CES is always the place to experience incredible new tech, and over a year ago, I got to experience a gadget I genuinely think about at least once a week: Razer’s Project Arielle.
The brand synonymous with gamer-chic makes all manner of accessories, but this wasn’t some next-gen headset that can read your brainwaves, or a gaming mouse that’s perfectly ergonomically designed. It’s a gaming chair, it’s very comfy ergonomically, and crucially, it can heat you up or cool you down. It obviously glows a little too with Chroma lighting – is it really Razer if it doesn’t glow?
It’s everything I wanted.
A tech-filled chair worth owning
Firstly, and most importantly, the DXRacer Martian Pro is a comfortable gaming chair.
Despite being stuffed with a heater/cooler, the cushioned seat is soft, the magnetic neck pillow is easy to adjust to the perfect position, and the articulated arm rest can move up/down, in/out, forward/backward, and rotate so that you can adjust them to your perfect position.
There’s also inbuilt lumbar support and a recliner, which are both adjusted electronically using controls on the chair.
Toggling the recline with the chair’s side switch is wonderfully effortless, and the lumbar support controls can move it around the backrest so that the cushion is positioned in the ideal spot for you – it just requires a little trial and error to find the settings that suit you best.
There’s also an in-built massager. It’s activated by pressing the M-button on the side of the chair and can swap between different modes by pressing it again, or switched off by holding the button down.
The massage effect isn’t the most impactful, but with dedicated zones covering your lower back up to your shoulder blades, it can bring some (admittedly a little noisy) relaxation while you work or game – I’m using the Normal mode while I write this, and loving every second.
One makes you warm
Now let’s talk about the heater and ventilation settings – the standout tech in this seat.
These are built into the seat and activated via two buttons found below the right armrest – one for each option. Long pressing once activates the heating/cooling, then quick pressing it changes the setting between three strengths – long pressing again turns it off.
The ventilation starts cooling you almost instantly, and even on its lowest setting, the heater makes you feel a little more toasty fairly quickly, which has been perfect during the cold winter days and nights.
My only critique is that the chair drops in usefulness significantly the moment it’s without power, which can happen in a day if you’re on battery and running the heater non-stop, or after a week or two if you use its electronic features less frequently.
The problem is it’s not just the heating/cooling that goes offline. The lumbar adjustments and the recliner also shut off, leaving you unable to make basic comfort tweaks.
Now, if you have easy access to a free plug socket, you shouldn’t experience too much trouble. The chair comes with a power cable that can keep it powered up nonstop. If you plan to use it wirelessly, just remember it’ll need to refuel from time to time, which can lead to frustration.
That one small pitfall aside – which is only generally an issue if plug sockets are at a premium at your desk space – the DXRacer Martian Pro is an electric gaming chair you definitely should absolutely consider.
Costing $899 / £580 (Australian pricing isn’t available), it isn’t the cheapest option out there, but the added cost does, for sure, come with a slew of benefits that justify the higher-than-normal price tag, and make it a genuine contender for one of the best gaming chairs I’ve ever used.
I’m still hoping Razer makes Arielle a reality, as I also loved that seat, but DXRacer has proven why the design is so great with its Martian Pro, and I can’t see why you’d want to go back to a regular chair after trying this.
The best gaming chairs
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
