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Boost Mobile Gaming


Jan 9, 2007



Ann Tancio


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Boost Mobile Gaming’s first Gaming Chair Challenge is in full effect. We have accumulated the best of the best in gamer furniture and now we put them through the ultimate challenge to see who the king of gaming comfort is.

Three gaming “chairs” made it in to our final round and you may be surprised to see how they faired against each other. All chairs will be scored on the following criteria; looks, comfort, and of course the most important in game use.

The three pieces of high tech gaming furniture that made it to our final round are all the best of their individual discipline and look to make themselves fixtures in your gaming lounge. The fist entry is the Ultimate Gaming Chair, this chair was made famous by its appearance in 40 year old virgin, and had been a sought after chair ever since. The next and certainly biggest is the Love Sac, this over sized non-beanbag is becoming immensely popular on college campuses around the world. The last and newest competitor to this fight is the Sumo Omni; the Sumo has gained gamer popularity recently by their great decision to buy banner space on Penny Arcade.

Let’s get to the scores:

Looks:
First we start out with looks, we recruited twenty local college students to come by the office and give their opinion on what they thought about the look of the chairs. Ten gamers and ten girls were invited and you might be surprised by their thoughts.

Ultimate Gaming Chair:
The biggest problem that we heard over and over again is that the UGC looks more like a uber nerd’s office chair than something that you would want to be seen gaming in. This may be a stigma from its movie career or maybe it’s because it looks like an office chair. Everyone quickly agreed that this was the worst looking chair of the group.

Love Sac:
This over sized chair is built for with looks in mind and it accomplished its job very well. With the red tweed cover and the possibility of purchasing more covers the girls were absolutely in love with how this Sac looked. They did however have some hesitation on being able to move around a small apartment if it did become a permanent fixture in their house. The gamers were surprisingly indifferent on the looks and perceived the size to be more of a novelty than anything else. The reactions were mixed but in the end everyone agreed that if given the chance they would take it home in a heart beat.

Sumo Omni:
The Sumo is an interesting product and instantly did well with both the gamers and the girls. The girls liked that the chair was possible in all sorts of different ways. The gamers also gave it praise for being something that didn’t look nerdy. The quick consensus was that Sumo had managed to make a chair that looked hip and modern, without being ridiculous.

Comfort:
Many gamers spend hours in their chair of choice so comfort is incredibly important. At the same time a gaming chair can quickly become something that everyone uses whether gaming or not. Comfort is not only important it is absolutely imperative.

Ultimate Gaming Chair:
After getting hammered in the first round the UGC looked to make a comeback in comfort. Unfortunately this would not be the case. Each judge was asked to spend two minutes in each chair and then give there opinion. The results came back and UGC again fell short. It seems that gamers and girls alike do not want to spend their free time in something they see as a work chair. Most the people agreed that this was not a way they would want to spend their free time.

Love Sac:
The Love Sac was built with one thing in mind, comfort, and boy does it deliver. Every single person on the panel remarked on how extremely comfortable the Love Sac was. The way you sink in to the large chair was touted as the biggest reason for the extreme comfort. Also since the Love Sac is not a beanbag, but is instead filled with foam, it adds an extra layer of relief. The only down side was it may just be too comfortable as many of the gamers said they would be more likely to fall asleep on the chair, instead of gaming.

Sumo Omni:
The Omni was suddenly put in a strange position, literally. Some judges put it on its end, some laid it down like a rug, while others tried multiple positions. The consensus quickly became that this is infact more than a chair. There is not one way to sit on the Omni as showed on their website. The theory behind the Omni is that it is not going to tell you how to sit but instead is going to become whatever it is that you need. This theory went over very well with the judges and was the only chair that people asked to spend more time in.

With the Love Sac and the Sumo Omni in a neck and neck race, who is to be crowned the Gaming Chair Challenge Champion? Stay Tuned to Boost Mobile Gaming as we take the Gaming Chair Challenge to the next level and put these chairs to the true test.

The Boost Mobile Gaming: Gaming Chair Challenge is in full effect as we head to the finale and crown a champion. The Sumo Omni and the Love Sac have been doing very well, while the Ultimate Gaming Chair has struggled to gain any ground. With the final challenge upon us what chair will be the must have for gamers around the world?

In game use, is not a term that we throw around lightly. It considers many factors including durability, ease of cleaning, longevity, and most importantly does the chair help or hinder your gaming ability.

Since the Ultimate Gaming Chair was in last place we decided to try it out first. The panel had been sent home and instead we attended a local LAN to see what real hardcore gamers thought was the better chair.

Ultimate Gaming Chair:
The Ultimate Gaming Chair was quickly mocked by the gamers. They had the same sense that it was something that they would not want to be caught gaming in. When they were told that they had to try it, they put up a little fuss but were pleasantly surprised by the perks of the Chair. We hooked up an old Xbox and let the chair show its true potential, the speakers sounded very clear and the chair held up well even under extreme conditions, the gamer tag “BIG RED” had been very appropriately used.

The gamers however were still very unimpressed and they stressed how much they did not like having a controller hooked to the chair, and were very adamant about how this would actually hinder your gaming instead of helping it. The chair was then put through a quick durability check by knocking it over, kicking it, and then throwing it across the room. The chair held up but we got the impression that maybe it should not have been thrown. Ultimately the Ultimate Gaming Chair was shunned by all the attendees at the LAN and was knocked out of the competition.

Love Sac:
When we brought in the Love Sac the eyes of every gamer in the room opened wide. The sheer presence of the Sac can be intimidating. Gamers quickly lined up to give it a try and give their expert opinions. The general opinions were extremely varied and the most common comment given was that it would not fit where they would need it.

Next was the durability test; Gamers tried to rip apart the Sac and were unsuccessful. They tried to jump on it and make it explode, but were unsuccessful. Then one gamer had an idea, in a gaming environment things are going to get spilled on your chair. He then went and grabbed a Bawls and a slice of pizza and threw them on the Sac.

That is where the Love Sac faltered. If we know anything about gamers we know they can be extremely hard on furniture, an occasional spill is not out of the ordinary. The oil from the pizza and the bawls soaked into the chair. We tried to clean it the best we could but we were unable to make the spot useable again.

Sumo Omni:
When the Sumo Omni entered this competition, we at the office saw it as an extreme long shot to win the title. We did not know at the time what an effect marketing had had on the product. When we unveiled the final chair, jaws dropped. Almost every gamer there had heard about this new beanbag and how it was made for gamers.

The gamers took turns in the Sumo and all of them quickly touted the same facts as the judges. The most common comment was how they liked the versatility and the fact that they could make it any shape they wanted. Also the gamers liked the back support offered by the Sumo compared to the Love Sac; this was a huge sticking point for most gamers.

We again tested the durability and were unable to destroy the cover of the Sumo Omni. The pizza and Bawls test was next and the Sumo held up extremely well. The weak point of the Love Sac quickly became the strong point of the Sumo. The pizza grease and cheese were able to be whipped off with a napkin and the Bawls just ran right off.

Conclusion:
All of the votes were tallied and the gamers and the college crews opinions were all taken into consideration. What ended up making the difference was the unimaginable versatility of the winner, and the champion of Boost Mobile Gaming: Gaming Chair Challenge is … SUMO OMNI!

The gamers were absolutely unanimous on the decision and who are we to stand in their way. The Love Sac quickly became a napping place for the gamers but the Sumo continued to be used as a gaming chair. The ability to use it at a computer or in front of a TV, the stain resistance, the trendy look and feel, all added to the amazing victory. The Sumo Omni can be found at www.sumolounge.com and with a price tag of only $129 it makes it the perfect gaming chair to ask for this holiday season.

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