Today I’ll be reviewing the Asus ROG Destrier gaming chair. When people think of gaming, they often picture powerful PCs and consoles, pulsating RGB lighting, and precision gaming gear. However, in the realm of gaming something that’s often overlooked is the comfort of a gaming chair. In this article I’ll discuss the ROG Destrier’s design, assembly, comfort, and user adjustments.
Asus ROG Destrier chair design
The Asus ROG Destrier is made of a combination of plastic, aluminum, and mesh. The chair is entirely black with the exception of the large red ROG logo on the head cushion and the white and red tags on the adjustment controls. The Destrier doesn’t look like a typical gaming chair. That’s because it departs from the design of traditional racing-inspired gaming chairs. Instead, Asus describes the Destrier’s design as inspired by a futuristic cyborg aesthetic.
When you look at the seat of the Destrier it’s much flatter and wider than racing inspired gaming chairs. The Destrier doesn’t have the side bolsters of racing chairs that are meant to hold you in place while gaming. Instead, the wide seat gives you more space to find a seating position that’s comfortable for you.
Taking a tour of the chair you’ll find a few key features. Along the left side of the seat are two fabric tags that control the chair’s tilt and seat depth. On the right side there is a single tag that controls the chair’s height adjustment. On the lower back of the chair there’s an adjustable lumbar support. Finally, the top of the chair has a removable acoustic panel as well as an adjustable headrest.
Assembling the ROG Destrier gaming chair
Putting together the Destrier was a breeze due to the easy to follow instructions. Inside the large box comes everything you need to piece together the chair, including tools, extra screws, and washers. With a weight of about 54 lbs, having a second pair of hands would be helpful in lifting some of the heavier pieces. I assembled the chair by myself and it took about 1 hour from start to finish.
Comfort of the Destrier gaming chair
The Destrier is an incredible companion for your gaming comfort. Whether I was gaming or working, the Destrier was there to keep me comfortable at all times. I found the pulled mesh, large seat, and lumbar support to be key factors to my seating enjoyment.
The decision by Asus to use pulled mesh for the Destrier is a fantastic choice. Other gaming chairs rely on foam cushions to keep users comfortable. The downside of foam cushions are that overtime cushions wear down and lose their padding. On top of that cushions can become hot and uncomfortable during extended gaming sessions. With the pulled mesh of the Destrier, the seat maintains a nice bounce while at the same time keeping your body cool.
Earlier I highlighted that the Destrier has a wide seat. Without the bolsters of traditional racing style gaming seats you have a lot more space to move around. During my testing the wide seat of the Destrier allowed me to change my seating position, preventing my body from getting stiff. For example, the wide seat of the Destrier gave me the flexibility to do things such as sit cross-legged.
The backrest of the Destrier shares the same open design and stretched mesh material as the seat. It has a natural curve and lumbar support provides an impressive level of comfort during long gaming sessions. Similar to the seat, at no point did I find myself feeling hot during long gaming sessions.
The ergonomic comfort of the Destrier doesn’t stop with the seat and back, the armrests are covered with a soft PU foam material. I like this material since it’s firm enough for you to lean on, at the same time there’s enough give that your arm feels cushioned.
Finally, at the top of the Destrier is the headrest. The headrest is made of a foam that’s covered by a soft fabric. This fabric feels cool on your skin and the foam is thick enough for you to comfortably rest your head on it when you tilt the chair backwards.
ROG Destrier’s ergonomic adjustments
One of my favourite features of the Destrier is just how many user adjustments it has. Asus has designed this chair to adapt to any user’s needs and you’ll be pleased with the different options it offers.
Tilt and seat depth
The tilt setting on the Destrier comes with four adjustments. These settings are locked into place when you flip the tilt switch upwards. During my testing, I found myself using the tilt function the most when playing mobile games and watching movies.
On the seat depth adjustment you can adjust your seat forwards and backwards. I found this setting to be the most helpful when trying to adjust the intensity of back support. Moving the seat farther back increased the support for my back, while moving it forwards gave me a little more room to lean backwards.
Armrests
The 3D armrests were one of my favourite adjustments on the Destrier. These armrests have a lot of customization. For starters the armrests can rotate 360 degrees and move forwards or backwards. This ensures that you’ll always have access to the armrest no matter what position you’re sitting in. In terms of height adjustment, the armrests can be raised much higher than the average ergonomic chair. This is because ASUS designed the armrests so that you can comfortably play games while on a mobile device like your phone or a handheld gaming device.
Lumbar support
The lumbar support can be adjusted upwards and downwards as well as forwards and backwards. It has a unique feature that allows you to adjust the lumbar intensity independently on either side of the lumbar support. This is a function that I haven’t seen on any other gaming chair that I’ve tested.
Headrest
The headrest has three different adjustment points. It can be moved upwards and downwards, forwards and backwards, and can also be titled. The ability to adjust the headrest is a brilliant design decision by Asus. This means that users can adjust the headrest to match their various seating positions. For example, when leaning backwards I pulled the headrest forwards to provide more support to my head.
Final thoughts on the Asus ROG Destrier
The Asus ROG Destrier is an amazing ergonomic gaming chair. I love its sleek black futuristic design and the sheer number of user adjustments that you can make. The mesh design is incredibly comfortable and keeps me cool during long gaming sessions. Asus’s futuristic cyborg design stands out when compared to traditional gaming chairs. It leaves the user with more space and the flexibility to sit in multiple positions. If you’re looking for a gaming chair you should definitely check out the Asus ROG Destrier.
Find more gaming chairs and furniture for your set up at Best Buy online.
