Meet Maggie, PCMag'sThe $649.99 Razer Iskur V2 NewGen is exactly what I needed during the oppressive heat wave that recently hit New York. I've had gaming chairs that provided lumbar support, but felt too stiff and unforgiving. Conversely, I've sat in gaming chairs that were soft and plush but lacked proper breathability, turning my under thighs into a swampy nightmare. The Iskur V2 NewGen, the successor to the original Razer Iskur V2, strikes a balance between the two design philosophies. After testing it for a month, I appreciate that the well-design chair supports my lower back, uses sweat-resistant cooling leather, and has a ventilated cushion that stops my legs from overheating. However, despite being a few years old, the $579 Secretlab Titan EVO (our Editors' Choice winner for gaming chairs) offers a similar experience at a lower price.
The Iskur V2 NewGen gaming chair I tested comes in that familiar black-and-green color scheme that recalls the company's gaming laptops. It has that electric green, three-headed snake logo on the black, memory-foam head cushion strapped to the chair's top. You can find more of that neon green in the stitching that runs along the contoured edges of the backrest and seat. The Iskur V2 NewGen also comes in black, light gray, and quartz, but the black-and-green model is the most visually striking option.
The SecretLab Titan EVO, one of NewGen's rivals, has a massive selection of colors, including Black, Mint Green, Plush Pink, Pure White, and Soda Purple. There are even special-edition models for fans of Harry Potter, Pokémon, Star Wars, and other notable pop culture brands. In fact, I counted an incredible 86 finishes on the Titan EVO's product page. Likewise, the Herman Miller x Logitech G Vantum offers more design options than the Iskur V2 NewGen (Black/Mystic, Black/Nightfall, Black/Helio, Black/Abyss, Black/Obsidian, Black/Polar, and Black/Flare), but far fewer than the Titan EVO.
The Iskur V2 NewGen is available in a single universal size that accommodates heights from 5'3" to 6'6" and supports a maximum weight of 299 pounds. The G Vantum also comes in one size, but supports up to 350 pounds (the company doesn't publicize a recommended user height range).
The Titan EVO, on the other hand, comes in three sizes. Small is recommended for folks between 4'11" and 5'6" (up to 200 pounds); Regular is recommended for people between 5'7" and 6'2" (up to 220 pounds); XL is best for those between 5'11" and 6'9" (up to 395 pounds). As a result, you can find a more personalized fit with the Titan EVO than with the Iskur V2 NewGen.
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Unless you're The Hulk, you’re going to need assistance putting this chair together. And that starts with getting the box inside your home, since the shipment is a hefty 70 pounds. I enlisted my dad to help me haul the box through the front door.
I started by snapping the wheels into the star-shaped base and sliding the gas cylinder into the middle hole. Next, I screwed the metal tilting mechanism onto the bottom of the seat cushion and mounted the seat onto that gas cylinder.
Because the chair parts are heavy and awkward, it was easiest for me to flip the seat on its side to attach the armrests. Then, I slid each armrest into its designated slot and screwed it down tightly. Doing it this way kept the screw holes aligned. Next, I used that same sideways approach to attach the backrest to the side brackets. Once the arms and back were bolted in place, the chair was ready to flip upright.
Don't worry about fetching your toolbox for this chair installation. The Iskur V2 NewGen comes with handy tools to put everything together. Plus, you'll find a QR code inside the box that leads you to an extremely helpful YouTube video that made the setup a breeze.
I timed myself to see how long it would take my father and me to put this together: The chair was ready to go in 25 minutes, which is about average for a gaming chair.
As mentioned, the NewGen is the successor to the 2024 Iskur V2, so the question is, what's new? For one, the chair's wrapped in a new proprietary synthetic leather that's designed to keep your entire body cool. But Razer didn't stop at the upholstery.
The seat cushion also features what Razer calls "dual-density cold-cured foam." The marketing speak simply means that the seat cushion features a soft foam layer on top of a firm base, with tiny perforations that let heat escape.
Lucky for you (because it benefits this review), and unfortunately for me (because heat waves are awful), I've had the displeasure of surviving several high-temperature days in New York. Despite suffering through 100-degree heat, I was surprised to see that my thighs, as well as my body overall, remained sweat-free. That's particularly impressive because my office is located in the hottest area of the house.
Razer states that the Iskur V2 NewGen features a proprietary "HyperFlex Lumbar Support System" that provides posture support no matter how you sit. I was eager to test this.
Before leaning back, you can use the dual knobs on the lower backrest's sides to help the chair match your spinal curve. Whether you’re sitting upright, leaning forward, or reclining, the Iskur V2 NewGen's lumbar support moves with you. This tech consists of a 360-degree swivel mechanism that Razer calls the "first of its kind" in lumbar engineering. In other words, the chair features a multidirectional support structure that moves both vertically and horizontally, adapting to your body as you shift around in the chair.
Here's how it works: Let's say I need to reach to my right to charge my phone at a wireless charging station or to my left to grab a cup of coffee. The bottom area of the backrest moves with me to support my spine. Razer claims the chair also adapts to both forward and backward motion. However, I found it more supportive during side-to-side reaches. Although the front-to-back tracking is more subtle, it’s a minor quirk rather than a deal-breaker for an otherwise responsive chair.
The Titan EVO has a similar design, the "4-way L-ADAPT Lumbar Support System." Unlike the Iskur V2 NewGen and Titan EVO, the G Vantum lacks multidirectional lumbar support. Herman Miller claims that it reinforces users' pelvis and lower back by supporting the "sacral-lumbar region," which is just a fancy term for the lower part of your back.
As someone who sometimes loves sitting cross-legged, I appreciate that the Iskur V2 NewGen lets me sit like a pretzel when I want to get my feet off the ground. That comes courtesy of the Iskur V2 NewGen's spacious seat, which is close to 21 inches wide. In comparison, the G Vantum’s seat base is 20 inches wide, while the Titan EVO's seat base is somewhere between 18 and 19 inches wide, depending on the size you get.
The Iskur V2 NewGen has 4D armrests, which means they can be adjusted in four directions: up and down, side-to-side, forward and backward, and angled inward or outward. I appreciate this flexibility, but I don't use it much. You can tweak the armrests' height, depth, width, and rotation using release buttons and latches.
The Titan EVO has 4D armrests, too, but the G Vantum features 3D armrests instead. In other words, the G Vantum has the same range as the Iskur V2 NewGen and Titan EVO except for inward and outward movements.
Other Iskur V2 NewGen adjustments include the seat height, which is controlled by a lever under the seat base's right side, a tilt lock managed via a lever on the left, and a customizable tilt tension adjusted by a knob tucked underneath the middle of the seat—all standard controls that you'll find on the Titan EVO and G Vantum, too.
The Iskur V2 NewGen has a 152-degree recline function. I'm not sure why I would need to bend that far back, but I guess it's nice that the option is there. I've tested leaning back to the absolute limit, and for a split second, I got that heart-drop feeling that I was about to go head over heels. However, the Iskur V2 NewGen had my back, literally, and kept me stable without dropping me like a hot potato. Triggered via the recline lever tucked on the right side of the seat base, it lets you kick all the way back safely.
The Titan EVO features a massive 165-degree backrest decline, so much so that you could lie flat if you wanted to. The G Vantum has a limited recline range between 98.1 and 117.1 degrees.
The Iskur V2 NewGen strikes a balance between firm, supportive, and comfortable, without feeling too soft. This seat isn't sink-in soft, which has never been my preference for gaming chairs. But it doesn't feel like you're sitting on concrete either. My main purpose in seeking a new gaming chair was to find something that could withstand sweltering New York summers while supporting a healthy posture—the Iskur V2 NewGen hits both marks in comfortable fashion.
I've only had the NewGen gaming chair for a month, so I haven't seen any signs of wear and tear. However, Razer claims that the synthetic leather upholstery is engineered to be 13 times more durable than standard PU leather. As a result, it should be more resistant to peeling and cracking.
As for the seat cushion, Razer says it was designed with a uniform cell structure, which should prevent the foam from collapsing out of its supportive shape. Plus, the chair features a steel frame and a reported "heavy-duty" aluminum alloy wheel base. The Titan EVO has similar materials, including a steel frame, an aluminum alloy wheelbase, leather-like upholstery, and foam cushioning.
The G Vantum's chair consists of a glass-reinforced nylon frame and base, a proprietary elastomer-and-polyester suspension backrest, and a polyurethane foam seat cushion. However, keep in mind that the G Vantum has a 12-year warranty. This long window speaks to Herman Miller's confidence in the chair's durability.
Razer covers the Iskur V2 NewGen gaming chair with a three-year warranty, which is pretty standard. It covers mechanisms and moving parts, but not normal wear and tear. For no additional cost, you can extend this coverage to five years by participating in Razer's Extended Warranty Program. However, that's only available to people who purchase their chairs directly from Razer.com.
Titan EVO's warranty window matches the Iskur V2 NewGen, but the G Vantum is the winner here, featuring a lengthy 12-year warranty.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Razer)
Razer Iskur V2 NewGen
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Razer Iskur V2 NewGen is supportive without being punishingly firm, comfortable without being overly soft, and it keeps the sweat at bay during brutally hot summer days. The 360-degree lumbar support moves with me when I shift around, while the roomy seat and flexible adjustments make it easy to sit in a pretzel when I'm feeling froggy. However, putting it together is a two-person job (though that's par for the course for most gaming chairs). Plus, at $650, it's not cheap. As good as the Iskur V2 NewGen is, our Editors' Choice remains the $579 Secretlab Titan EVO, which offers a similar experience to the Iskur V2 NewGen and even more colorway options for less cash.
SHOULD I UPGRADE?
If you have the 2024 Razer Iskur V2, it’s only worth upgrading to the Iskur V2 NewGen if you live in a climate that gets unbearably warm and would benefit from the new, more breathable materials, including the sweat-resistant cooling leather and the ventilated foam cushion. Otherwise, nearly everything else, from the steel frame and 4D armrests to the 360-degree pivoting lumbar support system, remains virtually identical to the original model. In that case, you can safely skip this one.
About Our Expert
I’m PCMag’s Senior Writer for Mobile on the Consumer Electronics team, diving into the latest phones, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, audio devices, and other portable gear. I’ve been covering consumer technology for six years. Before joining PCMag, I contributed my tech expertise to Laptop Magazine, Mashable, Tom’s Guide, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, and more.
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