// PC GAMER — GAMING
Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 review
The Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 is a commendable office chair that's great for all-day work and gaming, thanks to its clever seat back design. The rest of the feature set is a little sparse for the money, though, and given how competitive the chair market is, you need to be certain that it meets your exact needs before buying one.
PC Gamer's got your back
Our experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you. Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware.
If the thought of buying an office chair from an AI-focused company is giving you pause for concern, then let me allay those fears now. The Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 is a good chair that's well-built, comfortable, and genuinely fine to use for a full day of work, followed by a night of gaming. It's not perfect, and the price tag doesn't quite match what you're getting, but those are criticisms that can be cast at any gaming chair these days.
I am getting ahead of myself, though, so let me start with the basics. Autonomous has designed its chair with the 'all-day PC enthusiast' very much in mind, and the ErgoChair Ultra 2 (sometimes listed as the Chair Ultra V2) ticks off every box you'd expect for such a product, such as 4D adjustable arms and an expansive seat.
One difficulty with reviewing chairs, office or gaming, is that there is a considerable degree of subjectivity to it all, rather like with keyboards and mice. What's comfortable or convenient for one person can be awkward and annoying for someone else, so it's worth knowing my own specifications before I discuss those of the Autonomous chair.
Chair dimensions: 71 x 71 x 104-117 cm / 28 x 28 W x 41-46 inchesMax user weight: 145 kg / 320 lbsSeat height range: 46-58 cm / 18-23 inchesSeat depth range: 46-52 cm / 18-20.5 inchesSeat recline range: 25°Weight: 16.6 kg / 36.5 lbsPrice: $499
With a height of 184 cm (72.8 inches) and a weight of 68 kg (149.9 lbs), I'm the human equivalent of a giant stick insect, all arms and legs, and not much in the way of any padding around my posterior, if you catch my drift. I generally avoid mesh chairs, favouring dense foam ones, because they often lack enough support for my bony frame.
The ErgoChair Ultra 2 is the first mesh chair I've used where I've had no problems with back or seat comfort, and in the case of the former, the flexible spine helps by no small degree. Rather than using a rigid steel or aluminium frame, Autonomous designed a polymer structure that looks like alien cartilage.
That holds the seat back in place but also permits it to twist and flex slightly, and along with the polymer back itself, the whole thing does a good job of supporting my frame. There are no dials, knobs, or levers for adjusting anything: You just sit back, and the whole thing effectively moulds to, and fully supports, your shape. By not using metal here, the chair is also quite a bit lighter and easier to move about than your average gaming chair.
A similar approach has been used for the seat, in that underneath the foam pad, there is an array of polymer 'springs', though it's not quite as supportive as I'd like. I can sit all day in the ErgoChair Ultra 2 without too much issue, but I'd prefer a few more centimetres of foam in the pad. As it is, the seat doesn't feel as plush as the back, even though it's very spacious.