The fact that I was given the opportunity to review this crown jewel of a gaming chair changed my life… although in the long term I am not sure if it was for the better. How do I go back to a conventional chair after this beast? How will I ever feel as comfortable again?

It looks like you could take on the world


As far as aesthetics go, the SL300C is gorgeous. Black leatherette beautifully trimmed in traditional Asus red (I mean who doesn’t love such exquisite stitching around a chair and the ROG logo?), the SL300C is sleek and a great addition to any set up. The addition of the RGB lighting is mesmerising and fun, especially for streamers. The chair is designed to be customised to suit you, so the memory foam back support piece can be moved up and down while still being held in place with velcro strips. I have a small issue with the velcro, however, as when you move side to side, you have the tell tale sound of the velcro engaging and disengaging. If you’re like me and you’re constantly moving around in your chair as you game, you will hear it often - although after a few days with the chair, you stop noticing it as much. The material is comfortable and breathable, so although it’s in a leatherette finish, it doesn’t leave you feeling hot and sticky as you spend hours in it.

The design of the chair is described as being "in the driving seat of a high end racing car", and it lives up to that. The back of the chair has Cybertext straps that reinforce this feeling, including one that can be used to hold bags, etc. (a feature that makes more sense in a LAN environment than at home application). Besides looking like you should be cruising through mountain passes at top speed, you have the feeling of sitting in a professional set up. The seat angles upwards on the sides, giving it a more cozy, bucket seat feeling - like you’re in control.

Shorty appreciation


Now, I’m not one of the tallest people around (I’ve been called an Ewok on occasion), so my main concern with gaming chairs is usually around the height settings, armrests and headrests. Somehow, Asus has catered to all these areas with surprising results. The chair adjusts height beautifully and the headrest can be adjusted to low enough to be comfortable for the under 6 foot club. The armrests are the most interesting part in this for me though - they have a 4D adjustment system, meaning that they can even adjust outward and at a different degree for maximum comfort, especially for those who play with controllers and sit with them on their laps. Personally, I would have preferred more cushioned armrests, as the plastic feels a little hard after a few hours of gaming, but the quality is good.

Again, being short also means short arms, so the fact that you can adjust the armrests inwards closer to you, is amazing. The armrest angles do have a tendency to click out of position, however, if you move around a lot, and I feel that over time, they might do this more often as the mechanism wears.

Movement


The movement of the chair is fluid and the steel frame makes it feel sturdy. The rocking feature is one of my favourites (I already mentioned that I can’t sit still, right? Yes, I was one of those kids in school that leaned their chairs backward all the time). The backrest can also be lowered right down and can lock into any angle easily. I found this to be really useful outside of gaming when watching movies on my laptop during the dreaded loadshedding. I’m a little afraid of putting my feet near the base of the chair though, since it’s black steel - I feel like I’m going to scratch or scuff it, but this hasn’t happened yet, so the finish is quite durable. Although having locks on all the base castors is great to avoid accidentally flying away from your desk, the locking mechanism is a little challenging.

The locks can simply be pushed down by your feet while sitting in the chair. While I can see why it has pros in this design, the con of this is one that has had me using colourful language on occasion - it’s possible to accidentally kick the locks into place without realising it and then when you try to move the chair, stopping dead. Worse still, on a tiled floor it produces an angry, grating noise that has my left eye twitching more than once.

RGB makes everything better


The addition of the RGB lighting in the headrest of the chair is really cool. There is a control panel on the chair that gives the options to change the aura colour, brightness, speed and effect. The chair also has a pouch built in for a power bank to be added to power the RGB Aura lighting. Although it’s not something that I think most players will use all the time, the RGB lighting is a wonderful addition for streamers in particular to give an interesting addition to their set up.

How it all fits together

This monster comes in a very heavy, very big box! The chair comes with the tools needed for assembly, so you don’t need to worry about anything extra. Assembly is recommended at 2 people simply because the base unit is heavy as hell and you need to hold it against the seat to fix it into place. However, I tested if you would be able to do it on your own and I was able to, with a little maneuvering. It’s actually a fun and rewarding process, as it makes you aware of the small attention to detail that Asus has put into the SL300C.

Conclusion

The Asus Rog Chariot SL300C is one hell of a gaming chair. Packed with features for your comfort and adaptable for your style, The Chariot is in my opinion one of the best gaming chairs out there. The price tag is a little hefty, but if you’re looking for all the features that make your gaming life that much better, it’s well worth it.

*Review by Sheree Buchholz