Razer Iskur V2 Newgen review: the ultimate gaming chair you've been dreaming of
From gamers to content creators like me, this chair is one of the best on the market
Rating: 4.5/5
✅ Pros
💎 Premium build with high-quality materials
🪶 Very comfortable
🛟 Extra lumbar support is perfect for dialing in the right position
❄️ Keeps you cool even after sitting for hours on end
👷 Easy to assemble
🎨 Multiple color options
❌ Cons
💰 Expensive
🤨 Neck pillow doesn’t offer the support you’d think
🛞 Restrictive gliding
The Shortcut review
Razer has been making some of the best gaming chairs you can buy for a number of years, and it absolutely cooked with the Iskur V2 Newgen. As the brand’s latest flagship gaming chair, it comes with a number of upgrades over the previous version that make it a compelling option for those who spend a lot of time sitting down in front of their computers. It’s been my primary chair at The Shortcut’s office for a few weeks, and it’s been a game-changer for my daily routine.
The Iskur V2 Newgen is sturdy, uses high-end materials, and offers all the adjustable support I need to stay comfortable while my boss has me chained to my desk (well, not literally, but figuratively for sure). You can tweak this thing to virtually every position you’d feel comfortable in, whether for typing all day or swinging through New York City streets in Marvel’s Spider-Man.
All of that luxury comes at a price. You can add the Iskur V2 Newgen to your set-up… for $649. That’s a beefy asking price for a chair, which might make it out of reach for some customers. But if you have the money to burn and you want one of the best gaming chairs on the market, the Iskur V2 Newgen is a fantastic addition to anyone’s set-up.
Review notes
💎 Luxury design that’s durable and comfortable. We love the shape and feel of Razer’s Iskur V2 and V2 X from a couple of years ago, and the V2 Newgen delivers the same great impression. It’s sculpted nearly perfectly to conform to your sitting position, the cushion’s large enough not to feel cramped, and there’s plenty of back support (more on that later). Razer’s next-generation EPU leather covers the entire chair that - at least according to the company - won’t peel over time and is 13x stronger than traditional PU leather. This is great for future-proofing to ensure the integrity of the chair over time, and while I haven’t had it nearly long enough to say whether it’s as strong as Razer says, I’ll take its word for it.
👷 Very easy to assemble. Razer designed the Iskur V2 Newgen in a way that make assembling it very straightforward. There are clear instructions in the box that give you a visual of each step, and most parts can be slotted into each other without requiring tools. It took me about 20 minutes to get it unboxed and set up in our office, which felt like no time at all.
🎨 Plenty of color options available. I like the classic Razer look with black leather and neon green accents, but the company also offers the Iskur V2 Newgen in a few other colors, including all black, Quartz (pink), and Light Gray. The arm rests and wheel base is painted black across all finishes, though, so you’ll have to be okay with customizing the leather alone to match your aesthetic.
❄️ Keeping you cooler than competitors. One of my favorite aspects of Razer’s material choice for the Iskur V2 Newgen is its ability to keep you cool. The leather and foam inside have high thermal effusivity, which basically means the chair stays cooler for way longer than normal leather chairs. This translates well into everyday life; after shooting an episode of The Shortcut Live, rigorously editing reviews and photos, and spending hours sending emails and signing NDAs, I’ll get a bit warm sitting in the chair but never uncomfortably warm. I’ve never had a leather chair keep me quite as cool as this, so for the gamers out there that run hot, this might be the chair for you.
🛟 Best lumbar support in the game? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself since I started using this chair because, boy oh boy, is it good. It uses Razer’s all-new HyperFlex Lumbar Support System that has a proprietary 360° swivel design, letting you adjust virtually every aspect of the chair to match how you want to be positioned perfectly. Dials and levers let you fine-tune the adjustments to support your back, tailbone, arms, and more, giving you complete control over the experience and making the chair your own. It’s more control than I’ve ever had on my office chair, control that I never realized I needed until now.
⏭️ Lean allll the way back. This chair supports reclining at 152 degrees. That’s really far backward, far enough where you’ll lose your balance before the chair ever will. I’ve demoed this to the guys at the office and a few friends that stopped by, and it’s kind of amazing how well the Iskur V2 Newgen is balanced. It won’t be sliding out from underneath you anytime soon, so feel free to lean back as much as you want.
🤨 The head pillow needs work. I can’t be the only one who thinks the neck pillow situation on this chair isn’t great. Its shape matches the shape of the top of the chair, sure, but… whose neck is this resting on? Look at how high it is! On top of it, even if you want to use it as a head pillow, there’s no support for your neck, so you’re constantly craning your neck forward. I eventually took it off, and it made the experience 100x better. I hope Razer works on it for the next version of the chair, or at least comes out with an alternative pillow I can attach.
🛞 Restrictive gliding. Maybe this isn’t as big a deal as I’m making it, but I do wish it was easier to glide around on the Iskur V2 Newgen. While it’s technically better for a gaming chair to stay in place most of the time, I like being able to scooch around in my office chair while I’m working, and this chair doesn’t make it that easy. The chair’s heavy to begin with, and the wheels feel like they have added friction to prevent gliding around at all. I couldn’t imagine operating this thing on carpet.
Should you buy the Razer Iskur V2 Newgen?
Yes, if…
✅ You want a gaming chair that’ll last for years on end
✅ You need top-notch lumbar support
✅ You run hot while gaming or working
No, if…
❌ You have a tighter budget (get the Razer Iskur V2 X Newgen)
❌ You prefer a mesh gaming chair (get the Razer Fujin)
❌ You don’t need all the crazy lumbar adjustments (get the Corsair TC100 Relaxed Gaming Chair)
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.