Most gaming chairs are just overbuilt office chairs, often available in bright colors, with additional adjustments and the ability to recline, but without any features that directly tie in with video games.
The GT Throne is an exception, thanks to a force feedback system of vibrating motors that respond to the sounds of whatever you're playing on your PC or game system.
The chair shakes and rumbles with every gunshot and explosion, providing an immersive experience usually only seen in very expensive simulator-focused racing chair systems or with aftermarket modifications to a non-vibrating chair.
At $475, the GT Throne is competitively priced with similar chairs that don't have motors, and its build quality and comfort make it a very appealing choice if you're looking for a gaming chair with a kick.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Classy and Quilted
The GT Throne is built similarly to nearly every other gaming chair we've reviewed.
It's a large, high-backed, faux leather-covered chair with adjustable armrests and a swiveling wheeled base.
It's almost completely black, with the option of gold thread or black thread for the large GT logo on the headrest.
The seat and back feature quilted stitching, which gives the chair a somewhat classier look than more colorful and streamlined gaming chairs.
The faux leather and padding is fairly plush and comfortable, comparable with AKRacer and DXRacing's gaming chairs but not quite as nice as the SecretLab Titan's supple upholstery and dense foam.
The chair can support users up to 350 pounds, with a steel frame and aluminum base.
Like most gaming chairs, faux leather-covered head and lumbar cushions are included and can be strapped to the back of the chair.
Most of the usual gaming chair adjustments are present on the GT Throne, including height and tilt, and up to 140 degrees of recline for the backrest.
The armrests can be raised and lowered, but can't shift in any horizontal direction, or pivot.
Force Feedback System
The GT Throne's big claim to fame isn't how it works as a gaming chair, but how it works as a force feedback device.
Vibrating drivers in the back and seat work with your computer or game console to turn gunshots, explosions, and soundtracks with deep bass into rumble under you.
To do this, the chair uses a transmitter and receiver.
The receiver mounts on the underside of the chair, while the transmitter can be placed near your PC or game system.
The receiver and transmitter are small, flat, black plastic boxes each with a prominent knob and several ports.
The transmitter has a mini USB connector for power and 3.5mm inputs and outputs for both speaker and microphone.
It connects to your PC through the 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks or to your game console through optical or coaxial audio outputs with the included adapter.
The receiver has a series of wire sockets for connecting the different actuators through wires that extend from the back of the chair and the bottom of the seat, along with a power connector for plugging in the included wall adapter.
The headset passthrough on the receiver sends audio to your connected headset or headphones, but it adds a soft high-frequency whine to the signal.
You won't notice it if you keep your headphone's volume levels around half, but it creeps in if you try to push any higher than that.
This is mostly noticeable when you aren't listening to anything specific; the whine is apparent with total silence, but any game audio or music quickly drowns it out.
When the transmitter and receiver are both powered on and the transmitter is connected to your computer or game system, the actuators in the chair rumble in response to whatever audio is coming through.
The chair itself doesn't have any speakers for producing sound (though the rumble motors can make a loud buzzing when they go off); they turn the audio signal into force feedback.
One thing to keep in mind: The transmitter/receiver system requires running a power cable to the chair, which can potentially become tangled in the castors.
Feeling the Rumble
I played Overwatch with the GT Throne, and the rumble worked as promised.
The seat and back produced strong, rhythmic vibrations in response to Lucio's footsteps and weapon shots.
In dense combat, the actuators jump and vibrate in time with all of the explosions, and provide a low, steady rumble when the soundtrack swells at the end of a match.
It's an interesting sensation, similar to the vibration you get with a force feedback gamepad, but spread out behind and under you.
Doom (2016) is very fun in the GT Throne, because it's so full of powerful explosions and gunshots, and Mick Gordon's industrial soundtrack simply feeds the actuators at exactly the frequencies they need to get the chair rumbling.
Just the menu music kept the seat shaking, and I felt every shotgun blast I fired when playing.
It doesn't need to be a video game.
The GT Throne rumbled with the music that played before Apple's latest live stream, making the chair shake and vibrate along with Imagine Dragons.
You can use any audio coming from your computer or game system.
A Solid Chair, With or Without the Vibration
Whatever you listen to, the GT Throne provides solid vibration from the thighs to the lower back.
There are no actuators in the top half of the back of the chair, but you'll feel all of the different motors buzzing against the parts of your body that are in direct contact with it when you're using your computer.
It isn't the all-consuming, ridiculously powerful feeling you get from an amusement park or theater system with a force feedback chair, but it's a strong showing for a consumer product that functions as office furniture.
At $475, the GT Throne isn't much more expensive than midrange non-vibrating gaming chairs like the AKRacing Core Series EX and the RapidX Carbon.
We still prefer the SecretLabs Titan for its superior materials and build quality, but the GT Throne is a very strong contender for its solid, attractive design, whether you're interested in the rumble or not.
And if it's the rumble you're after, the GT Throne is the only prefab office-style gaming chair that offers the experience in the first place.
Cons
Transmitter design takes over audio output and requires using a headset to listen to your games.
Slight whine through transmitter to headset when audio is not playing.
Power supply cable can easily get tangled in chair's castors.
The Bottom Line
The GT Throne is a comfortable, sturdy gaming chair that uses built-in motors to let you physically feel the game you're playing.
Most gaming chairs are just overbuilt office chairs, often available in bright colors, with additional adjustments and the ability to recline, but without any features that directly tie in with video games.
The GT Throne is an exception, thanks to a force feedback system of vibrating motors that respond to the sounds of whatever you're playing on your PC or game system.
The chair shakes and rumbles with every gunshot and explosion, providing an immersive experience usually only seen in very expensive simulator-focused racing chair systems or with aftermarket modifications to a non-vibrating chair.
At $475, the GT Throne is competitively priced with similar chairs that don't have motors, and its build quality and comfort make it a very appealing choice if you're looking for a gaming chair with a kick.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Classy and Quilted
The GT Throne is built similarly to nearly every other gaming chair we've reviewed.
It's a large, high-backed, faux leather-covered chair with adjustable armrests and a swiveling wheeled base.
It's almost completely black, with the option of gold thread or black thread for the large GT logo on the headrest.
The seat and back feature quilted stitching, which gives the chair a somewhat classier look than more colorful and streamlined gaming chairs.
The faux leather and padding is fairly plush and comfortable, comparable with AKRacer and DXRacing's gaming chairs but not quite as nice as the SecretLab Titan's supple upholstery and dense foam.
The chair can support users up to 350 pounds, with a steel frame and aluminum base.
Like most gaming chairs, faux leather-covered head and lumbar cushions are included and can be strapped to the back of the chair.
Most of the usual gaming chair adjustments are present on the GT Throne, including height and tilt, and up to 140 degrees of recline for the backrest.
The armrests can be raised and lowered, but can't shift in any horizontal direction, or pivot.
Force Feedback System
The GT Throne's big claim to fame isn't how it works as a gaming chair, but how it works as a force feedback device.
Vibrating drivers in the back and seat work with your computer or game console to turn gunshots, explosions, and soundtracks with deep bass into rumble under you.
To do this, the chair uses a transmitter and receiver.
The receiver mounts on the underside of the chair, while the transmitter can be placed near your PC or game system.
The receiver and transmitter are small, flat, black plastic boxes each with a prominent knob and several ports.
The transmitter has a mini USB connector for power and 3.5mm inputs and outputs for both speaker and microphone.
It connects to your PC through the 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks or to your game console through optical or coaxial audio outputs with the included adapter.
The receiver has a series of wire sockets for connecting the different actuators through wires that extend from the back of the chair and the bottom of the seat, along with a power connector for plugging in the included wall adapter.
The headset passthrough on the receiver sends audio to your connected headset or headphones, but it adds a soft high-frequency whine to the signal.
You won't notice it if you keep your headphone's volume levels around half, but it creeps in if you try to push any higher than that.
This is mostly noticeable when you aren't listening to anything specific; the whine is apparent with total silence, but any game audio or music quickly drowns it out.
When the transmitter and receiver are both powered on and the transmitter is connected to your computer or game system, the actuators in the chair rumble in response to whatever audio is coming through.
The chair itself doesn't have any speakers for producing sound (though the rumble motors can make a loud buzzing when they go off); they turn the audio signal into force feedback.
One thing to keep in mind: The transmitter/receiver system requires running a power cable to the chair, which can potentially become tangled in the castors.
Feeling the Rumble
I played Overwatch with the GT Throne, and the rumble worked as promised.
The seat and back produced strong, rhythmic vibrations in response to Lucio's footsteps and weapon shots.
In dense combat, the actuators jump and vibrate in time with all of the explosions, and provide a low, steady rumble when the soundtrack swells at the end of a match.
It's an interesting sensation, similar to the vibration you get with a force feedback gamepad, but spread out behind and under you.
Doom (2016) is very fun in the GT Throne, because it's so full of powerful explosions and gunshots, and Mick Gordon's industrial soundtrack simply feeds the actuators at exactly the frequencies they need to get the chair rumbling.
Just the menu music kept the seat shaking, and I felt every shotgun blast I fired when playing.
It doesn't need to be a video game.
The GT Throne rumbled with the music that played before Apple's latest live stream, making the chair shake and vibrate along with Imagine Dragons.
You can use any audio coming from your computer or game system.
A Solid Chair, With or Without the Vibration
Whatever you listen to, the GT Throne provides solid vibration from the thighs to the lower back.
There are no actuators in the top half of the back of the chair, but you'll feel all of the different motors buzzing against the parts of your body that are in direct contact with it when you're using your computer.
It isn't the all-consuming, ridiculously powerful feeling you get from an amusement park or theater system with a force feedback chair, but it's a strong showing for a consumer product that functions as office furniture.
At $475, the GT Throne isn't much more expensive than midrange non-vibrating gaming chairs like the AKRacing Core Series EX and the RapidX Carbon.
We still prefer the SecretLabs Titan for its superior materials and build quality, but the GT Throne is a very strong contender for its solid, attractive design, whether you're interested in the rumble or not.
And if it's the rumble you're after, the GT Throne is the only prefab office-style gaming chair that offers the experience in the first place.
Cons
Transmitter design takes over audio output and requires using a headset to listen to your games.
Slight whine through transmitter to headset when audio is not playing.
Power supply cable can easily get tangled in chair's castors.
The Bottom Line
The GT Throne is a comfortable, sturdy gaming chair that uses built-in motors to let you physically feel the game you're playing.
