Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/05/08/review_slouchpod_gaming_chair/
Exclusive Review If your home entertainment system is almost complete - Sky Plus is set, the games console is comfortable and the HD DVD player is in place - but getting down to an hour or two of some serious gameplay means rearranging the furniture, then the aptly named SlouchPod could be the solution.
It is, in essence, a glorified bean bag, but not only is its shape crafted for considerable console time, thanks to a raised back, it also features built-in speakers and a volume control. Two 5W stereo speakers and a 10W sub-woofer are built into the headrest, and there's another sub-woofer in the base of the chair.
The circular control panel looks stylish and resembles slightly the silver fuel intake valves on Formula One cars and their pseudo-posh petrol cap equivalent on expensive sports cars like the Audi TT. There's a volume control dial and one for the bass level, plus RCA audio input, RCA multi-player audio output and an on/off power switch. And the SlouchPod logo lights up in blue neon.
You can also plug your MP3 player in, but we're not totally sure why you'd want to: speakers are good, yes, but then why not just use a good pair of proper mixing headphones and lay back on your sofa...
Simply drop your derrière on the chair and shuffle around a bit to get it into the right shape, take the red and white RCA plugs from your games console – leaving the yellow one in – and using the supplied adapters connect the red and white RCA cable extensions to the SlouchPod.
The sound quality is surprisingly good, and the SlouchPod is really quite comfortable. It's a great game chair. However, if your games console is also your main way to play DVDs, you have to remember that the sound will still come through the speakers in the SlouchPod, so you'll need to unplug the leads and re-plug them into your TV.
This could get extremely frustrating after a while.
The synthetic leather material is durable and the stitching good quality. The manufacturer has even anticipated things like beer being spilled, so the SlouchPod's surface can be wiped clean very easily. However, one small complaint would be the rather large SlouchPod logo label that sticks out on the left hand side: it's unnecessary and irritating.
Sadly it doesn't come with vibrate functionality - it would make the whole gaming experience much more interesting if it did. And the SlouchPod isn't unique - gaming chairs have been available for some time. But unlike any equivalent, it does comes in a greater range of colours, inlcuding red, lilac, fuscia, black, cream and silver.
Yes, you can pick up a gaming chair that offers exactly the same features and functionality from Argos (http://www.argos.co.uk) and Firebox (http://www.firebox.com) for a fraction of the price. But these just look like car seats that have been ripped out and aren't anywhere near as stylish as the SlouchPod. And they don't look like part of your regular lounge furniture.
 |
SlouchPod |
| Summary | Quite quirky, quite cool, but a little costly |
|---|---|
| Rating | 75% |
| Price | £299 inc VAT |
| More info | SlouchPod website (http://www.slouchpod.com) |
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