There’s a lot to love about the ThunderX3 Core, a gaming chair that mixes a professional appearance with serious lumbar support, good adjustability and a premium price point.
We were sent a sample of the £339 black PU leather version ahead of its launch – a design that avoids being too stereotypically ‘gamer’ in its aesthetics (which may be a preference to some – myself included), and instead guns for a more modern look with cross-stitching accents to its sides. (A fabric edition is also available for the same price.)
The standout feature? That’ll be the lumbar support. ThunderX3 describes its so-called ‘CORE.RDY 360’ technology as one-of-a-kind, adding a support mechanism that tilts in every direction independently to the main seat. The impact this has on long gaming sessions is clear, especially by the day’s end. Your spine stays neatly nestled in place – reducing the need to adjust your posture – making it a serious upgrade in comfort compared to most premium chairs I’ve tried for both gaming and video editing.
1 of 5 Caption Attribution This is a comfortable-looking chair that also doesn’t stand out as being too gamer-y.
The Core model has plenty else to boast about. In terms of ergonomics we get the works. There are four levels of backrest resistance and a ‘synchronous tilt’ mechanism that tilts the seat back less aggressively than the back rest – thus preventing the dead legs that can occur when sitting on a steeply titled seat. You can also tilt the seat , which can be a nice alternative posture for moments of intense study where you want to be closer to the screen but still want to be supported.