Verdict
This highly successful racing seat deserves a proper pattern refresh at this head to address a brace of its shortcomings , but it remains a strong choice for those who involve something they can pack up and sic up apace .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Challenge is Playseat ’s most approachable and practical racing seat for the average gamer . It ’s the cheapest in the line - up too .
This is a fold - up racing derriere , for folks who do n’t have the space to keep one in place all year around . you may pack it up in seconds , even with the rack seize in most cases .
Playseat has kept the Challenge conception simple to avoid sacrifice too much structural wholeness at the altar of foldability . However , this also means it is n’t a tail end for those who might struggle to get out of a bucket - elan racing backside . And it ’s not quite adjustable enough for some setups . Still , it is the solution many of you are bet for .
Price and availability
This family of rear end has been around an awful farsighted time , since 2013 . While the basics of the pattern have not deepen in a decade , I ’m reviewing a much newer variation of the chair , the Challenge ActifFit .
It uses a different fabric , ActiFit in place of Alcantara . It ’s made to be extra breathable , and stop your back from getting too sweaty . Either model has an original recommended cost of £ 200/$249 .
Assembly
The large sell of the Playseat Challenge is it is effectively a full cockpit that can be folded up to a sizing smaller than that of most steering wheel stand , which do n’t cater the seat part at all . It ’s a compelling concept .
The racing bucketful seat these chairperson attempt to emulate typically has a punishing framing that spring a curved chassis where your fanny stop up fairly close to the land . Playseat attempts to get the same effect with what is more like a hammock .
While there ’s a alloy flesh turn up it in a few places , it ’s mostly carefully cut textile and gravity doing the work here . And you screw what ? The Playseat Challenge is a somewhat damn comfy chairperson . That sack - comparable consequence give it adapt to your trunk , and the way it is attached to the frame by your lower - mid back render amazingly good lumbar support . This is authoritative for longer sessions . It ’s an oddly near - ideal seat in this obedience .
Well , as long as you ’re not too large of a soul . Playseat recommends it for player of up to 113kg/270 lb . I think that may be a stretchability . There ’s only so much horizontal headroom in the buns area too , because of the way the Challenge holds together . I ’m nowhere near that upper point of accumulation and I still find the Challenge a minute of a trial to get out of . you could help affair by unlocking and swinging undetermined the front part of the frame , mean you do n’t have to lift yourself out quite so entirely .
However , I find this feels precarious if you have a heavy racing wheelbase . It starts to feel like mount a gigantic camera zoom genus Lens onto a tiny television camera torso .
The metal frame has a barren - twisting hinge at its middle , and Playseat uses a series of chunky velcro tablet to both attach the buttocks part and stop the whole thing from collapsing to the floor . See those almost armrest - like parts to each side ? They are intemperate - tariff velcro pads that hold the professorship up .
I ’ve seen mass online complaining that their elbows keep rubbing against these strap when drive . I have n’t had that problem , but this expressive style is a compromise . And it ’s not the only answer . The cheaper ADX Firebase CC223 employ rigid pole , more like the arm of a death chair . The Next Level Racing GTLite has a more advanced inning design , with secure mechanisms throughout , rather than relying on velcro .
There ’s elbow room on the Playseat Challenge for your pedals too , of course . They sit around on foam - line metal material body bars that wave up at the end , to avoid you pushing the pedal set off into the distance when you depress the brake .
There ’s also ( you venture it ) an optional velcro shoulder strap that can be used to more firmly cement the board to the metal blue runner .
When you come to lay in the Playseat Challenge away , this pedal mount part flip up to lie more - or - less flat with the main part of the frame .
However , it does n’t slant the pedal point upwardly at all , as many cockpit do . you could , however , press the pedals further away by extend the metal poles . They are then hold in place by pretty decrepit - looking moldable screws that simply apply pressure to the metal tube below . This might be the weak part of the Playseat Challenge . Still , the experience is acceptable as long as you are using foot pedal with a flat bottom .
Design and Features
The strength of the Playseat Challenge is less the frame , and more the textile of the ass itself . Playseat have chair made of Alcantara and its ActiFit framework . Alcantara is a high - caliber man - made suede . I have the ActiFit version , which is closer to the form of porous cloth you might get on the back of a ventilated packsack .
It ’s designed to stop you getting sweaty , although I ’d recommend the Alcantara edition if you want a more deluxe feel . In either , you get racing tail end - same cut - outs towards the top of the seat , which look the part and are soften .
I tried both the Thrustmaster T - LCM , which work smashing , and the C. These are not well - become to the Challenge as the Fanatec ’s rubber feet do n’t properly line up with the slim foam cover of the pedal stand here , and the pedal point set does not have a prostrate al-Qaida . And if you project on using a brawny warhead cadre Pteridium aquilinum , you will in all likelihood need to get something more substantial either way .
I also obtain that , when testing theThrustmaster T818 in this case , the Playseat Challenge lift the wheelbase high enough that it obnubilate part of my TV while play . It ’s one to bear in mind for living room rigs where you ’ll run off the TV , particularly as the main seat accommodation does n’t really help . While you could correct the armrest - like velcro straps to interpolate the seating attitude , when you essay to raise the seat a bit , the steering wheel rises too .
you could only adjust the slant of the cycle independently , not its aloofness from you or its altitude . It sits on a plastic rachet up system that lets you alter the angle quite dynamically . This seems a bold choice on Playseat ’s part when the simplicity of the skeletal frame conception seems to be here to maximise geomorphologic wholeness . It works fine , but does bring in some up - down flexion that otherwise would not be here .
The Playseat Challenge ’s actual wheel mounting crustal plate is a sturdy block of metal . It ’s impressively tough , and has mounting points for most pop bicycle styles . Playseat also use a little telescopic alloy branch that belt down out of one end of the base . It ’s a smart move that importantly increases sidelong stability here .
give you might take this is a “ weedy ” racing wheel seat , I ’ve been yarn-dye by how sturdy it feels as you actually labor . While there ’s more flex if you beat back under pressure , you ’re mostly move along with it thanks to the frame design . It ’s much less distracting than the “ wobble ” of a outdoor stage where the wheel is hold up using a column posture between your branch .
There ’s no elbow room to tie a dedicated gear lever or handbrake , but shifter mount mod are readily available at the fourth dimension of review . It ’s one of the benefits of buying a mainstream , popular electric chair like this .
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Should you buy it?
- : The Playseat Challenge is a magnate of convenience . you may backpack it off in a moment , and it can be folded up to a fairly compact software system if you remove the actual racing wheel and pedals .
This decade - old intent is unsurprisingly showing its age a bit in its foot pedal board mount and somewhat basic fit customisation . It ’s also by all odds not the correct option for the larger folks out there .
Final Thoughts
The Playseat Challenge is a introductory racing wheelchair that is big on restroom , but not quite as hot on customisation . It ’s what you ’d get if you immix a cockpit with a bivouacking chair . And perhaps that is exactly what you need .
It ’s well-off , and there are enough wise design touches to make it suitable for moderately heavy wheel setups , up to at least theThrustmaster T818direct aim wheelbase .
However , you do n’t get much in the way of tweakability here , and some folks will find it too much of a pain in the neck to simply get in and out of the hot seat . 10 years down the bloodline , other firebrand have unsurprisingly take aim the basics of this intent to new places , perhaps most notably the Next Level Racing GT Lite .
Trusted Score
How we test
We use every gaming chair we review as our main professorship for both body of work and play for at least a hebdomad . We also build the chair ourselves to test out the forum process , and make exercise of every available feature . We take multiple factor into consideration for the final verdict , including quilt , build tone , features and cost .
FAQs
We retrieve it well-situated to sit on for longer periods , but it ’s not ideal for larger folk and is n’t the easiest to get out of .
We do n’t retrieve it ’s a practiced fit for the heavy of racing roulette wheel , but the inflexible build and stabiliser arm make it seem sturdy considering the design style .
It is somewhat adjustable , although the scissor hinge design mean the wheel height and chair height are interconnect .
