Despite a name implying a focus on internals, Cooler Master’s been looking to compete with the best gaming chairs for a while now. A pair of gaming chairs it announced today really push the envelope for the types of gaming experiences you can have at home. Usually, to watch a 4D movie or a custom all-in-one gaming space, you have to go to a special theater or arcade. But with the Cooler Master Motion 1 and CMIX GamePod, you’ll be able to access such thrills without leaving your house.
Cooler Master Motion 1
If you’re lucky enough to have D-Box seat options at your local AMC movie theater or you’ve been to a “4D” show at a theme park lately, Cooler Master’s Motion 1 gaming chair should be familiar to you.
Essentially, it’s a home version of one of those seats that bumps and shifts around during a movie to try to make you feel more immersed. This isn’t the first D-Box product to bring its tech to the home. A recliner and racing sims already exist that do the same thing. But the Motion 1 is the first one that uses a traditional office chair setup.
I tend to find the 4D seat experience more annoying than exciting, but this chair has the unique advantage of focusing on gaming, where that kind of haptic feedback might be more appropriate.
The big selling point here, Cooler Master hopes, is the D-Box haptic engine, which sits just above the chair’s wheels. This home version of the system is adapted from D-Box’s racing simulators and will be able to access motion-encoded versions of “AAA game titles and over 2,000 movies,” according to Cooler Master’s announcement.
Cooler Master hasn’t told us anything about how accessing content on the Motion 1 works, but a page on D-Box’s site shows that owners of the company’s recliner need to pay $89 annually for the privilege. We also don’t know what kind of games will be on the Motion 1, but D-Box-compatible movie and TV content is expansive, according to the company’s site, which goes as far as to add new episodes of Loki and Star Wars: The Bad Batch as they come out.
Cooler Master hasn’t shared too many build details yet, but the Motion 1 uses a hammerhead style headrest, has cushions with “3D-sculpted foam” and features height adjustability and reclining. Pictures of the chair also emphasize lumbar support and headrest pillows you move up and down across rails. And, of course, you’ll be able to move the armrests up and down as well.
Cooler Master CMIX GamePod
If a gaming chair with a potential annual subscription fee isn’t premium enough for you, Cooler Master is also making the...let me take a deep breath here...Cooler Master CMIX GamePod. Basically, it’s an egg you sit in to play video games.
Remember the Acer Predator Thronos? Or Razer’s Project Brooklyn concept? This is Cooler Master’s take on the idea, and it kind of looks like it was built by Dr. Robotnik (or Dr. Eggman if you’re a purist).
It’s an RGB pod with an ergonomic recliner, three 27-inch gaming monitors, surround sound audio, a PC and a desk contained inside. We don’t know many specifics about each component yet, but it’s exciting to see another company enter the still sparse all-in-one-battlestation space.
Cooler Master said that the recliner will have a head rest, foot rest and lumbar support that are also adjustable. The GamePod overall will be compatible with “multiple different PC and monitor configurations, according to the company, which added that you’ll be able to set up a console to use with the GamePod too.
Plus, the GamePod had a “fully automated motorized shuttle dome,” whatever that means. And pictures of the product show that it will probably come in both black and white.
Overall, the future looks bright for gamers who want their homes to resemble theme parks.
The Motion 1 Gaming Chair will launch in Q1 of 2022 for a price range of $1,999 - $2,299. The GamePod is "likely to fall between" $12,000 and $14,000, a Cooler Master rep told Tom's Hardware, and is expected to be available in the U.S. in December.
