INTRODUCTION

   It's somewhat strange when you think about it but although people spend all their hard earned money on the best hardware components and gaming peripherals they can afford not many realize that in order to use and enjoy all those things you need to be sited. Sure many look for a good desk chair which can provide them with adequate support and comfort but if i judge even by my standards (have purchased 5 desk chairs in the last 8 years) these chairs are pretty much always designed for office use and never really good enough for long periods of gaming. The problem up until this day however was that no manufactured focused on the needs gamers have and although i know people who have spent large amounts of money to get ergonomic desk chairs (200-400Eur range) the end result didn't change that much. The gaming industry however evolves all the time (now more than ever thanks to the increasing popularity of eSports) and so lately we've seen quite a few manufacturers release gaming chairs based on sports car seats very similar to those bucket seats used in racing cars. AK Racing is perhaps the most popular such manufacturer in the market today and today we're going to find out why since under our scope we have their Nitro Gaming Chair.

   AK Racing are one of the world’s premier gaming chair manufacturers, producing the highest quality products that are available today. With a focus on ergonomics, design and functionality, AK Racing gaming chairs have quickly become the smart choice across the eSport scene. Our close ties with top eSports teams such as Team Dignitas have given us the leading edge in meeting the durability and comfort requirements of gaming professionals everywhere.

   The Nitro Gaming Chair represents the mid-end line produced by AK Racing and aside the red/black color combination we have here it's also available in blue/black, green/black, orange/black and white/black (check our conclusion page for more). This is a good start since aside the large selection of gaming chairs AK Racing does a great job in offering various color combinations to cover most if not all gamers out there. As mentioned already the Nitro Gaming Chair looks a lot like the one used in sports and racing cars but unlike those it features significantly more padding (plus two pillows) since increased comfort (and not keeping you in place when taking quick turns) is the primary goal. Of course that doesn't mean the seat is not durable since thanks to its metal frame and class-4 gaslift it should last for many years to come (certainly many more compared to most desk chairs). Also the mechanism used in the Nitro Gaming Chair allows the user/gamer to adjust the height, backrest position and tilt the chair backwards by up to 12 degrees. So what do you all say we take a closer look and see if this is really the dream chair for most gamers out there?

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

AK Racing ships their chairs inside large plain cardboard boxes with their logo on one side and the model name on the other (the box weighted 25Kg).

First piece to come out was the 5 wheel base which is all black in the Nitro Gaming Chair line (silver and black in others).

The class-4 gaslift with its cover and the height adjustment mechanism came out next.

As you can all see the armrests are attached to the seat of the chair (the two pieces of plastic on the seat are covers).

The upper part/backrest was the last to come out along with the two removable pillows and a bag filled with several Allen screws, washers and two Allen keys.

ASSEMBLY

Putting the chair together is not hard but why not show how it's done? As the manual states you need to start from the base of the chair so first you fit the 5 wheels (just push them in the holes), place the class-4 gaslift in the base and then drop the cover over it.

Next step is to secure the backrest onto the seat by using two Allen screws on each side (as seen above).

Once that's done you should place the side plastic covers (you will need the long black Allen screws with their washers for that).

With the backrest mounted onto the seat we can move forward with the next step.

Mounting the height adjustment mechanism is not hard (it has a front indication) and requires just 4 Allen screws (the green elastic bands are there to increase support while the copper clips remind us the ones used in regular sports seats).

Both armrests are height adjustable (that applies for all gaming chairs by AK Racing) so by clicking the button beneath you can raise them from 27cm up to 34cm.

You can also adjust the angle of the backrest via a long lever found on the left side of the chair (much like a handbrake). Unfortunately we can't showcase the maximum angle on our photo bench.

FINISHED LOOKS

Once all steps are complete you just need to place the upper end of the chair onto the 5 wheel base with the class-4 gaslift and voila (looks great right?).

The two pillows that come with the chair (head and lower-back/lumbar support) are mounted with elastic straps and are quite comfortable thanks to their padding (the head pillow however doesn't match the one shown in AK Racing pictures since the elastic strap goes around the head).

Here you can see just how far back you can drop the backrest in order to get some sleep (just in case - wish it also had feet support like some armchairs).

The rear is pretty much standard and just has two zippers used to access the interior of the backrest.

CONCLUSION

   Over the course of 10 years I’ve used 2 types of desk chairs in the office up until this day, regular ones that cost anything between 70-120Eur and ergonomic ones that cost quite a bit more (300-500Eur). Unfortunately I’ve found that the most comfort comes not from those chairs but from a nice armchair/sofa chair but as you can all understand these aren't practical since they can't be used with a desk (console gaming perhaps). This is why i was very skeptical when the Nitro Gaming Chair by AK Racing made it on our doorstep. Now i have driven many sports cars and even my own comes with similar design seats but i think you'll all agree with me when i say that it's a whole different thing to drive your car for a few hours at most with sitting in front of your desk for the largest part of a day. Luckily AK Racing took that into account when designing their gaming chairs and so thanks both to the sufficient padding with the two removable pillows and the mechanism (rocking function and backrest tilt) the result is extremely good. We've actually been using the chair for roughly 2 months now and it's still good as new (ever since i got it in my office however i fight to keep my cats from scratching it). It may take some getting used to if you haven’t been inside a sports car seat or a bucket seat but the end result is worth it. Unfortunately unlike sports car seats the Nitro Gaming Chair is covered with synthetic (leatherette) and not real leather and although I’d really like that i have to admit that it would be somewhat hard to accomplish in that price range and with all the features offered. I do however believe that AK Racing could and should had placed more and softer padding on the armrests since although quite comfortable they do feel slightly out of place compared to the rest of the chair.

   Nowadays price is one of the things that define a good desk chair and that couldn’t be truer in the case of the Nitro Gaming Chair by AK Racing since it currently retails for USD349.99 inside the USA (4GamerGear) and for 279Euros inside the EU (directly from AK Racing Europe). In the end if you can i strongly recommend checking one of these chairs up close since although we all liked it that doesn't necessarily mean you will too (you most likely will). For us however the Nitro Gaming Chair is well worth our Golden Award and we really hope we will get to test more chairs from AK Racing to see if their more expensive models really have more to offer.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality (Synthetic Leather / Steel Frame)
- Design (Sports Car Seat)
- Comfortable
- Features (Adjustable Backrest / Height Adjustable Armrests / 12 Degrees Tilt Function)
- Head & Lower-Back Removable Pillows
- Available Colors

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Armrests (Could Use More Padding)