OSIM uThrone V Transformer Edition Gaming Chair: More than meets the eye

The OSIM uThrone V Transformer Edition Gaming Chair might seem like an easy sell to hardcore fans of Transformers given the two colourways tied to iconic characters.

It’s not hard to imagine that many might find the vibrant colours to be a dealbreaker. However, any snarky remarks from naysayers will recede pretty quickly once they sit down and hit the Auto Program button. In any case, you can always opt for a more conventional black colourway for $50 less. However, at the time of writing, the safe colour is backordered.

The uThrone V is OSIM’s most advanced gaming chair with massage capabilities and features V-hand Massage tech. Essentially, V-hand refers to a mechanism that simulates the action of actual hands and that takes it closer to the experience of receiving one from a masseuse. Spoiler alert: it’s not quite the same, but if you’re familiar with mechanical massagers, you certainly will enjoy it nonetheless.

You can adjust the height, width and angle of the armrests.

Although OSIM didn’t make its name with gaming peripherals, the uThrone V looks like a fairly decent gaming chair in its own right. The build quality is mostly commensurate with the price, though there’s a little bit more rattling from the armrests than I would have liked. Fortunately, this little nitpick doesn’t get in the way of everyday use. Not only can you adjust the height of the armrests, but you can also tweak the width and tilt the armrests slightly inward. The upholstery looks and feels durable and they’ve even added a glow-in-the-dark motif of Optimus Prime at the back.

The glow in the dark game is strong here.

The uThrone V offers the usual plethora of adjustment options, and it doesn’t take much effort to dial in a comfortable position. The chair also comes with a headrest and a backrest, both of which are removable.

The massagers are hidden behind the black strips.

The provided cable measure about two metres long, which should be enough for most users. OSIM also included clips on the underside of the chair so users can simply guide the cable away from the wheels and keeps things neat at the same time. also, the clips are not that rigid so in the event that a snag occurs, the wire might slip out rather than snap instantly–not that you should try and put that to the test.

Comes with cable management clips built-in.

If for some reason, you don’t want to give up the pleasure of wheeling your chair across the room, then rest assured that you don’t have to. Simply disconnect the power cable underneath the chair and join it back again when you’re done with the day’s hijinks. That said, it would have been nice to have a connector that’s magnetically attached and placed in a place that’s easily accessible for the best of both worlds.

Manual controls allow you to target specific areas if the programmed modes don’t cut it.

If you don’t have the manual, the controls of the uThrone V might take some getting used to. But once I understood what each button press does, everything falls into place. In most cases, I find the automatic programs are more than adequate and a 15-minute massage provides satisfying relief. More is certainly not always more and I’ve bruised myself in overdoing it.

If you have a particularly sore spot on your back then the manual mode will certainly come in handy. It lets you configure different rotations and you can adjust the height of the massager to target specific areas because we’re all built differently; for example, the uThrone V has six preset shoulder positions for the shoulder massage.

While nothing can quite replace a massage administered by a skilled professional, the uThrone V offers a fair amount of relief in everyday situations, especially when you have spent quite a fair bit of time in your chair. I can’t say for certain if it improves my performance when gaming but I will say it certainly feels more satisfying when I imagine throttling my AFK random teammate with the vibration in perfect sync.

The colours might be a bit much if you’re not a Transformers fan, but there’s always good ol’ black.

In truth, the uThrone V is a luxury product that most people are unlikely to need. But it’s really good at what it does–which is to provide a satisfying massage–as well as a mechanical massager can. Judging by the sad faces around me when the chair had to be returned, I think it’s safe to say that it delivered on its promises.

Price $949 ($899 for regular version)

Recline angle approx 145 degrees

Auto timer 15 minutes

Dimensions 70.5×76.5×133.5
Weight 28kg
Power consumption 60W