One-minute review
Before you've even assembled it, the Corsair TC500 Luxe feels like an unbelievably high quality gaming chair. From its quilted fabric seat to its steel frame, it's hard not to praise every aspect of the chair. However, a chair this high quality means a relatively higher price point. But, I believe the Corsair TC500 Luxe is well worth the investment.
Alongside its sturdy and comfortable build, it's got a plethora of features to help you tailor it to exactly what you need from your seat. In-built lumbar support is easily adjusted with two dials on each side of the backrest, and the magnetic neck support pillow is much easier to change the height for than the one attached to a strap like on the Boulies Master Series gaming chair which I am used to using, and used to readjusting when the strap inevitably slips off the top of the chair.
In addition, omniflex armrests are ready to move around to suit however you're sitting and support your elbows and arms. For such a high level of personalization, it's hard to argue against its price point. Frankly, there's no other product I would recommend to someone looking for a gaming chair that is so comfortable and supportive in this price bracket.
Price and availability
- $499.99 / £499.99
- Available through Corsair
- 2 year warranty
The Corsair TC500 Luxe is an expensive chair. If you're a first time buyer when it comes to gaming chairs, the price tag might be overwhelming. But for $499.99 / £499.99 you're buying a chair that is guaranteed comfort from the second it's built, and a level of customization you wouldn't find in even the best budget gaming chairs. You're paying for premium and you’re getting it.
Three colorways are currently available. Frost, Sherwood, and Shadow. All three, although fairly basic colors, feel like a sophisticated approach to gaming furniture. I'm used to seeing quite garish designs on chairs like the League of Legends Secretlab series, or even the Herman Miller Sayl gaming chair. Having three muted yet modern colors on offer almost guarantees you'll be able to find something that suits your setup's aesthetic.
A two year warranty is available from purchase as well, which is worthwhile but not as significant as other products currently available at a similar price point. For example, the Herman Miller Sayl is double the price of the TC500 Luxe, but offers an incredible 12-year warranty, or the Razer Fujin Pro which offers a slightly more humble five years. But, two years is still decent, and welcome.
Specs
Design and aesthetics
The Corsair TC500 Luxe has been designed with comfort as its main focus, but that doesn't mean any corners have been cut elsewhere. Rather than having your standard decals or colorful flourishes you'd see on other gaming chairs such as the Secretlab Titan Evo series or the Razer Enki, a more sleek design has been taken on board with a dark gray color for the chair itself and then black accents through its armrests and wheelbase.
The fabric of the chair itself is soft and breathable, which I found to be a nice change to the pleather or suede feel fabric used on cheaper chairs. It's not plush, but it's more comfortable and easy to move around on. The stitched details such as the diamond design sewn onto the seat and backrest are also a nice addition, reinforcing the premium, sophisticated feel of the chair. A Corsair logo stitched on the neck support pillow and the side of the chairs headrest is another detail which I appreciated.
The seat base is wider than my previous chair too. The TC500 Luxe has a seat base width of 59cm, which is significantly wider than the width of the Boulies Master Series gaming chair which was 53cm including the sides. On paper, it doesn't seem like a huge difference but when in use, that extra 6cm gives you a surprising amount of additional space. I'm a huge fidgeter, and having a seat base which is wider overall helped me find a position that suited me much faster than usual.
Comfort and adjustability
The TC500 Luxe isn't in short supply when it comes to customizable features. Its omniflex armrests give you complete freedom of movement, so you can adjust the height and direction of your armrests, alongside how far forward or backwards you want them. The only downside to this feature is that the armrests don’t lock into place, so if you lean on them at an angle with too much force (which I did more than once when adjusting my position in the seat) they will move out of place.
The wider seat gives you plenty of space to sit comfortably, and as someone who usually sits with their legs up on the seat, there was never a moment where it felt like a squeeze. But one thing I did immediately notice about the chair is how firm the seat cushioning is. A lot of the gaming chairs I've used previously such as the Boulies Master Series and the Secretlab Titan have a slight give on the seat to make it feel softer. The TC500 Luxe on the other hand is an incredibly firm seat. At first, I thought this would make the chair more uncomfortable when used for long periods, but it actually did the complete opposite. Instead, my whole body felt supported by the backrest and seat, and I didn't find myself slumping down into a position with terrible posture as I was before.
This is definitely helped by the in-built lumbar support of the chair which can easily be adjusted either side of the backrest with two wheels. One shifts the lumbar support vertically, while the other tailors support from left to right so you can perfectly pinpoint where you need support. In the past I've used this in-built support as a one-and-done thing, adjusting it the first time I sit in the chair and then leaving it to inevitably be ignored even when I shift position. But given how easy it is to adjust with the TC500, it was a feature I was happy to make the most of frequently.
The magnetic neck support pillow is also a lavish flourish, and one of my personal favorite parts of the chair. I don't like how a lot of gaming chairs attach their neck support pillows to a fabric elastic band for you to pull over the headrest. They are clumsy, and the slightest shift in your position tends to result in the pillow moving around. The TC500 uses magnets, so once you've placed the pillow it will stay there until you need to remove it or change positions manually. Also, the pillow itself is made from plush memory foam, so that in itself exudes comfort and quality.
Assembly
I expected there to be a lot more steps to construct a premium gaming chair, but putting together the Corsair TC500 Luxe was surprisingly easy. Besides needing a bit of help guiding the base of the seat onto the wheel base, assembly can largely be a one person process. Instructions are easy to follow, and you only need a total of ten screws to build the whole chair included in the box.
Inside its parts box, the allen wrench is also equipped with a large handle to help make screwing parts together even easier. If you're not using this, then a lot of the chair fits together by pushing parts into place such as wheels into the wheelbase or caps into open holes in brackets.
The chair also has a slide bracket to support one side of the backrest when you're building, much like the AndaSeat Kaiser 4, which makes the process a lot easier. This is usually the part of assembly that makes construction a two-person job, since someone needs to support the backrest while another screws brackets into place. But, the addition of the slide bracket means you have all the support you need. I did have to use a fair bit of strength lining up the other side of the chair which wasn't supported by a slide bracket, but it was nowhere near as challenging as other chairs I've built.
The assembly process also shows off a lot of the details on the chair, which Corsair has carefully considered to help support the premium labeling of the product. The plastic caps are embellished with Corsair logos, which isn't something I've seen on any other gaming chairs. It's not a detail you'd think to note since it's something so small and easy to overlook. But, it’s details like these that help the TC500 Luxe feel like a chair worth boasting about since everything feels so premium and detail-oriented.
Should I buy the Corsair TC500 Luxe Gaming Chair?
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How I tested the Corsair TC500 Luxe
- Used over two weeks
- Used for work and gaming
- Compared against other gaming chairs
I used the Corsair TC500 Luxe over a two week period for everything from daily work to gaming in the evenings and even watching movies at my PC to see if the chair is comfortable for more leisurely activities. While testing it for gaming, I played games such as Creatures of Ava, Tekken 8, and The Garden Path, alongside mobile games like Hello Kitty Island Adventure. At no point did I feel uncomfortable while using the chair, or as if I needed to shift my position to feel the benefits of its support.
It's been my primary chair every time I've sat at my desk, but I've closely compared it to the Boulies Master Series and Secretlab Omega to see how it performs to similarly priced products. Each time, the TC500 Luxe impressed me with how supported my spine and shoulders felt, and there has been a noticeable improvement in my posture while in use. Two weeks of consistent use has convinced me that the TC500 Luxe is the only chair I'll need at my desk.
First reviewed August 2024.
