The Asus ROG Destrier Core is one of the latest products to hit the premium gaming chair market, with the company offering a core and premium version of the gaming chair. For review purposes, the company sent me the core version of the chair to test.
Retailing at $630/£500, the Asus ROG Destrier Core is a little on the expensive side, but does the improved comfort and posture make it worth the additional cost?
Firstly, let’s take a look at the design. The Asus ROG Destrier Core is marketed as being a futuristic gaming chair with a cyborg design. While it is undeniable that the chair has a certain aesthetic appeal to it when compared to the likes of the Secretlab Titan Evo, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed by its design.
However, for gamers who prefer a more minimalistic design the Asus ROG Destrier could be perfect, whereas for gamers who prefer a flashy RGB gaming chair, Asus’s previous entry the ROG Chariot RGB looks much more the part.
Sure, the head cushion is unique, the gaming chair sports the signature ROG logo, and the back rocks a pretty unique frame, but truth be told, if it wasn’t for the headrest I would have trouble picking it out from a line-up of standard office chairs.
While the design may have left me a little underwhelmed, I simply can’t knock the build quality of the Asus ROG Destrier. With its aluminium, cyborg-inspired frame, breathable mesh, and wide range of adjustable positions to help your posture it certainly performs better than it looks.
Considering Asus is a relatively new name when it comes to gaming chairs, it’s a solid chair that feels high-quality and durable. There is, however, one exception, the 3D armrests which have been designed to rotate 360 degrees and are height adjustable.
With 14 cm of adjustment available, Asus has stated that the Destrier is designed with mobile gaming in mind, as it allows for your elbows to be higher, making it easier to comfortably play on a mobile device. However, it is quickly noticeable that having additional flexibility comes at the cost of stability, with the armrests flinging all over the place while gaming, and in some cases would even dislodge themselves and move to the next indent.
Asus recommends reclining the seat back and putting the armrests in their highest position for mobile gaming. While this seemed like an odd way to play games to me at first, I must admit, apart from being annoyed at the wobbling armrests, playing on my mobile device in that position was somehow far more relaxing and comfortable.
Mobile gaming might not be the Asus ROG Destrier’s main selling point, but it’s certainly one of them, and with that in mind I would have expected a much more solid locking system in place for the armrests, allowing mobile gamers to enjoy gaming without their arms wobbling, or worrying about applying too much pressure and moving them.
So far, the Asus ROG Destrier has been a mixed bag for me, it’s a (mostly) solid gaming chair, with what I personally consider to be a boring design. But, if like me you’re a slightly older gamer in need of an ergonomically sound gaming chair, this is one area where Asus have definitely got it right.
The seat doesn’t have any padding as we’ve come to expect in most of the best gaming chairs, instead, it uses a breathable mesh suspension system, which admittedly can take some getting used to. But, while I did find it more uncomfortable at first, it grew on me, leaving me to enjoy long sessions on my favourite PC games without needing to worry about aches and pains once I was done.
The breathable mesh is something I’m looking forward to in the summer, while I’ve generally leaned towards padded chairs, I can only imagine how nice it would be to have a comfortable mesh chair in the blistering heat, without getting too hot and sticky.
Being a gamer, and also suffering from ADHD, I tend to sit in the most unusual positions while gaming, and while that might feel comfortable to me, my physio likes to frequently remind me that working or gaming while sitting cross-legged like a Buddhist monk isn’t the best for my back.
Not only has the Asus ROG Destrier helped me with my back during long gaming sessions, but it has also helped to improve my posture. Due to its ergonomic design, I found it awkward to sit in those weird and not-so-wonderful positions, forcing me into a more upright stance, and ultimately saving me from groaning in agony later.
It might seem like a negative to choose a chair that makes it awkward to sit in the way that you want to, but when it comes to spending hours sat down gaming, protecting your back is important, and a solid ergonomic gaming chair like the Asus ROG Destrier can save you from a lot of pain in the future.
Asus also included adjustable lumbar support on the ROG Destrier, which I did find annoyingly difficult to adjust while I was playing, but once I had finally found the right alignment for my back, it made the world of difference, and hopefully won’t need adjusting again.
Much like the lumbar support, the gaming chair also has adjustable height, tilt and depth, but these were also a little awkward to reach while sitting, due to them facing towards the back of the chair. Again, once you’ve adjusted these settings, it shouldn’t be something you need to do too often, but it would be nice to be able to make minor adjustments without needing to get up, or lean around to the back.
One of the Asus ROG Destrier’s most unique features is its headrest, something I usually just ignore in most gaming chairs, however, the Destrier has managed to convert me with a truly unique and adjustable design that helps make it one of the most comfortable gaming chairs around.
✅ You want a comfortable gaming chair designed for extended gaming sessions: If you’re the kind of gamer who prioritises comfort and support, the Asus ROG Destrier Core isn’t just comfortable, it’s great for your posture too.
❌ You want a gaming chair that can easily be adjusted while gaming: The Asus ROG Destrier Core might be comfortable, but its awkwardly placed controls make it a nightmare to adjust mid-game.
Unlike most headrests on gaming chairs, which often can be intrusive, the ROG Destrier lets you move its headrest up or down, tilt it to the correct position, and find the fit that really suits your shape, size and posture. Until now, there had been a special graveyard in my cupboard for headrests, yet thanks to the flexibility offered by the Destrier’s headrest, this one has managed to remain on the chair.
As a gamer pushing 40, long gaming sessions have started taking their toll on my back, which is why a gaming chair that helps promote positive posture and has decent lumbar support is a must have. But, the question is, should that come at the cost of quality, and does ergonomic have to mean boring?
The Asus ROG Destrier ticks most of the right boxes when it comes to supporting my posture, and providing comfort no matter what I’m playing on, and for however long I play. But there are simply a number of issues that are hard to ignore, including the fact that I don’t want to splash out on a gaming chair that frankly looks like it could have been designed and sold by Ikea. Don’t get me wrong, the chair isn’t outright ugly, it just lacks that gaming appeal that I’m used to seeing in modern gaming chairs, which is something I would expect from a core range costing $630/£500.
Sadly, there are far more comfortable gaming chairs out there which offer just as good, if not better support for your back and posture at a fraction of the cost, like the ThunderX3 Core. That being said, the Asus ROG Destrier is a valiant attempt to hit the ergonomic gaming chair market from a company that’s extremely new to creating gaming chairs, leaving me hopeful that the company will learn from its mistakes and create the ultimate ergonomic gaming chair sometime in the near future.
