Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair Review: Sitting on $1,500

When you're designing your battlestation, you've obviously factored in for one of the best gaming PCs with all of the parts you chose, as well as monitors, peripherals and, if you didn't have one, a desk. Oh, and you'll need a chair. If you get a really cheap one, you may not be comfortable. For some streaming cred, you might go with a racing-style gaming chair. But now there's a luxury option.

Herman Miller, known for premium ergonomic office furniture, got into the... gaming game this year, with a $1,495 collaboration with Logitech G. The Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair is the priciest gaming chair we've ever tested, and eschews much of the gamer styling that you often see, in favor of more subtle aesthetics -- indeed, it's practically identical to Herman Miller's Embody chair meant for offices.

There are a few twists for extra comfort for long gaming sessions. But ultimately, the Embody is a very expensive, very comfortable gaming chair. For many, the price will be the point that stops them in the tracks. But regardless, the Embody shows what the best gaming chair could -- and arguably should -- be: something focused on comfort and performance, rather than a gaming status symbol.

Design of the Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair

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The Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair (which I’ll refer to as the Embody from here on out) looks like a chair I’ve seen before, but like no gaming chair I’ve ever seen before. Specifically, it doesn’t have the throne-style, racing seat aesthetic seen on gaming chairs used by streamers on Twitch or by many professional esports players. There’s no head pillow, lumbar pillows, no massive logos, and no black pleather.

No, the Embody looks like a very modern office chair. That’s because it is largely the same as an existing Herman Miller chair by the same name. There are a ton of similarities: The gaming chair has the same backrest that reduces in width as it hits the top, while the back has a spine and a series of supports that look like ribs.

It sits on a sturdy aluminum base with five wheels designed for either hard floors or carpets.

The chair doesn’t scream “gaming.” The more aggressive aesthetics are still quite subtle. There are some imprints in the foam on the seat and backrest that give the slight impression of something metal, like a tank tread or a Power Rangers Dragonzord. There’s a small Logitech G logo at the top of the backrest, but it’s the same color as the fabric. The back of the chair uses a flexible, dark cyan plastic, the same color as the adjustment buttons that you’ll find under the arm rests and on the lever to raise and lower the chair. When combined with the dark grays found everywhere else on the chair, it matches the colors you find on many of Logitech’s G-series gaming peripherals. There’s also a parachute tag on the back with the Logitech G and Herman Miller logos.

All of the materials feel premium. The majority of the frame is aluminum, though there is still some plastic, which keeps the chair light. The seat is covered in polyester that Herman Miller claims is tested for durability, seam strength, color retention and flame resistance. (I never thought about my chair catching fire before this.) I worry a bit about keeping it clean, if only because the fabric would be more difficult to wipe down than the pleather you feel on gaming chairs.

Perhaps the one place that could obviously be improved are the armrests. While I found the foam to be comfortable, for $1,495, leather armrests would have been appreciated, though they may have clashed with the rest of the chair.

Unlike many gaming chairs, the Embody comes assembled straight out of the box. All I had to do was open the (very sizable) packaging, tear off some protective plastic and adjust the chair to my liking.

Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair Specifications

Comfort and Adjustments on the Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair

Maybe it’s the cushioning, or maybe it’s the ergonomics. But either way, sitting down in the Embody feels really good. Frankly, it feels like sitting in a really nice office chair which, again, is effectively what it is. The seat is cushiony and welcoming, with multiple layers of support, a foam layer on top, and then polyester. The back is firm and taller than many office chairs. I’m 5’8”, and the top of the chair covered my shoulder blades.

One of Logitech’s biggest contributions, per Herman Miller, is the idea of the addition of a cooling foam in the seat to keep you from heating up while playing games. I didn't feel warm while seated, but if you want maximum bodily airflow, something with mesh,-like Herman Miller's own Aeron, may be a better option.

What I enjoyed most about the chair, though, was its sheer number of adjustment options.

Of these, the feature that most affected how I sit was what the company calls BackFit. There is a knob on the back right of the chair, and it adjusts to the curve of your spine. More than anything else, I found this encouraged me to sit up straight while working and gaming. It’s a bit like the lumbar support knob on the Noblechairs Hero Gaming Chair, but in a way that conforms to your whole spine. This is also why Herman Miller claims you don’t need dedicated head support: When your spine is properly aligned, you’ll already be looking directly at the screen.

While this can’t correct decades of leaning over gaming laptops, it does encourage proper behavior, and it felt good to be sitting correctly.

With trigger-style buttons under the arm rests, you can raise and lower the arm height, but also pull the rests away or towards you to change the width. You can make the arms go almost as far down as the actual seat, should you prefer not to use them at all. What you can’t do, however, is change the angle of the arms. Those are what they are. In general, they worked for me, but on a chair of this expense, I would have liked the option. The seat depth is also adjustable, which I think is really neat. There are two handles near the front of the chair, which you can pull out to lengthen the seat and provide support to the bottom of your legs. If you want to shorten the seat (or just have shorter legs), you can pull them back in. However, I found that this often required a bit of force to get it back in.

On the back left of the chair, there is a tilt limiter with four steps. I preferred keeping it locked upright by leaving the limiter all the way up, but you can push it down easily if you prefer to lean back at an angle when you sit down. Anywhere in between lets you, as you might expect, limit what angle that is.

One thing to note is that the Embody seems made for people of an average body size. For those who need extra room, it may not be the best pick.

Warranty on the Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody Gaming Chair

Perhaps the place where the Embody’s price gets somewhat justified is the comfort of buying for the future. The chair comes with a lengthy 12-year warranty that includes “casters, pneumatic cylinders, tilts, and all moving mechanisms.”

Most of the chairs we’ve tested have warranties of two to three years, sometimes extendable to five years if you pay extra. But this epic warranty certainly provides some extra peace of mind when you’re spending this much on a chair.

Bottom Line

The Herman Miller X Logitech G Embody is the most comfortable gaming chair that I have ever sat in. That's owed to the fact that it is based around (and largely is) an office chair.

If you're looking for the aesthetics of a racing-style chair with the colors and logos to match, this isn't for you. But for me, I'd happily forgo that for ergonomics. I don't care if people can see the chair on a stream. The chair does look good, but no one else will ever know it.

The big thing that will turn people away from this chair is the price tag: $1,495 is not a small amount of money. For many, that's more than rent or a mortgage payment. But if you're spending all day working at home and then nights and weekends gaming, spread out over time, it may not be entirely crazy. The fact that the chair is covered by a lengthy 12-year warranty at the very least should mean you shouldn’t have to shell out for a new chair for more than a decade. How many lesser chairs would you buy over that time in place of the Embody, and how much would they cost?

I feel that what the Embody truly proves is that for many, the best gaming chair isn't necessarily a gaming chair. Spending as much as you can on a good office chair (even if it's $400 or less, like many gaming chairs are) is probably one of the best investments you can make for your comfort while both working and gaming. I say office chairs, because those tend to have more ergonomic features than many gaming chairs. I'll take comfort over status.

If you have $1,495 laying around for that purpose (and if you're that person, would you adopt me?), the Embody may be the right one for you. It didn't make me any better at video games, but I felt better and sat with better posture while I used it.