BMW has introduced a gaming chair called “The Rival Rig”. An AI inside the chair is supposed to take care of all settings. So all you need to do is play, and the AI will handle the rest for you.
Every gamer among you certainly knows the problem: You’ve been sitting at your PC and gaming for a long time, and eventually your body gets tense, you’re sitting uncomfortably in your chair, or you have sweating outbreaks because you’re in a heated battle with other players.
The manufacturer BMW has now introduced a gaming chair with numerous features designed to solve all these problems. At first glance, the gaming chair looks more like a racing simulator than a normal chair that gamers would place in their room.
However, the features that “The Rival Rig” is supposed to offer should appeal to almost every player who games or works at their PC daily. This probably reminds one of a gaming desk that also aimed to solve all problems at once.
The AI is supposed to take care of all your needs once you are sitting in the gaming chair
Inside the gaming chair, various sensors and an artificial intelligence (AI) are built in. And the AI is supposed to ensure, in combination with the sensors, that you don’t have to worry about anything. Because the AI is expected to recognize all your needs and problems using the sensors and then be able to respond:
- If your back starts sweating, the chair should provide you with cool air.
- If you put a lot of pressure on the armrests, they should be able to lower automatically.
- If you start to tense up in your back, a massage function should alleviate your pain.
- The lighting is supposed to dynamically respond to certain events in the game.
BMW refers to this as “Adaptive Seating”. The AI, in collaboration with the sensors, air boxes, and settings, is supposed to ensure that the gaming chair is always perfectly adjusted for all gamers.
What else is planned? The Rival Rig is also designed as an open platform, relying on open-source software. Basically, in the future, other providers can also develop software for the gaming chair that is tailored to specific games. However, this is all still a thing of the future.
You can get a brief overview of the gaming chair with this video:
BMW drew inspiration from spaceships for the gaming chair
In designing the gaming chair, BMW drew inspiration from spaceships. Holger Hampf, president of BMW Designworks, explains:
We have looked for inspiration in areas where people have to make decisions within split seconds. Our design has been influenced by spaceships and Formula 1 vehicles.
Holger Hampf, president of BMW Designworks, via Auto Motor and Sport)
In doing this, they did not model after spaceships you may know from movies or games, but rather real examples. Because here, people work under extreme conditions. “The Rival Rig” is primarily aimed at e-sports athletes and hardcore gamers.
What will “The Rival Rig” cost? BMW has not yet disclosed what their new, innovative gaming chair will cost. However, we assume that this will not be a mass product but rather a special prestige item. The price is likely to be significantly higher than regular gaming chairs. Another gaming chair developed by around 30 doctors costs around 1,500 US dollars. “The Rival Rig” is expected to be considerably more expensive.
There is also officially no release date yet. So you’ll have to continue to be patient.
But it’s not just BMW that wants to offer gamers innovative and exciting ideas. Other manufacturers are also trying to incorporate many innovations into their gaming chairs: for instance, Razer showcased an innovative gaming chair that you’ll definitely want to sit in.
