RESPAWN RSP-900 Gaming Chair Review – Ultra-Comfy Gaming

An important part of any gaming setup that could easily be overlooked is the seating equipment. A lot of console gamers play their favorite titles while seated comfortably on a couch. But what if you don’t have the room for a full-blown couch? Your options in that case are usually limited to office or gaming chairs. But what about a recliner? RESPAWN Products believes they have a comfortable solution in the RSP-900 Gaming Recliner. We’ve spent the past month or so with a red version of the chair, and have our RESPAWN RSP-900 review ready now.

Heavy Padding, Easy Assembly

Gaming can be a physically draining experience. Scanning the screen for threats, waiting for a cue from enemies to score a hit, or muting annoying trolls can certainly take a toll on energy levels. Sit for a long enough period of time, and even the chair your keister is on will start to sap energy levels. The RSP-900 has such ample padding that this is never an issue. The cushion’s thickness can be measured in inches, and the material surrounding them is more likely to wear out before the cushions themselves.

Most chairs and other seating equipment require assembly. The RSP-900 is no different, and comes with a single instruction sheet. It’s not terribly complicated to put together, and most people will be up and running within an hour or so of unpacking the massive chair. The reclining mechanisms are pre-built into the seat itself, so assembly mostly consists of putting a few large pieces into place, and screwing them all together via the included tools. There are zippers which conceal the screws and bolts, which is a nice touch to hide the metal frame.

The RESPAWN RSP-900 certainly looks the part of a gaming chair. It has a mostly black design, with accents or “colorways” available in five colors: black, blue, gray, red, and white. We received a red unit. The colors line the chair’s sides, while the back remains completely black. The entire unit can also swivel a full 360 degrees, so that you can turn to get whatever you need in your immediate area. Or just spin until you get nauseous. It’s up to you.

So how comfortable is this chair once it’s put together? The RESPAWN RSP-900 is the most comfortable gaming chair to hit the market. This is no doubt due to the fact that it is basically a one-seater couch. Think of the way couches are designed. They’re plush, made of materials such as bonded or genuine leather, and easy to fall asleep on. RESPAWN’s chair incorporates what appears to be bonded leather, stuffed to the brim with padded foam. The headrest also features a stuffed pillow, with RESPAWN stitched onto it. That pillow really comes in handy when lounging back, and makes playing games or watching movies that much more enjoyable.

Did We Mention the Padding?

Even the armrests are astoundingly padded. They are much thicker than an average chair’s armrests, and cover the entire sides of the chair so that there is no gap between the seat and the armrest. RESPAWN also claims that this prevents cords from getting caught in the chair, which is true. The left armrest also includes a cupholder, which can safely hold a SOLO cup or something approximately that size. Below the cupholder is a removable pouch, which is held in place via Velcro. This pouch has two compartments, and it is large enough to allow the storage of a few remotes, plus a controller. It’s not really big enough to store multiple controllers in each compartment, though it quickly became a handy place to store remotes and cords.

All of this thick padding and smooth bonded leather comes at a price: heat retention. We received this chair just over a month ago, and even though the weather has yet to really warm up, it is easy to sweat in the RSP-900. There are two large holes near the headrest, where the pillow sits, which may help with airflow. But generally, you’ll feel the heat after spending an appreciable amount of time in this recliner. Those in colder climates will no doubt love such a chair.

Another issue some users may encounter relates to durability. The chair we received arrived undamaged. Yet after only a few days, some of the material had been rubbed off. This was due to the fact that the chair was at the same height of a wooden shelf that we have in our room. So, sliding against that shelf resulted in the bonded leather being effectively shaved off from the padding. Thankfully, this was caught early on, and we make sure the chair is nowhere near anything it could repeatedly rub against. The material that flaked off also didn’t include any foam, and it was in fact in a seam along the headrest – so not a crucial location. After about a month of nearly daily use, the rest of the chair shows no signs of wear, which is much more important. Still, seeing raw foam on the top of the chair is jarring, and a reminder that this recliner needs to be treated like the one-seater couch that it is. In other words, gently.

Recline in Style

The RSP-900’s main feature is its ability to recline. It is called a recliner, after all. First, the footrest is technically a continuation of the seat cushion. One seamless unit combines the two, all controlled by a single rotating handle on the right side of the chair. It takes quite a bit of effort to lock the footrest into position, and a loud and forceful clunk verifies that everything is in position. Likewise, returning the footrest into its un-extended position takes a decent amount of force exerted on the handle. This does mean that accidental resets of the footrest should never happen. The footrest also only supports two possible settings, as the extended setting only locks at one spot and is not adjustable. The back of the RSP-900 reclines separately from the footrest, again via a handle on the right-hand side of the chair. Unlike the footrest, however, the back can be reclined at various angles, up to 135 degrees. Reclining as far back as the chair allows, combined with extending the footrest, results in a very comfortable seating arrangement. Yours truly has fallen asleep in this recliner a few times in the past month!

It should also be noted that the RSP-900 is not an office chair. As such, its height is static – there is the footrest adjustment handle, and the recliner lever, but there is no third knob to control seat height. What you see is what you get. The chair also sits lower to the ground than would be comfortable at most desks (though RESPAWN also sells adjustable-height desks…isn’t that convenient?), much like a couch.

RESPAWN has the potential to tap into a niche (and maybe underserved) market with the RSP-900 Recliner. This is a chair so comfortable, many a gamer will fall asleep in its embrace during those odd hours of the night they often find themselves playing. There may be some long-term reliability concerns in the use of bonded, as opposed to genuine, leather. However, good luck finding such a feature and comfort-packed chair made with genuine leather for this price. Treating the RSP-900 as the couch it really is should result in many years, perhaps even decades, of reliable service. Even if you have the space for a full-fledged couch, the RSP-900 is a serious contender that lets others know you take your comfort seriously when you game. The RSP-900 is easily the most comfortable gaming chair, recliner or otherwise, on the market today.

RESPAWN RSP-900 review unit provided by manufacturer. For more information, please read our Review Policy.