We mostly cover hardware and software for creative pros and hobbyists on Creative Bloq, but even us passionate creatives have to let our hair down every once in a while, right? So when gaming accessory company Playseat got in touch about a new sim-racing chair they're launching, little wannabe racer me couldn't say no, now could I?
So I've had the Playseat Challenge X Logitech G Edition in my house for a few weeks, taking up a part of the lounge floor after work quite a few times, as I have found just how misplaced my confidence as a 'great racer, if I just had the right kit' really is. Because I can't blame the Challenge X seat, that's for sure.
Design and assembly
The Playseat Challenge X Logitech G Edition is designed to be lightweight and easily adjustable, and it accomplishes that with a comparatively barebones build. It's quite literally just different-sized and different-angled bars, joints and mounts. Like a stripped-down race car, the number-one command here is weight-saving, everywhere. And that results in a 13kg chair, fully assembled, with the Acti-Fit fabric seat cover included.
The seat comes unassembled, and when I opened the box, I felt a little daunted by the disparate collection of bars and joints lying in front of me. However, the instructions were clear, each bar was labelled for ease of assembly, and most of the bolts and screws were straightforward to fit, even though it was a little slow going in the tightest corners.
It took me about 45 minutes to assemble the entire thing, including fastening the pedals and steering wheel I borrowed for this highly scientific endeavour, and despite my initial fears of flimsiness when I looked at the pre-assembled parts, once put together, it feels incredibly solid and sturdy, with the fabric cover comfortably hugging my figure without ever feeling like a hammock.
There's a latch to open up the steering-wheel part of the seat, which quickly had me pretending I was opening the door of my very own GT racer and tucking myself into the cockpit.
The seat is adjustable too, with six different height/angle positions, from near-flat drag-racer/F1 sensation to fully-tucked-in rally-driver feel. The quick-release latches on each side of the seat take a bit of care and muscle power when adjusting, but feels really sturdy and reassuring when fully fastened again.
There aren't many design flairs to speak of here, the carbon steel frame is presented in grey, and the seat cover comes in any colour you want, as long as it's black. As it's the "Logitech G Edition" there is a large Logitech logo emblazoned into the seat back, with the Playseat branding featured on the side of the frame. It's not made for aesthetics anyway, but for gaming immersion.
The light frame serves another purpose too, which is ease of storage. Many people don't want a massive permanent sim-racing setup, or simply don't have the space for it. So in response, Playseat has made a seat here that folds away very neatly and isn't prohibitively heavy to lug in and out of your lounge or game room. It fit comfortably in the corner of my upstairs cupboard in between uses, and carrying it up and down the stairs was painless.
Performance
Starting to the Playseat Challenge X is delightfully easy, I just plugged in the steering wheel and pedal, with the wireless connection to my PlayStation console kicking in immediately.
Now, the big adjustment for me was using a full sim-racing setup properly for the first time (aside from visits to more fortunate friends and the odd session in an arcade or at an expo). I've always fancied myself as a decent racing gamer, even though most of it has been via old-fashioned controllers, so surely I'd be rinsing everyone from minute one now I had the 'right kit'.
Not so much. In fact, much like a punishingly indifferent race car would, the seat showed up my weaknesses almost immediately, forcing me to recalibrate how I approached every turn, every straight, every gearshift, even on tracks I have raced on hundreds of times. Spinning out with a controller is frustrating; when sitting in a fancy sim-racing seat, it's humiliating.
Which, of course, is the magic of this seat. It immersed me so much more in the action than playing with a controller, and with a quality steering wheel and pedals it's a proper luxury experience. The fabric is comfortable, the ability to adjust the seat according to the type of racing you're doing is fantastic for the extra realism you achieve, even if it means you will look like a lemon on the track for the first few laps. After a few sessions, I felt my mistakes were getting less frequent and less mortifying, and I even felt brave enough to join an online GT7 session just this week. And I didn't come last!
Price
The Playseat Challenge X Logitech G Edition retails for $299/£259, although at the time of writing it can be had for £249 on Amazon in the UK. It's a bit of an investment, especially as you then have to factor in the cost of a steering wheel and pedals, which isn't included, but if you are an incurable racing gamer, having a seat like this will immerse you so much further than a controller ever can.
Who is it for?
Dedicated gamers, specifically dedicated racing gamers. It's a lot of furniture for one type of game, even in this portable guise, but if you like your racing as immersive as possible (and you don't have space/money for one of those all-consuming ultra-widescreen rigs), the Playseat Challenge X is a perfect solution.
Buy it if:
- You LOVE racing games
- You want a sim-racing seat that focuses on function over presentation
- You're tight on space for gaming
Don't buy it if:
- The cost of the seat plus steering wheel and pedals stretches you too much
- You're easily embarrassed
- You don't like racing games (in which case, why are you still here?)
