Razer’s new gaming chair cushion brings us closer to Ready Player One

Razer has just introduced the Freyja haptic gaming cushion, an addition to your chair that will shake your back and take you to a new level of gaming immersion. However, Razer Freyja uses high density foam pads which do not meet fire safety regulations in the UK and Spain so will not be available for purchase in these regions.

These kinds of problems with foam-filled gaming chairs and similar equipment not meeting certain fire safety regulations are nothing new, but Razer is one of the larger and more well-known brands that has released a new product that simply won’t be sold in Great Britain or Spain. For example, the manufacturer of one of the best gaming chairs you can buy, the ThunderX3, only recently spoke to us about the additional requirements associated with releasing products in the UK, so Freyja’s failure to comply with these regulations is not a significant black mark on its safety.

The Razer Freyja is therefore a thin cushion with many pads that can be slid onto the gaming chair of your choice – the Razer Iskur 2 is, of course, a Razer recommendation. It then uses six tiny motors to vibrate six pads (labeled below) to deliver a blow to the rear of the body. The pads will synchronize their intensity and vibration placement with your game or other content you’re engaging with to give you that extra step towards feeling like you’re really there.

The positioning of the cushion – formerly called Project Esther – is easily adjusted via straps, and the control panel on the left includes buttons to turn power on and off, increase and decrease intensity, and switch between 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth modes. The latter means you can connect your phone or portable gaming PC to get some good vibes away from your computer. The mat uses a single power connector with a break point, so you shouldn’t damage the mat or the wall socket if you move your chair and pull the cable.

When we used this chair, we were impressed by the range of intensity, the feel of everything from buzzing to rumble, and the directionality of the experience. It is also extremely quiet – your neighbors will not be suspicious of this vibrating device.

You can of course use Razer Synapse to customize the Freyja, using the all-new Sensa HD section, which provides settings for the frequency, intensity and direction of the Freyja’s output signal. You can also change Freya’s response type, providing a reactive response by vibrating in line with explosions or other in-game audio prompts, or you can set the pads to provide a more textured, atmosphere-building response.

The Razer Freyja launches today at a surprisingly high price of $299.99. Considering that basic massage chair mats can be purchased for less than $100 – and it’s not like Razer has added anything extra in the form of RGB lights or built-in speakers – that seems like a lot for a feature that’s more enjoyable in … than any essential gaming equipment.

Still, we’ll reserve judgment until we’ve tested Freyja for a longer period of time in a full review. For now, you can learn more about the latest Razer hardware that we definitely like by reading our review of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, which is one of our favorite gaming headsets, along with our review of the Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed, which is our best mouse choice game.