For years I’ve sat in your run-of-the-mill gaming chairs with that racing seat design that you see in so many photos and stream setups, but after sitting in a Herman Miller chair, I never want to go back to anything else. I have to admit, some of the racing-style chairs have a cool aesthetic. But here’s the thing, most if not all of them have terrible spinal and lumbar support. I say this as someone who sat on the same racing-style gaming chair for four years. Not just while gaming, but while working the entire day for this site, then gaming afterward.
This was often most of the week for years. Which ended up wrecking my back and neck. After I finally got rid of that chair, I went through a few different options, mostly through reviews here on AH. I’d always heard great things about Herman Miller and was told I needed to try one. I was finally lucky enough to review the Vantum back in 2023. Which so far, had been the best gaming chair I had ever sat in. A gaming chair that didn’t look like your traditional gaming chair, backed by Herman Miller’s expertise in the areas of back health and comfort.
The Vantum is a great chair, but it wasn’t the Embody gaming chair. The chair I had been chasing since Herman Miller announced it was partnering with Logitech to release the gaming edition a few years ago. Now that I’m sitting in one, I’m convinced there is no better option for many gamers out there. Now, that said, the Embody gaming chair isn’t going to be perfect for everyone. So let’s dive into this review and take a closer look at how well the Embody stacks up and if it’s worth your money.
Herman Miller Embody Gaming Chair Review: Hardware and Design
There’s a lot that goes into the design of the Embody and the materials used are just as important as the design of the chair itself. Herman Miller prides itself on the Embody’s design, which was originally a collaboration between Herman Miller and 30 physicians and PhDs in biomechanics, vision, physical therapy, and ergonomics. After the success of the original Embody, it partnered up with Logitech to come out with the Embody gaming edition. There are a few changes here from the original, but for the most part, everything is the same.
Down to the PostureFit spinal support and Backfit adjustment. Herman Miller says it researched how gamers sit to provide them with an enhanced option that caters to their needs. This comes through in more functional changes like the seat materials, but also in the design of the back and other small aesthetic details.
Materials
The back and seat feature Herman Miller’s Sync fabric and upholstery which is made from 100% polyester. It’s very smooth to the touch and is honestly the most comfortable fabric I’ve had on a gaming chair. Leather and synthetic leathers can feel nice at times, but they can get uncomfortable if you get too warm. Other chairs like Herman Miller’s own Vantum use 100% post-consumer recycled polyester fabric, which was nice, but could get a tiny bit uncomfortable after very long hours. I often sit with one foot under my leg, sometimes for hours at a time. And once in a while, this would make my foot or ankles feel a little itchy.
The fabric on the Embody gaming chair isn’t like that at all. It feels very soft against the skin so I can pop up my foot up like usual and not feel any discomfort even many hours later. The sync fabric also just looks really nice, especially with the design of these inset lines that travel width-wise across the back and seat. The chair also uses a die-cast aluminum frame and base, with high-quality plastic for things like the arms and seat depth handles. The tops of the armrests also feel nice and cushy yet still firm. Whereas other chairs I’ve tried have varied from too firm to downright uncomfortable.
On the backside of the chair, the real magic is in the translucent flexible polymer material that’s attached to the back structure. This moves with you as you move in the chair and it sets the stage for giving you proper support.
No headrest means no neck support if you lean back
There’s a reason Herman Miller didn’t include a headrest with the Embody gaming edition or the original for that matter. The chair was designed to help ensure you’re sitting correctly, whether you’re using an active posture or sitting upright, or leaning back and relaxing. Having a headrest may not be as ergonomic and could impact the overall ergonomic health the chair is intended to provide. That being said, I think this is mostly dependent on how often a headrest would be used.
After using the Embody for weeks now, I find I don’t really like using a headrest while I’m working or even when I’m gaming most of the time. Something which I did initially enjoy with the Vantum, which comes with a headrest. But longer hours using it over time started to cause a little soreness in my neck. However, sometimes I want a headrest for when I’m lean-back gaming or simply relaxing to watch a movie. And I’ve found myself wanting this neck support for those situations. Even if it’s not for long.
I’m no stranger to leaning back and plowing through a few hours of TV. But without a headrest on the Embody, I haven’t been leaning back in the chair as often or for as long. This is the one downside of the chair that I wish was different (other than the cost). However, I do appreciate that not having one on this chair has helped me to sit correctly the rest of the time.
Herman Miller Embody Gaming Chair Review: Features
A thicker seat for active posture support
I’ve never sat in the original Embody, so I can’t say how padded or comfortable the seat was on that model. But I can say the seat on the Embody gaming edition is superb. Herman Miller added an additional layer of foam to the seat on the gaming edition which is supposed to support a more active posture. A majority of gamers are going to sit with a more active posture while gaming. To put it another way, you’re likely to be in a more upright position when gaming than you are when you’re working.
This added layer of foam was designed to give you that extra support. I’ve spent the last few weeks sitting in this chair for close to 13 hours a day. About 9 hours of work and then 4 hours of gaming. This isn’t every single day, but it is most days. Normally I’d want a break for a couple of hours before signing off of work and logging into whatever I’m playing for the night. But so far, I haven’t felt the need for that with the Embody. I still get up and move around throughout the day. But even after a long shift at the desk, I can still feel supported by the seat following a few hours of gaming.
This is even more apparent on days off where I sometimes play games for most of the day. More importantly, I don’t feel like my butt or the underside of my legs get numb or sore from sitting for so long. This plays right into the next improvement Herman Miller made in the Embody.
The copper-fused cooling foam is subtle, but it’s noticeable
Another big change with the seat on the gaming edition of the Embody is the copper-fused cooling foam. This is designed to prevent heat from building up under you while you’re gaming. When you sit in it, you aren’t going to notice an immediate rush of a cooling sensation or anything like that. It’s a subtle addition to the seat that works to keep you cool, but not by putting out a cooling effect.
The copper-fused foam actually draws heat away from the body to keep your body temperature down. So it kind of works more in the background and is something you don’t really think about too much. And I think this is a top-notch execution of such a feature. It isn’t trying to be front and center. It’s doing the job it’s supposed to do without you having to think about it. So you can focus on gaming. Herman Miller has also added this copper-fused foam to the back so any part of your body that’s touching either the seat or the back is having heat drawn away from it.
Again this isn’t like feeling a cooling effect. However, I have noticed that my body has stayed at a more comfortable temperature after long gaming sessions. It’s not overly warm here yet, so I suspect I’ll get to really see how well this works once the Summer hits. But so far, it’s done an outstanding job at preventing me from feeling too warm or working up a sweat. It’s a different approach to the way Mavix went about trying to keep you cool with the M9 chair, which used cooling gel in the seat for a similar purpose. But I think Herman Miller’s approach is a substantial improvement.
The PostureFit spinal support has done wonders for my back
There are lots of ergonomic and gaming chairs out there each with their own interpretation of back and lumbar support. I truly feel though that Herman Miller’s PostureFit system tops them all. At least from the chairs I’ve tried. When you sit in your chair for as long as I do every day, you want your spine to be supported. Your health is extremely important. And it’s easy to forget that sitting incorrectly or not having enough spinal support can impact this heavily.
This is why I really love the PostureFit system. It was designed to mimic the strong posture you have when standing. So sitting for long hours gaming won’t result in back soreness because of worse posture. For me, this has just resulted in no back pain after a long day. This is something that I experienced with the Vantum too. Although the support wasn’t as good as it is with the Embody. The mesh chair back also didn’t really move with you all that much. The Embody’s translucent polymer material is different. It moves and flexes with you if you move around.
For example, there are times during the day when I will readjust my back just by moving around in the chair. And the polymer material flexes just enough to allow for this readjustment while keeping my back and lumbar pretty well-supported. The Top part of the back also flexes quite a bit and this feels great when I lean back a bit.
Backfit adjustment
The Backfit adjustment is a feature you’re going to want to spend some time with right when you get this chair. Its purpose is to ensure you have a neutral, balanced posture at all times. It’s important that you get this right from the start. So that if it ever needs to be adjusted again later on, you know what you’re working with.
What I did was I sat down in the chair and then made sure I was seated all the way back in the seat. I then sat up straight and adjusted the Backfit knob until the back of the chair was just barely touching my back. I found this to be the most effective way to find a good balance. Everyone’s spinal curve is different so you’ll use this knob to adjust the fit of the chair back to your spine. Depending on what kind of game I’m playing, I’ll adjust this knob to account for how I’m sitting. Sometimes I lean back just a little when I play with a controller. But I’ll adjust it again when I’m sitting with a more active posture and playing games with mouse and keyboard.
I can’t stress this enough either. Take the time to find where the Backfit adjustment should be for your back specifically. At first, my back would feel a little sore after sitting in the Embody all day. But this was simply because I was spending so much time sitting incorrectly in cheaper chairs. It’s extremely important you figure out these settings from the start. Then just ride out any discomfort or soreness, as it won’t stick around. Eventually, your spine will adjust and correct and you’ll be glad you have the kind of support this chair offers.
Adjustable height, width, and depth of the seat and arms
Like most ergonomic chairs, you can adjust the height and width of the seat and arms on the Embody gaming chair. You can also adjust the seat depth, which isn’t something you’ll see in every chair. For me, the height of the seat was already where it needed to be at its lowest point. As I’m not too tall and didn’t need it to go any higher. The seat does go higher if needed, however, and it’ll support people that are up to about 6 feet two inches. So there’s a pretty wide range. It also supports up to around 300 pounds.
If you’re bigger than that this might not be the best option. But as someone right around 200 pounds, it feels great. As for adjusting the seat depth, you want your legs at a 90-degree angle. So you’ll want to make sure there’s a little bit of room between the front of the seat and your calves. At least this is the recommendation. For me, I found this to be spot on. You can easily adjust the seat depth by pulling up and either forward or back on the two front handles. For me, this took a little getting used to. But once you get the hang of adjusting the depth it’s a pretty fluid motion. I was also able to easily adjust the depth without getting up off the chair.
Herman Miller Embody Gaming Chair Review: The arms are well-suited to any type of gaming
The arms are one of my favorite parts of the Embody gaming chair. The arm height adjustment is perfectly fine and I do like it, but there’s nothing much to say about it as it’s not that special. The arms go up and down without issue. What makes the arms so good is the width adjustment. One big problem I have always had with every chair, including the Vantum, is the width of the arms. There’s always some form of discomfort for a certain type of gaming. For me, this was most commonly coming through whenever I would try to play games with a controller or when playing mobile games.
The problem is that the arms were never really close enough to where my arms and elbows felt entirely supported. This is especially noticeable when I try to play mobile games because my arms need to be closer to my body. And every other chair I have ever used just didn’t support my whole arm.
The embody doesn’t have these issues. The arms come in very close to the body so I can move them inward almost all the way, and my arms are completely supported when holding my phone. The same thing goes for when using a controller. I can have my arms fully supported so I don’t have to partially hold them up for hours on end. If I switch back to playing on PC, I can adjust the width outward all the way so my arms are fully supported when holding the mouse and keyboard. This is extremely important, and I’ve not found another chair that implements this feature so well.
Arm width adjustment is a little stiff, but this is a good thing
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve accidentally pushed the arm width outward on past chairs because the adjustment was too loose or easy to move. You most certainly will not have this issue with the Embody gaming chair. The arm width adjustment can feel a little stuff at first, but this isn’t really a bad thing in my opinion. It does make it a little harder to adjust the width with one hand, but only until you get used to how much pressure needs to be applied.
The benefit of this stiffer adjustment is that you aren’t going to accidentally push the arms outward. This happened to me so much with other chairs when I was playing PS5 or when using a controller with PC. Any sort of movement had the potential to accidentally push the arms out a bit, then I would have to stop and readjust them inward. This was incredibly annoying to deal with. So I’m glad it’s not a problem with the Embody. Some may not like this but I absolutely feel like this is a benefit. And trust me once you use it, I think you’ll feel the same.
Herman Miller Embody Gaming Chair Review: This chair is built to last
Another big problem with most gaming chairs is durability. Not only does the Embody feel like it was extremely well-made thanks to the materials, but it was built to last and that shows with the included 12-year warranty.
If anything goes wrong with the chair that wasn’t caused by user damage in any way, Herman Miller will cover repairs. The company wants this to be the last chair you ever buy. And while I can’t say for certain that I will never need to buy a new chair, I strongly feel like I won’t have to for a long, long time. As long as I take care of it, the Embody should last me for well over a decade. And then some. Which is something I have never had before. In short, yes the Embody gaming chair costs a lot. But it’s designed to be something you won’t have to ever replace. At the very least, something you won’t have to replace for a long time.
That should give you an unparalleled level of peace of mind. Because if you’re spending a few hundred on one chair and then you have to replace it every few years, you end up spending close to or more than the amount of the Embody anyway. Plus you potentially end up with pain in your back, neck, arms, and joints from incorrect posture or improper support. I believe it’s worth investing in a chair that’s going to last for a long time, especially if you’re going to be sitting in it for long periods every day.
Should you buy the Herman Miller Embody gaming chair?
Like I said at the beginning of this review, I don’t think the Embody gaming chair is perfect for everyone. But I do believe that it’s perfect for a wide range of gamers. This is a chair that’s an investment in your health, and I think that warrants spending a little more to ensure you stay healthy.
If you sit in a chair a lot, working from home and/or gaming for very long hours, then this is a chair worth buying. That being said, you might not like that there’s no headrest. You might not like the way this chair leans back or that it doesn’t have a locking reclined position. While it is nice to have those things, I don’t think they’re needed. The benefits of the Embody gaming chair outweigh the lack of those features and the cost.
Buy the Herman Miller Embody gaming chair if:
- You play games for long hours and want something comfortable that also provides incredible support
- You’ve been dealing with back and neck pain from sitting in your current chair
- You want something with a lot of adjustments
Don’t buy the Herman Miller Embody gaming chair if:
- You’re looking for something more affordable
- You want something with a locking recline
- You need something with a larger weight capacity
2024-04-30 15:08:32