Between the gaming chair and the office chair is the hybrid gaming chair. The first hybrid landed in 2017. In the past year, a few new hybrid gaming chair models have emerged. The response has good. As a result, more hybrid chairs are on the way. Can’t decide between an ergonomic gaming or office chair? Check out the best hybrid gaming office chairs of 2021. Enjoy the best of both worlds in one ergonomic package.
A hybrid gaming chair combines gaming chair and office chair qualities. Most models fuse gaming chair aesthetics into ergonomic office chair frameworks.
A couple of others do the opposite: merging office chair mesh onto gaming chair frameworks. As 2021 progresses, more gaming-office mashup ideas are likely to emerge.
Best Hybrid Gaming Office Chairs
Hybrid gaming chairs are a new genre. At present, there are only a handful of available models. All combine gaming chair and office chair elements to different degrees.
- Respawn 200 — Mesh Gaming Chair | $266.66 on Amazon
- Cougar Argo — Colorful Mesh Office Chair | $499.99 on Amazon
- Embody Gaming Chair — Office Chair with Logitech Styling | $1695 from Herman Miller
- Aeron Gaming Chair — Gamer Black, Premium Ergonomics | $1445 from Herman Miller
- Herman Miller Sayle Gaming — Premium Ergonmics, Vibrant colors | $725 from Herman Miller
- Sidiz T80 Superhero Editions — Office Chair with Blue Hero Styling | Price not available on Amazon
Our hybrid reviews are listed in chronological order.
This reveals the historical evolution of the hybrid gaming chair genre from 2017 to the present.
Respawn 200 Mesh Gaming Chair
Release date: 2017
In 2017, the Respawn Gaming company launched in North Carolina. One of its first products with the Respawn 200 (aka RSP-200). It stacks office chair features onto a racing-style gaming framework. That became the world’s first hybrid gaming chair.
Respawn Gaming is a subsidiary of HNI, the 4th-largest office furniture company in the world. The Respawn 200 reflects HNI’s office chair pedigree in a few ways.
RSP 200 features
First, most gaming chairs come upholstered in faux leather. That material can get sticky in hot weather. The RSP-200 addresses that issue with a breathable mesh backrest.
The second office chair-style feature is height and depth-adjustable lumbar support. To adjust the height, reach behind the chair and just manually. To toggle the depth, twist the handles to adjust the support angle.
Beyond those office chair qualities, the Respawn 200 is a typical racing-style PC gaming chair.
- Unique features: breathable mesh backrest; integrated lumbar support.
- Functionality: 2D armrests; recline to 130°; rocking function with lock.
- Support: PU leather padded seat; mesh backrest; headrest support pillow.
- Warranty: two years.
Since its launch, this chair has held steady as one of Respawn’s top-selling chairs.
For a closer look at this chair, check our Respawn RSP-200 gaming chair review.
Cougar Argo Office Gaming Chair
Release date: June 2020
In mid-2020, the Cougar Argo arrived as the world’s second hybrid gaming chair. This concept jazzed a classic office chair base with brilliant orange accents. The finished product has a sleek, sexy, futuristic look.
It’s a full mesh gaming chair with a premium aluminum frame. Covering the headrest and lumbar supports are breathable PVC leather covers.
The Argo’s lumbar support system is another highlight. You can adjust both the depth and the height to ensure a perfect fit. Unlike racing-style gaming chairs, the Argo also comes with a seat slider. You can adjust the depth with a 2.4-inch range.
- Backrest: rock, recline, or lock at angles between 105° and 130°.
- Headrest: adjust the angle; adjust up or down; slide out of the way.
- Depth adjustable seat: the 20″ seat can adjust forward or back with a range of 2.4″
- Armrests: 3D adjustable (up/down, forward/back, angled left or right)
- Warranty: 2-year warranty on the aluminum frame and base.
Cougar Argo summary
Despite its impressive features, Argo sales have been mediocre. We suspect a few reasons. First, Cougar doesn’t market their chairs as aggressively as other brands do. Second, the gaudy Cougar logos hinder otherwise sleek aesthetics.
Most importantly, the Cougar Argo was ahead of its time. The Hybrid gaming chair market is just starting to gain momentum. As more people seek out this genre, they’ll find the Argo as one of the most impressive hybrid options available.
Herman Miller Embody Gaming Chair
Release date: August 2020
Herman Miller is the second-largest furniture company in the world. To better serve work-from-home consumers, the company recently released a collection of ergonomic furniture for gamers. The Embody Gaming Chair is the flagship of that collection.
The Herman Miller x Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair has the same ergonomic features as the Classic Embody Office Chair. The only differences are a few gamer-friendly tweaks.
There’s a new black skin, plus blue color accents reflecting the Logitech partnership. The Embody Gaming Chair also adds an extra layer of foam to the seat. Inside the foam, copper-fused cooling elements help prevent clamminess.
Summary of features:
- Synchro-tilt: seat pan angle 3° to 15°; backrest 94° to 120°
- Pixelated back support: the backrest has a central spine with flexible ribs. Each rib adjusts when you lean back to support the natural curve of your spine.
- BackFit angle adjustment: this lets you position the back of the chair to fit the curvature of your back.
- Seat adjustments: adjust the seat’s height and depth.
- Backrest: adjust recline tension; 3-position tilt-lock; synchro-tilt
For detailed specs, check this Herman Miller x Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair review.
Embody Gaming ChairSummary
Frankly, the ‘gamer’ aspects of this chair seem like an afterthought. We assume it’s because Herman Miller is the most influential brand in the industry. Even with minimal effort, its products always create a buzz.
What does the term ‘gaming chair’ mean in 2021? With this release, Herman Miller has forced a redefinition of the term. As such, we credit this model for making the Hybrid Gaming Chair a viable industry genre.
Embody gaming chair from Herman Miller for $1495
The fully-loaded Embody classic is also available from Herman Miller for $1695 .
Aeron Gaming Chair
Release date: Sept. 2020
The Herman Miller design team got even lazier with the Aeron Gaming Chair. It comes with a new all-black color scheme and a ‘gaming chair’ label. Despite the laziness, the Aeron reigns (feature-wise) as the world’s best ergonomic chair.
Simply by slapping a ‘gaming chair’ label on it, the Aeron instantly qualifies as the best gaming chair in the world.
Aeron features
The Aeron Classic Office Chair comes in small, medium, and large sizes. The Gaming Edition comes in medium size only. Beyond that and the color scheme, features are the same across all Aeron chairs.
Highlights include two world-leading features. First, the Aeron chair has the largest synchro-tilt in the industry. Second, its 8Z Pellicle mesh is the gold standard in office chair mesh upholstery. Nothing on the market beats its level of durability or adaptability.
- Synchro-tilt: seat pan angle -1° to 16°; backrest 93° to 104°
- Upholstery: Pellicle 8Z mesh provides eight zones of varying tension for ultra-responsive support..
- Seat: adjust the height; limit the tilt range; adjust the tilt tension; sync-tilt with the backrest.
- Backrest: forward tilt option; height and depth adjustable PostureFit lumbar support.
- Armrests: 3D adjustable.
- Warranty: 12 years.
For a detailed breakdown of the (very impressive) features, check out this Aeron Gaming Chair review.
Sayle Gaming Chair
Release date: Sept. 2020
The Sayle is a more recent Herman Miller design. It has less clout than world-famous Embody and Aeron chairs. That’s probably why Herman Miller put a lot more effort into Sayle Gaming Chair designs.
Sayle Gaming Chairs come in five vibrant color schemes. Choose a grey or black fabric seat to match a range of colorful backrest designs. Backrests come in bright green, red, blue, black, or white.
Beyond the flashy looks, the Sayle chair offers excellent features for a great price. No other chair priced at $725 offers such impressive ergonomics.
Sayle Gaming Chair Features
Essentially, the Sayle mashes the best of the Embody and Aeron chairs into one package. It borrows the robust synchro-tilt functionality of the Aeron, plus the ultra-adaptive backrest concept of the Embody.
The advanced synchro-tilt functionality is rare in such an affordable chair. As the user leans back, the seat tilts up. As they lean forward, it tilts down.
To keep costs this low, there’s one functional limitation. Instead of a fluid backrest recline lock, you can only recline lock at 91, 101, or 124 degrees. Beyond that, features are top-of-the-line:
- Synchro-tilt: seat pan angle -3° to 13°; backrest reclines to 91°, 101°, or 124°.
- 3D Intelligent backrest: an unframed 3D Intelligent back stretches or contracts to support the back as the user moves.
- Posturefit: a unit at the rear of the backrest supports the sacrum (lowest point of the spine) to reinforce the pelvis. That prevents slouching and sitting fatigue.
- Seat adjustments: contoured seat pad; adjust the seat’s height and depth; downwards tilt to -3°.
- Armrests: 4D adjustable (adjust height, angles, width, and depth).
- Warranty: 12 years.
It’s the cheapest Herman Miller gaming chair with the most colorful design options. From a value-for-money perspective, it’s the best of the three Herman Miller gaming chairs.
To learn more, see this Sayle Gaming Chair Review.
Sidiz T80 Superhero Chairs
Release date: May 2021
The Sidiz T80 is one of the best ergonomic office chairs on the market priced under $700. Recently, Sidiz released a pair of ‘gamified’ versions of its T80 design.
As a final touch, Captain America’s face shows up on the headrest. Despite the flashy touches, the overall look is subdued enough for business use.
Sidiz clearly put more effort into the gamer design aspects than Herman Miller did.
T80 Superhero Designs
The T80 Captain America chair comes with a blue seat and blue mesh backrest. The lumbar support at the back is painted in Captain America’s shield colors.
The Iron Man T80 comes in striking red with golden accents and Arc-Reactor elements. Both models offer slightly lesser ergonomic features than Herman Miller, for around half the price.
The Iron Man T80 comes in striking red with golden accents and Arc-Reactor elements.
T80 chair features
Both chairs have slightly lesser ergonomic features than Aeron and Embody chairs, for around half the price.
- Synchro-tilt: seat pan angle 1°; backrest 90° to 114°.
- Spinal curve support: height adjustable lumbar; height and depth-adjustable padded headrest.
- 3D armrests: adjust the arms in three directions. The range provides robust support for the shoulders and wrists.
- Seat slide plus slope: slide the seat forward or back; manually slope down by -1°.
- Premium Padding: resilient memory foam with a layer of antibacterial elastic sponge. This provides firm, dense, very comfortable support.
- Warranty: three years, plus 30-day money-back-guarantee (details)
To learn more about the Iron Man, Captain America, or Classic Editions, check out this comparison of the Best Sidiz T80 Chair Designs.
Captain America edition Price not available | Iron Man edition Price not available
DXRAcer Air Modular Chair
Release date: July 2021
Most hybrid gaming chairs combine an office chair frame with racing-style gaming chair elements. The DXRacer Air Does the opposite. In its base form, it’s the world’s first gaming chair with full-mesh upholstery.
But that’s just the start. The Air is one of several ‘modular’ DXRacer chairs. You can add a retractable footrest, laptop stand, or cupholder. In case the mesh isn’t working for you, there are also optional soft fabric and PU leather slipcovers.
Beyond the mesh and modular parts, features as the same as a typical premium gaming chair. The one feature lacking that other hybrid chairs have is a sliding (depth-adjustable) seat pan.
- Functionality: 4D armrests; recline from 90-135°; multifunction tilt-lock.
- Support: height-adjustable lumbar (15 cm range); height-adjustable headrest.
- Upholstery: ultra-breathable mesh; supporting suspension springs.
- Foundation: steel frame; Class 4 gas lift; 3″ (76 mm) PU casters.
- Extras: modular add-ons; leather or fabric slipcovers.
DXRacer released the Air in late July 2021. It’s a solid product with plenty of potential, but some issues. For instance, DXRacer rates the Air for sizes 5’10” and up. That excludes average-sized women and teens from enjoying a good fit.
Beyond that quibble, this is a solid release that’s already selling well. To browse all designs and available modules, see this DXRacer Air Gaming Chair Review.
DXRacer Air $499 from DXRacer.com
Modular Air add-ons and slipcover upholsteries are also available from DXRacerAir.com.
Hybrid Gaming Chair Summary
This article lists all of the current and upcoming hybrid gaming chairs on the market. Here’s a summary of the genre as a whole (to date):
Common hybrid gaming office chair features
Listing the common features of all models gives us a clearer ‘hybrid gaming office chair’ definition:
- Aesthetics: color elements that appeal to video game players.
- Armrests: at least 2D adjustable.
- Lumbar support: at least height adjustable.
- Seat slider: available on all hybrids with an office chair base.
- Synchro-tilt: only available on the Sidiz T80 and Herman Miller gaming chairs.
- Backrest recline: to at least 120 degrees.
- Warranty: 2-12 years.
There’s no common upholstery. Most chairs use breathable mesh, but not all. The Embody chair has a soft fabric cover. The Sayle has a flexible plastic cover. It’s similar to mesh, but not quite the same thing.
Who are hybrid gaming office chairs for?
A few years ago, we classified ergonomic chairs into three categories: office chairs, gaming chairs, non-ergonomic office chairs.
Rapid upheaval in the ergonomic seating industry has blurred those categories.
If you sit at a desk full-time, using a non-ergonomic office chair can harm your back. That’s a physiological fact.
As a result, our 2021 breakdown of ergonomic chair types replaces non-ergonomic office chairs with hybrids.
In 2021, here are the best viable ergonomic options suitable for PC gamers and desk workers:
- Ergonomic office chairs: for executives and power users needing to sit upright for long periods.
- Racing style gaming chairs: for desk users wanting more versatility. These support upright desk work, and also deep recline lounging.
- Hybrid gaming chairs: for those not impressed by either gaming or office chairs. Hybrids mash the best gaming chair and office chair qualities in one package.
Conclusion
By the end of this summer, there will be nine hybrid gaming chairs on the market. By Christmas 2021, expect to see dozens of new models flooding in for the Xmas season.
As viable new hybrids emerge, we’ll add them to this review. Until then, here are the best hybrid gaming chairs currently available:
- Respawn 200 — Mesh Gaming Chair | $266.66 on Amazon
- Cougar Argo — Colorful Mesh Office Chair | $499.99 on Amazon
- Embody Gaming Chair — Office Chair with Logitech Styling | $1695 from Herman Miller
- Aeron Gaming Chair — Gamer Black, Premium Ergonomics | $1445 from Herman Miller
- Herman Miller Sayle Gaming — Premium Ergonmics, Vibrant colors | $725 from Herman Miller
- Sidiz T80 Superhero Editions — Office Chair with Blue Hero Styling | Price not available on Amazon
