Noblechairs Legend

The Noblechairs Legend gaming chair is where the company blends its existing gaming chairs into one. A little aesthetic inspiration here, a few features from there, and bam, you've got yourself a legend. A £450/$670 faux-leather legend.

That's the price of the white version I've been testing anyway, though it rises to £460/$690 for any colour other than white. Logically, the white version will get dirty much easier, so respect for making it cheaper. The fabric version is yet cheaper at £420/$640, but it only comes in grey and isn't exactly wipe clean.

I thought I'd mention the prices up front, because that's the real issue here. For a super-premium gaming chair at that price, you'd expect there to be no gripes whatsoever but sadly that's just not the case. But I'm getting ahead of myself; let's rewind.

This is a gorgeous chair. The pure white leather and stitching look incredible, and the slim and subtle design doesn't scream "boy racer" unlike most gaming chairs out there. It also goes incredibly well with the likes of Logitech's new, bubbly Aurora Collection, the Logitech G715 being my choice of pairing from the kit cupboard. Add the spectacular Logitech G502 X to the mix and you'll have yourself a pure and heavenly aesthetic going, but your wallet will not thank you.

I'm not exactly sure what Noblechairs means by "Straight lines for a mature design", listed under the chair's features section. It's actually a super rounded, curvy design, and while the white colourway does give it an air of refinement, the shape has more of an "I moulded this from Play Dough" look. Not in a bad way, but perhaps more innocent than mature.

Either way, that playful shape does wonders for comfort, and combined with the cold foam padding and non-intrusive lips either side of the seat and backrest, it's a great one for ignoring ergonomics and sitting cross legged, or leaning off to the side as you fall asleep in meetings. I also appreciate the handle on the back so you can slide it around easier—much appreciated when you're constrained to carpet.

The lumbar support is also a huge plus. Integrated into the chair there's a dial on the side that lets you adjust and it's easy to get it just right. Admittedly this is also one of the gaming chairs I haven't had issues with where height and width are concerned. With 52cm between the armrests (42cm minimum), and a 90cm height on the backrest, I don't feel like I'm drowning in gaming chair. That's with the armrests bolted as close to the seat as possible, too, so there's plenty of room to expand sideways.

My only real gripes for the armrests are that they suffer from the age-old problem of rattling mechanisms, which is not a good look on over half a grand's worth of gaming chair. And while the polyurethane does have a bit of sponginess to it, I would have liked a bit more padding for the price.

Speaking of padding, you do get some gloriously plush cushions for the price though I've found them to be a bit superfluous. I actually have preferred using the lumbar cushion as a headrest, and disposing of the head cushion altogether. Importantly, though, the white cushions are washable, though you'll want to brush up on your stain-removal tactics.

When it comes to motion, there's 11 degrees of tilt. That's enough for me, and doesn't send me into a panic when it drops backward like the Noblechairs Hero Doom Edition did when tilting at full recline. The Legend can be adjusted so that it takes more force to push back, though again this is a standard feature for all the best gaming chairs out there.

The knob to adjust the ease of tilt is a little far back compared to some, though, meaning you have to literally fold in half to reach it—not everyone's gifted with that kind of flexibility. There is a bit of give too, a slight rock motion if you push back when it's meant to be locked in place, which makes it feel a little unstable. 

When a gaming chair comes in at one of the most riotous price points I've seen since Thermaltake's Porsche gaming chair, there's a lot more I was expecting from its design. Cupholders. A free footrest, maybe. And while rattling armrests and an awkward tilt adjuster don't reduce the value too much in my mind, the instability when locked is a bit of a downer, and with only a two year warranty I would be constantly on edge having spent over $600 on anything.

Yes it's one of the most subtly beautiful gaming chairs I've encountered, with no ugly print and fantastic ergonomics, but if I recommend it for that price I'd have to surrender to a truly doomed economy. Comfortable gaming chairs should be affordable for the everyman, especially when graphics cards cost as much as a car in 2023. 

When you can get the Secretlab Titan Evo for $150 less—with its three year warranty and magnetic pillows—the question is clear: Would you pay yourself that much to land one of the best gaming chairs ever made? I think so.