The first thing I noticed about the Corsair TC200 is how normal it looks. While the angular, starkly contrasting black-and-white sections on my old chair pushed it into the flashy realm of Gamer Chiq, the all-black soft fabric model that Corsair sent me just looks like a chair. Aside from the pair of holes at shoulder-level (where an included pillow can attach) and the Corsair sails logo on the headrest, it could even be mistaken for an office chair. Given that I share my home office with my wife, who has no interest in looking like an esports competitor, I'm a big fan of how lowkey the aesthetic of the TC200 is. I've long wanted a gamer chair that doesn't look like a gamer chair and Corsair made it available at the mid-range price of $399.99.
Aesthetic improvements wouldn't matter much if Corsair hadn't managed the more important thing: making a comfy chair. The TC200 is, indeed, a pretty nice place to sit, regardless of your size. I'm a big dude, at around 6’2” and 80-lbs, and the TC200 was designed, according to Corsair, to accommodate people like me. The TC200 has a wider seat than the company's previous model, the T3 Rush, and taller maximum and minimum seat heights. When I lean back the chair stretches to halfway up my head, which is perfect for me.
The seat is similarly wide, having been expanded from T3 Rush’s 34.3 cm width to 39.5 cm. Even still, bigger people may feel a bit constricted by the seat’s construction. It curves up slightly at the edges which can dig at you, unless you’re positioned squarely in the middle and/or if you have a wider butt. As it stands, that's my only annoyance with the TC200 and it isn’t too bothersome most of the time. It only started to bother after a few hours at my desk. And, that aside, the seat and back are firm, but quite comfortable.
The armrests have some great adjustability. Each can raise and lower, as expected, but they turn to the right and left, allowing for more positions. This isn’t a feature I see myself using much — my armrests can just face forward for all the situations I see myself using the chair for — but it’s nice to have the option. The seatback is even more adjustable; it can be leaned back completely flat if you want to take a midday nap.
The base inspires confidence with its solidity. While the T3 Rush had a steel frame and a nylon base, TC200 keeps the steel frame and upgrades the base to steel, as well. The result is a chair that feels built for bigger people and can handle the wear and tear of everyday life.
Assembling the chair was also fairly easy. The box it shipped in was, weirdly, missing a manual. Luckily the review guide provided to me by Corsair had the assembly instructions, so I can't say for certain whether customers will find included instructions or not. Either way, I was able to put the chair together without much trouble. The wheels pop easily into place, and the seat is simple to position on top of the base. The only slight difficulty was getting the vertical back segment connected to the seat section, which took some careful positioning. But, overall, for a non-handy person like me, it was a simple and straightforward process.
In the end, it’s a chair. A pretty good chair, but yeah, a chair. Aside from the minor issue of the occasionally irritating seat edges, this is a really comfortable and sturdy chair that makes me eager to spend time at my desk. As a gamer friend of mine who plays a lot of competitive shooters said upon trying it out, “Oh yeah, I could click heads in this.” Really, what more could you ask for?