Boulies Elite Series 2024 Gaming Chair Review

Having a subpar gaming chair will really sneak up on you. You won’t notice the inadequacy at first, but over time, the aches in your lower back and neck will slowly raise alarm bells. A good desk chair can be used for hours on end without causing discomfort, but most of them aren’t cheap, so playing musical gaming chairs gets expensive fast.

Gamers who want to go fancy with their chairs certainly have the opportunity to. Some luxury gaming chairs have RGB flairs, some come with built-in speakers, some will even massage your back. But if what you’re looking for is a simple chair that delivers on consistent comfort, then you should cut through all of that flashy noise and check out the Boulies Elite Series Gaming Chair (2024).

Price, availability, and specs

The best place to shop for a Boulies chair is through Boulies itself. Domestic, standard shipping is free, and most customers have been satisfied with Boulies’ packing quality, shipping speed, and customer service.

Priced at $400, the 2024 Elite Series isn’t quite a budget-friendly gaming chair, but it’s not the most premium one, either. It falls in the comfortable range where gamers are ready to upgrade from an entry-level chair, but don’t spend enough time at their desk to warrant one of the highest-tier ones.

Fortunately, all materials and colorways of the 2024 Elite Series chair come at the same MSRP, but only two — the black PU leather and charcoal gray fabric — are currently on sale for $380.

Design and features

Five stars in form and function

Desk chairs can have more features than you may think. The Elite series has a lot to offer, including two optional cushions for additional support and a really hassle-free installation.

Assembly

Boulies packages their chairs exceptionally well. The 2024 Elite chair came arranged identically to the Ninja Pro, another Game-Rant-approved Boulies chair.

Purely because of the size and awkwardness of a desk chair and through no fault of Boulies, the Elite was a bit of an undertaking to assemble alone. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong about the chair’s instructions or setup process, but be prepared to grapple with the different parts for about 20 to 30 minutes or so, especially once the wheels get involved.

Fortunately, the printed instructions are very straightforward, and come with photos to guide you through the process.

Looks and build

This chair is for everyone who appreciates gaming products that don’t scream gaming products. If you’ve ever looked at other gaming chairs, especially racing gaming chairs, and cringed at their outwardly gaming aesthetic, the Boulies Elite may be easier on your eyes.

It’s an odd word to use, but when we first saw the Boulies Elite chair, what sprang to mind was “puffy.” The Elite is not as puffy as other gaming chairs, meaning that it’s not as loaded with thick cushioning along the backrest edges, on the seat itself, or the armrests. This is an “each their own” situation, but I’ve used chairs with those super thick cushions and never felt like the foam held up well. Now having tested the Elite for several months, it’s clear that, while this chair has a firmer cushion and generally less of it, that doesn’t necessarily amount to less comfort, especially over time. Of course, for some additional support, you could always add on the two ancillary cushions Boulies includes with the chair, meant to support the neck and lower back regions.

The aluminum-framed 4D armrests, in fact, are not cushioned at all, but they are soft enough with a slight give if pressed on hard enough. There are buttons on the outside of each armrest for raising and lowering, and buttons on the inner edge for swiveling them horizontally.

Underneath, the seat is supported by an aluminum base and XL casters. This is also where you’ll find the controls for reclining, height, a rocking lock, and tilt adjustments.

Range of motion

The Boulies Elite chair provides a lot of opportunities to adjust and get comfortable. The armrests each have six different height stops, and can point outwards or inwards in addition to facing straight.

There’s 15 degrees of rocking motion, and a tilt lock mechanism to hold the chair in place if you find a different position along that 15-degree arc to be more comfortable than the standard flat position. Not a feature I personally used much, but glad to see it there.

You’ll want to use the most upright backrest position for optimum posture support results, but this almost feels too upright, practically forward-leaning, especially if you’re using the lumbar cushion. The backrest has an excellent range, through which it smoothly transitions without steps. With the backrest fully extended and leaning back to the maximum tilt, you’ll be essentially horizontal.

Of course, the chair can spin in a full 360-degree swivel, and the casters do the job for mobility.

Comfort and use

It doesn’t just look good

The Boulies Elite Gaming Chair was used as a daily driver for work and play, and didn’t cause an iota of discomfort. The seat cushion is noticeably firmer than other chairs. This isn’t a bad thing, at least not in our experience.

One of my must-haves for a gaming chair is if it’s cross-legged friendly. Many gamers, and work-from-homers, break up the monotony of sitting at a desk for 8+ hours by frequently switching to a cross-legged position, but chairs designed specifically with cross-leggedness in mind are impractical for a lot of reasons.

The Elite series chair is, fortunately, perfectly usable for cross-legged sitters. The armrests can be raised and tilted out of the way, even for long-legged users.

As far as every other use aspect, Boulies chair performs exactly as it should. The gas-powered height adjustments, rocking, and backrest adjustments all functioned flawlessly. My chair developed a very slight creak in the rocking motion, I’ll note. Overall, the Elite looks like a sort of crossbreed between ultra-plush gaming chairs and more lightweight, ergonomic options (the Mavix M7 is a good example), while combining the benefits of both.

Should you buy it?

The Elite series is a sound buy for people of an average height and build (don’t worry, there are plenty of options for big and tall gaming chairs too) who do a moderate to intensive amount of gaming or desk work. Visually, it’s an excellent addition to your office or gaming space, trim and pristine looking without flashiness.

While not the cheapest gaming chair out there, the Boulies Elite Series (2024) is very well priced for what it offers, especially if you tend to shrug off extras like RGBs, speakers, and massaging.

So, while any of Boulies chairs are excellent, the Elite 2024 combines value, affordability, and lasting comfort. It’s easily one of the best gaming chairs you can get for under $500.