is comfortable but is also designed to simulate being inside of a racecar.

The advantage of using this type of chair is that it’s immersive.

It makes you feel as though you’re actually on the racetrack or driving through a metro track.

It may even give you better control over the car and give you an edge in the game.

Gamers are willing to pay a lot of money for the immersion that this gaming chair can provide.

Depending on the other features that they want, racing chairs can climb significantly high in price.

 

7. Steel Framework

 

The framework that supports the gaming chair can also determine how expensive it is.

The most expensive framework is steel.

This is a durable type of framework that will ensure the chair lasts for a long time.

The problem with using steel is that it’s expensive.

Although finding it in the natural world is easy, the actual processing, forging, and then assembling it takes time and skill.

That adds to the cost.

Because a steel framework makes the chair last longer, a gamer will need to buy fewer of them over the years.

That means less profit based on repeated purchases for the company.

To respond to that, companies need to charge a higher price to receive enough revenue to make their production worth the investment.

Cheaper frameworks are available as well, but if you want a high-quality gaming chair, then you want one that has a steel framework.

You can expect a higher price for this version.

 

8. Cover Materials

 

One of the most important aspects of a gaming chair is its cover.

The cover is what attracts a gamer to it in the first place.

There are plenty of different materials that make up a gaming chair’s cover.

The most expensive is authentic leather.

The reason leather is so expensive is that it’s rare.

Some different types of leather can be even rarer.

The rarer that a type of leather is, the more expensive it’s going to be.

Leather is ideal for a gaming chair because it looks great.

It gives the chair a professional look that many professional gamers are looking for.

Leather also lasts a long time.

It’s durable which means it can stand up to a gamer’s wiggling on the chair.

It won’t tear.

The problem with leather is that it also needs upkeep.

Once you buy it, you also need to oil it and ensure that it doesn’t get scratched.

You can’t use just any brushes or cleaner on it.

Doing so can ruin it or scratch it.

That makes leather gaming chairs expensive to maintain.

Besides leather is a polyurethane product known as pleather.

This is similar to leather except that it uses a polyurethane coating.

It’s strong and durable like leather but it’s a little cheaper and doesn’t require as much maintenance.

Since polyurethane leather is artificially made, lab costs and labor costs need to be covered.

Manufacturers will do so by increasing the price of the cover.

There are cheaper covers out there, but they won’t last as long.

If you want a gaming chair cover that looks great and is durable, then leather or PU is the investment to make.

 

9. Padding

 

Expensive gaming chairs have more padding.

When comparing a standard gaming chair with an expensive gaming chair, you’ll find that the expensive option has more padding.

That’s because more padding is more expensive.

To have a lot of padding, manufacturers use more materials to make durable and comfortable padding.

This increases the cost of production which, in turn, increases the price of the chair.

The perk of having more padding is that it’s more comfortable to use.

The padding also lasts longer.

When a chair doesn’t have that much padding, then it doesn’t take long for the chair to compress.

When that happens, you start to feel the framework inside of the chair.

It isn’t comfortable to sit on.

A padded chair takes longer to compress.

You’ll enjoy greater comfort over a longer time.

If you want lasting comfort, then you’re going to need to pay a higher price for it.

 

10. Tech And Features

 

One final reason that a gaming chair is expensive is that it has tech or some other special feature.

One of the common pieces of tech included with a gaming chair is speakers.

Gamers want as much immersion as possible in their games.

Part of that immersion comes from the quality of sound of the game.

Some gaming chairs will help immersion by placing speakers at the back of the chair.

It places the speakers right by the gamer’s ears.

This allows them to hear every audible detail in the game.

Since it uses electric wiring and other components to do so, this type of gaming chair is more expensive.

It needs more materials and a whole new step in its production line.

That means it’s going to cost more to make.

Besides speakers, some gaming chairs also feature extra accessories like cup holders, footstools, and even massage capabilities.

The more features that a gaming chair has, the higher the price.

 

How To Save Money On Gaming Chairs

 

It’s already expensive to be a gamer.

Here are a few ways you can save money on buying a gaming chair for your setup.

 

1. Fabric Covers

When shopping for a gaming chair, you’ll want to look for fabric covers.

These are the cheapest type of covers for gaming chairs.

They’re not that durable and are prone to staining and tearing.

However, they’re going to be considerably cheaper than leather or PU gaming chairs.

 

2. Minimal Padding

You’ll also want to look for a gaming chair that has standard padding.

The more padding a chair has, the more expensive it’s going to be.

You’ll still want to ensure that the chair has padding on the bottom and at your neck area to give you plenty of support.

 

3. Buy An Earlier Model

Gaming chairs are a hot ticket item.

However, they also move fast.

Sellers are eager to sell the next best thing in the world of gaming chairs.

To do so, they’ll often place their older models on sale to make room for a new set of chairs.

You can score a great deal on older chairs this way.

Unless you’re looking for something tech-heavy, an older gaming chair is essentially like a new gaming chair anyway.

 

Conclusion

 

Gaming chairs are expensive because they have a lot of parts and use a lot of materials in their production.

The fancier those parts and materials are, the more expensive the gaming chair becomes.

You can make buying gaming chairs cheaper by looking for earlier models, going for fabric covers, and sticking with standard padding.