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feature :: pyramat rocker chair

Pyramat Rocker Chair

The Pyramat Video Game Sound Rocker will change the way you play games.


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There has been a shift of focus lately in the video game industry with this latest generation of video game consoles. Although the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 are happy to update their consoles for the next generation in the usual and expected ways, it’s Nintendo who is generating the most attention and interest for trying to change the fundamental way we control the games we play. By focusing on changing an aspect of gaming that isn’t visual, they have succeeded in capturing the attention of a jaded generation that is sick of sequels that are just graphical upgrades on the same Gameplay.

So what the hell does all this have to do with the Pyramat Video Game Sound Rocker? Simple – it will change the way you play games.


High praise to be sure, and although it’s not without it’s flaws, I don’t think I’ve gotten my grubby hands on a cooler gaming peripheral in the last 5 years or so (the Logitech force feedback steering wheel still holds a special place in my heart).

Let’s start at the beginning though. At its most basic, this is a chair with speakers that plugs into your TV. It has the typical audio red/white input, as well as volume and base knobs. You can also plug in headphones or an mp3 device via other inputs, but why you would want to do that is actually kind of beyond me. Sure, I guess it would be cool to sit in a chair in the middle of your lounge room listening to your ipod, but I personally couldn’t think of anything more boring to do with my time. The chair is made to compliment a visual experience, so switch on the DVD or Xbox, and in the immortal words of Jack Black – ‘prepare to have your ass blown out’.


The sound quality is crystal clear, and although I’ve never been much of a connoisseur when it comes to my audio quality, it’s better than any existing setup I’ve ever had. The speakers sit just behind your head, right near your ears, and initially it’s kind of weird hearing the sound coming from just behind you as opposed to in front (although you can turn up the TV as well for the full experience). It’s not a problem for long though, because the speakers are so close, you can hear everything in perfect clarity, from ear shuddering explosions to bullet casings chiming as they hit the ground. Separate to the sound is the base, which when turned up to maximum makes the whole chair vibrate so much you’ll have to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. It really is a movie theatre experience, except on a smaller tighter scale.

When sitting in the chair with the sound even halfway up, it’s almost impossible to hear anything other then what you’re watching / playing. Although other people in the room can sure hear the sound, you’d have to get good at lip reading to have any chance of being social. Although it’s possible to network multiple chairs together, it seems like a bit of a waste, as it’s not really designed to accommodate for multiple players in the same room.

Although it is small, smaller than you think. When I first took it out of the box, it was in its folded up state, and was no bigger than one of my backpacks. What this means is that when fully folded out, there’s nothing more too it than the chair itself. No headrest, no armrests, not even any legs – it aint called a ‘Rocker’ for nothing. It literally sits on the ground, and you can rock back as far as you want until you’re comfortable playing the game that you’re playing.


This does show one of the flaws of the chair however, and that is that you can never truly lean back into the chair and relax while playing a game, something that is required on some long RPG’s. Having such quality sound doesn’t just show off the sound effects from the action games, it’s just as good as enhancing the ambiance when playing an RPG. I’ve played quite a bit of Kingdom Hearts 2 on this chair, and find it difficult to go without it now. Other games tested were Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (traffic sounds whizzing by are a treat, as is the heavy RnB soundtrack), Soul Caliber 3 (Awesome metal hitting sound effects, but not good when playing against someone who isn’t sitting in the chair), Dead Rising on the Xbox 360 (Totally fantastic, you can hear the zombies sneaking up behind you – creepy) as well as testing out such DVD’s as ‘The Matrix foyer scene (almost TOO many sound effects going on) and X-Men 3 (Simply … awesome).

In a game such as Dead Rising, I found myself a lot more competent at navigating the zombie infested malls because I had a much clearer idea of where and how close the zombies were in relation to where I was. It really did make things easier, a concept I found to be really really surprising. I wouldn’t have thought clearer sound would affect the way I play a game.


The material on the version we received is vinyl and looks very schmick, although most retail versions come with a polyester cover. Either way, the chair doesn’t look out of place or overly geeky in a typical lounge room environment. In fact, my only REAL complaint is the wires and cables which have to drag out from the TV to connect to the chair. If there was a more elegant way to connect the chair to the TV it would be preferable.

I got quite a few of my friends to test out the chair as well. Matt was well impressed, my mate Frith however was not – saying that it’s not good for social gatherings because it’s so loud. Riiiiiiight.


I also had a few of my female friends try it out, and all of them gave little squeals of delight as the base rumbled in for the first time as they were sitting on it. I’ve never been able to get girls to squeal with delight so easily since I used to show off my puppy when I was in high school.

So in summary, this is quite simply the best gaming peripheral I’ve used in years, it’s the best gaming chair on the market no doubt – comfy, stylish, and loud. What more could you want?

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