Is it worth the price of Herman Miller’s new $ 1,495 Embody Gaming chair?

Herman Miller, the maker of office chairs like Aeron, Embody and Sayl, is making a gaming chair. Aimed at players, streamers and sports athletes, the Embody Gaming chair is, according to the company, “the first truly ergonomic chair in the industry.”

In recent years, the gaming world has been flooded with brightly colored, often eye-catching, racing-style gaming chairs. The new Embody Gaming chair, the result of a partnership between Herman Miller and Logitech, is decidedly discreet. Except for a hint of blue in the back, it looks straight from my old cubicle.

John Campbell, who runs the gaming business at Herman Miller, says it was a very intentional choice. In an interview with Polygon, I asked him why the new Herman Miller Embody has no flashing red stitching or LEDs.

“I wouldn’t be the first person to mention that, especially internally in our two organizations,” Campbell said with a smile. “It is an aesthetic desire […] to really boost what’s normal and really lean into this premium gaming environment. “

Image: Herman Miller, Logitech

Image: Herman Miller, Logitech

Campbell alludes to the fact that “normal” for gaming chairs right now are brightly colored fabrics or leather, with high backrests and headrests that double as a billboard hovering behind streamers broadcasting from homes across the globe. world. A recent example is the Secretlab Cyberpunk 2077 Edition, which may be the most unpleasant piece of furniture I’ve ever seen. It features a bright yellow leather seating surface and a stylized red Oni skull that glides from its rear. That’s not something you want to leave sitting in your apartment on the night of the appointment.

Campbell said he sees the tastes of modern players maturing faster every day.

“You go and look around you on the battle stations subreddit,” Campbell said, “and you’re starting to see this really interesting change to this really high premium gaming setup. You start to see these adjacencies with the sneaker culture. and high-end fashion that is beginning to collide with this gaming world, especially as it becomes mainstream. “

It is that cutting edge philosophy that led to the appearance of the new Herman Miller Embody. But, Campbell said, it’s also about attending to the human form. That is why both Logitech and Herman Miller spent time with eSports organizations, carefully observing how athletes sat in their chairs during practice and competition. Some stuck their feet under them, while others were hunched over their keyboards; neither of these is a pose that is good for the body.

Ergonomics is largely a problem that Herman Miller has already solved, Campbell said. It only took a few minor modifications to the existing Embody product line to bring it up to gaming specs. The new chair features copper-infused, heat-dissipating fabric and a bit more lift at the back of the seat. It keeps users cool, while placing them in a slightly more upright seating position so they can be closer to the screen.

Image: Herman Miller, Logitech

I’ve been testing the new seat for less than 24 hours, and I can already feel the impact that better posture has on my body. It’s less about lumbar support and more about reflecting the natural curves of my back. In fact, I ended the day on Tuesday with less pain in my right hip, a problem recently caused by the extra long days I spent in my new DIY flight simulator cabin. My only complaint is that as a 6 foot 6 inch person with a long torso, my back is not as high as I would like.

The other problem point for me is the price. Priced at $ 1,495, the Embody Gaming chair is less expensive than its regular Embody (around $ 1,700 or $ 1,800 through most vendors). Campbell attributed the lower price to a new type of fabric, called Sync, which is just as luxurious but much easier to produce for Herman Miller. I’m not entirely sure that most people are willing to look more for a new office chair than a new graphics card.

But, as a good salesperson, Campbell also has an answer to that objection.

“The Embody is designed to last up to 12 years, with 24-hour use during that time,” Campbell said. “We are not in the warranty business, so this is not a marketing claim. We want to make sure that our chairs really last that long. So when you buy the Embody Gaming chair, what you are buying is the confidence that this chair is an investment. If something goes wrong, it’s 100% covered. “

The Embody Gaming chair is available to order right now, and will be supplemented by a new optional monitor arm coming soon.