What kind of chair are you using, gerbils? I’m still sitting in an ancient steel-framed office chair that pre-dates DirectX. A lot of companies are getting into the gaming chair business these days, and one of the oldest computer-cooling companies has now decided to turn its expertise toward cooling hindquarters, it seems. Thermaltake’s latest creation is the X Comfort Air Gaming chair, and it has active cooling for the sitter’s backside.
This isn’t Thermaltake’s first gaming chair, but it’s the first one from the company—and indeed the first one we’ve seen—with active cooling. There may be a reason for that. The X Comfort Air is similar to the company’s other X Comfort chairs, but on this model the seat includes four 60-mm fans (with an eyebrow-raising claimed maximum speed of 5100 RPM) that will purportedly cool the underside of its user. The fans have a three-speed controller so that users can find their own balance between thermal and sonic comfort. Thermaltake says the cooling system can reduce the perforated seat’s surface by a range of 0.6° C to 1.5° C. Given that Thermaltake’s measurements suggest the system moves just 20 CFM at full speed, perhaps that narrow range isn’t all that surprising.
We wouldn’t think of active cooling being a concern on most office chairs, but the seat on the X Comfort Air is made from PVC leather that could feel sticky with heat. Besides the cooling function, the chairs support height, width, and depth adjustments for the armrests. The seat can recline all the way to a 160° angle, and the chair uses a gas piston for height adjustment. In essence, aside from the active cooling, the X Comfort Air seems like a fairly standard high-quality foam-padded office chair.
Thermaltake’s already selling the X Comfort Air Gaming in black or with black-and-red accents on its website for a cool $500. Check them out if you’ve got a problem with sweaty thighs while gaming.
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