Founded in 2001, DXRacer was making seats for luxury sports cars. They had an idea for a chair for gamers. Something that would be comfortable, highly functional, and look great. In 2006, they made their first chair for eSports and since have grown into 5+ different styles of chairs, partnering with tournaments all over the world, and kick starting the “racing chair” revolution, becoming the premier chair of eSports.
Specifications
- MSRP: $469
- Style Name: King Series
- Foam Type: High Density Mould Shaping Foam
- Frame Color: Black
- Frame Construction: Metal
- Chair Cover Color: Black and Red (available in additional colors)
- Chair Cover Material: Carbon Look Vinyl+Polyurethane Leather
- Adjustable Armrests: 4D
- Mechanism Type: Multi-functional Tilt
- Adjustable Tilt Angle: 1~14 degrees
- Tilt Lock: Yes
- Tilt Angle Lock: Yes
- Gas Lift Class: 4
- Chair/Seat Back Style: High-back
- Adjustable Back Angle: 135 degrees
- Adjustable Lumbar Cushion : Yes
- Adjustable Headrest : Yes
- Base Type: 5-star Wide Aluminum Base
- Caster Size & Material: 3" Caster/PU
- Seat Size: 16"W(Front) x 14.5"W (Back) x 19"D
- Net Weight: 66.14 lb / 30kg
- Weight Capacity: <300 lbs / 136.1 kg
- Height Limit: <6'2" / 1.88 m
- Recommended Weight: 275 lbs / 124.74 kg
- Recommened Height: 5'9" / 1.75 m - 6'2" / 1.88 m
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The OG Chair
I will admit, I was one of those people 11 years ago that saw these chairs at WCG and thought “DUDE! They look sick, but how comfortable can they be?”. For the next nine years, I always remembered those chairs and saw them at every event I watched. Back in the RTS Guru days (if you remember our old sister site), I was going out to MLG events to report. It was at one of these events that I finally got to sit down in a DXRacer for the first time and actually feel how comfortable they are.
That very day I ordered my first chair from them (pictured above) and it became my PC gaming home for the next five years. The original chairs had very good build quality, but now it’s easy to see where it was lacking. For starters the old chairs, before King existed, had rubber arm rests. Over the past two years, the sides of the rests have been starting to break apart from general wear and tear and need to be replaced.
As far as the rest of the old chair, I have zero complaints. The cushioning is still the same as it was when I bought it, so my weight over the years hasn’t flattened it at all. There have been zero rips and tears though three moves across numerous states. The mechanical parts for height and angle are functioning perfectly fine. After reading all of that, it’s easy to see how good the build quality is on these things. If the only issue is the rubber on the armrests, that you can call and get replaced, you’ve got one well-built chair.
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In With The New (King)
I was lucky enough to get the chance to try a new chair from DXRacer, part of their King Series, the KS06. I’ll be honest, I’m not the healthiest man in the world, so I have put on a couple of pounds since the original chair. I wanted to get the “upgraded” version of my original chair, that way I could also talk about the differences between the two.
The King series of chairs features a PVC and Vinyl upholstery, instead of the former’s cloth. This has been much more comfortable and breathes better for long hours of gaming. The new headrest comes with a little plastic piece that you can how loop it through the holes on the back instead of having to put it over the whole top. While that’s something small, aesthetically, it is much more pleasing. The armrests have been upgrade for four dimensions of movement. What that means is they go up and down, so no longer at the same height, they can slide forward and backwards, and they rotate in and out for maximum comfort based on how you play.
I took the armrests for granted at first. I thought it was a novelty that I wouldn’t really touch. I mean, I never did at my day job except for height. Where I really appreciate them is in the front-to-back and rotation changes. I am 5’ 5” so my arms aren’t the longest. Being able to slide them forward has made everything much more comfortable; more of my elbow and arm is able to be on the rest instead of floating between that and the desk. I have also started playing my PS4 on a smaller monitor on my desk and being able to rotate the arm rests outwards has allowed my elbows to drop to my knees and have more room; I no longer feel like my arms are trapped between the armrests.
The King is a wider chair, 27” to be exact, and features a more padded seat. The weird thing about the seat, is that the extra padding doesn’t make it hard. Sometimes when you find chairs with more padding, it’s actually is less comfortable because there is so much density and it doesn’t give when you sit. The chair still has those racing sides on the back as well as on the seat. It wraps you in for hours of comfort. Like I said before, it doesn’t look like it would be comfortable, but everytime someone comes to my house and wants to sit in it, they change their tune.
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Apart From The Rest
If you follow the eSports scene, you’ll see that there are numerous other brands of chairs out there. We’ve even reviewed some of them. What sets DXRacer apart from the rest is that they started the whole movement. If it wasn’t for them, there is a good chance that these other companies wouldn’t be here at all.
The price is high, I won’t lie, but when your chair will last 8-10+ years, I don’t have an issue with it. The build quality will make this chair stand the test of time, and you will be able to give it to your kids when you help them build their first gaming PC. A good chair is an investment and this is a solid option to consider.
Pros
- They look awesome
- They feel awesome
- Build quality is top notch
- Can get special edition ones that support eSports organizations and tournaments
- Free shipping
- Easy to assemble
Cons
- High cost of initial ownership
- Website doesn’t do the chairs justice
The product discussed in this article was provided by the manufacturer for the purposes of review.
