PCE offers the perfect environment as either a computer work station or gaming center
By Michael Lafferty

“…surround yourself in the technology”

It is called a Personal Computing Environment, but the look of the system may make people think of other things. It almost appears to be a weird combination of dentist’s chair and Bowflex trainer, with a chair that swivels into place, elevated footrest, and a metallic bar that arches up over the chair.

Yes, it might even pass as some sort of futuristic instrument of torture – but all one needs do is to sit in the PCE, fire up the monitors (which hang off that metallic bar in front of the chair and can be telescoped and adjusted) to realize that this is one of the most pleasurable ‘environments’ for gaming and general computer work.

The chair reclines, the armrests support the forearms for easy and comfortable access to the keyboard holder, the mouse station is slightly inclined (but not enough that the mouse goes running away when left alone), and the platform at the back of the chair will hold not only a tower, but the new vertical consoles with ease. Oh, and the whole thing is one wheels so you can move it around.

Want multiple monitors? No problem there, that telescoping arm can handle several (as in more than two) without stress. There are two versions of the chair on the PCE Web site, one for $2,750 and another (the one used at the Mythic booth for Imperator demos) for $6,000. Oh, and the whole thing is ergonomically designed to not only be comfortable, but good for the user as well.

David Thompson, VP Brand and Communications for PCE (www.mypce.com), talked with GameZone about this device.

Of course, the first question just had to be what inspired the creation of such an environment.

David: “The whole concept was to let the person be surrounded, be at the center of the technology and pull everything around them. They can adjust the environment – it’s like a personal computing environment, that’s why we called it … we sat around one day and said ‘what is this thing?’ It’s a personal computing environment – you can make it whatever you want. You can put up four monitors, you can add in sound, it’s a top-end chair, it’s a footrest that adjusts and you can drop in any technology, from PC to consoles, whatever.

“So the essence was how do people want to spend eight hours a day when they are working on a computer. It’s comfortable and it’s something you don’t have to move around again – you move everything into you and surround yourself.”

The chair and overall design is very ergonomically sound. Did the company work with anyone in the design aspect to achieve that?

David: “Yes, the found originally did a product called Microsphere, which was also a work station, a computer work station and a little more traditional in design. But he knows all the ergonomic standards for wrist support, neck support, back support, so it really started as an ergonomic work station and once we introduced it at COMDEX in 2002, we found everyone coming up and saying, ‘well, this is how I would do it if it was my job,’ or ‘as a video editor this is how I would do it,’ or ‘as a security station this is how I would do it.’ So they came and told us what they would want and we made modifications based on what everybody told us.”

As to the look, that functional, but somewhat quirky crossbreed between a Bowflex or a dental chair, David laughed and agreed.

“We’ve heard it all. And some people have said, ‘hey, I’m going to be a little too comfortable in this, what if I fall asleep?’ They don’t realize that you will get more productivity, you will get more enjoyment out of it because you are not hurting, your not getting up because your neck is cracking or your back is aching. You are sitting there and you are feeling good and you can adjust everything (to individual needs).” 

The back base is wide enough for a tower or even game consoles – not only those on the market, but those on the way. But what about other peripherals, like printers. What does PCE plan to address those needs?

David: “Eventually we are going to look at adding components to the back and build them up, or building up the depth, or building up the back so you can put a shelf on there to put a printer on top of that, but right now we just want to get the basic model out and let people buy it and tell us what they want from it.”

What was the focus or impetus for the original environment design – playing or working?

David: “A work station, because the designer came from an ergonomic office background.”

What are the biggest selling points of this chair?

David: “Comfort, and being able to surround yourself in the technology.”

The chair is designed so that wiring will run along a cutout, or valley in the metal, and those who have it do not have to feed wiring through the piping. About the only thing that the chair and environment does not have is a cup holder, but both David and PCE President and CEO Allan Quattrin laughed at that and said something along those lines may be in the works.

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