During CES 2025, I had the opportunity to try an array of incredible gadgets – I rode Segway’s latest e-motorbike, engaged with the inaugural interactive The Last of Us exhibit, viewed some remarkable AR glasses from companies like Xreal, and even strummed a guitar without strings. But as I prepare to depart from Las Vegas, one gadget has resonated with me more than any other: Razer’s Project Arielle conceptual gaming chair.
At first glance, Project Arielle appears to be an ordinary mesh office chair, featuring a comfortable lumbar support design along with Razer’s signature RGB illumination. Nonetheless, this chair is equipped with an additional motor at its base to heat or cool it according to your preference.
At Razer’s display, I had the chance to test Arielle personally, and while it seems like it might have been one of the most gimmicky products we encountered at CES – and there were numerous contenders – it was arguably the best item I witnessed, and the gadget I’d be most inclined to purchase from the entire exhibition (if that ever becomes feasible, more on that below).
The operational demonstration of Arielle was incredibly straightforward to manage. A small touch control panel on the side permits you to modify the temperature – ranging from a brisk 2°C to 30°C (35°F to 86°F) – alongside the intensity of the bladeless fan system. Despite the convention being quite noisy, I didn’t perceive the chair loudly whirring at the maximum fan speed.
In addition to being a fantastic method to find some relief from the heat in the warm Vegas conference center, I appreciated that Arielle was not claiming to be anything beyond a comfort system. Razer isn’t marketing this as a haptic chair that can replicate the in-game temperature from virtual settings to enhance your immersion; instead, Arielle’s purpose is to keep you warm while seated at your desk during the chilly winter months or to help you stay cool during the scorching summer heat – features that seem perfect for my UK-based home office, which lacks air conditioning.
Regrettably, at the time of writing, Razer has not made any announcements regarding the public release of Arielle – crushing my hopes of bringing one home. For the moment, they maintain that Arielle is merely a concept at this point.
That said, as my host pointed out, Razer’s Frejya haptic cushion was “just a concept” at CES 2024 – under the name Project Esther – before it became a reality later that year. I sincerely hope history will repeat itself with Arielle.
I’m genuinely contemplating making a stop by the convention center before heading home to see it again, and I would love to see it become a permanent addition to my residence. For now, we will have to wait and observe what Razer decides to announce.
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