Project Arielle is a concept gaming chair that's built upon the Fujin Pro. Image: HWZ
Whenever Razer unveils a new concept project, it usually sits somewhere between mind-boggling (remember Project Sophia?) and genuinely inventive (we still wish Project Valerie is real). Then there’s Project Arielle, the tech company’s latest experiment to redefine the gaming chair.
Showcased at CES 2025 in Las Vegas and built upon the existing Fujin Pro gaming mesh chair, Project Arielle incorporates integrated heating and cooling mechanisms directly into the chair’s design. It’s an idea that sounds borderline excessive, but after a hands-on experience at a private demo session in a suite at The Venetian, I’m convinced there might just be a practical use for it.
The original Fujin Pro has a muted design for a gaming chair, but the upgraded features make the concept chair immediately stands out, thanks to a dynamic RGB lightstrip that encircles the seat and backrest – giving it a very cool “Tron” look. But this lighting serves a functional purpose, as it indicates whether it is in heating or cooling mode; red for warmth, while blue signals it is in cooling mode. While RGB lighting is practically a given in gaming peripherals, it’s refreshing to see it used in a way that’s more than just eye candy.
Control of these modes is managed via a touch-enabled panel located on the right side of the seat pan – sorry lefties. There are just three buttons that allow you to toggle heating, adjust fan speeds or simply switch the system on or off. There’s a touch of simplicity and elegance to the controls, and Razer has designed them to be accessible without breaking your gaming sessions. And despite it being a prototype and unlike past concepts, Project Arielle actually felt polished and ready for launch.
Controls are simple and easy to use. Image: HWZ
The fanless blade system is housed inside this cylinder. Image: HWZ
My razer rep says the chair’s cooling system promises to lower the perceived temperature by up to a cosy 2-degree Celsius while the heating mode can deliver a warm 30-degree Celsius. These numbers might seem abstract for sure, but they come alive in practice. Razer’s CES suite featured two versions of the chair – one set to heating, the other to cooling. I sat on both and here’s my very quick impressions: The heating mode, while effective, quickly became overbearing in a crowded and warm room (it does not help that the suite’s room temperature was set relatively high). Conversely, the cooling mode was an absolute delight, offering instant relief around my back (air only comes out from vents around the backrest, not the seat base). The mesh design of the Fujin Pro allows air to dissipate easily too, and I can easily imagine this concept chair being a game-changer our hot and humid environment of Singapore.
Key to this thermal wizardry lies a bladeless fan system (spoiler: it’s not a Dyson) that’s integrated into the backrest. Building it directly into the Fujin Pro’s structure (or a new chair in the future) than, say, designing it as an add-on accessory, offers a more refined and seamless experience. That’s a caveat though, as bladeless fan systems typically use more power and so this means the Project Arielle concept chair has to be tethered to a power source via a power cable. What happens if the cable gets snagged by the chair’s castor wheels or if you trip over it then? Don’t worry. To mitigate any tripping hazards, Razer has thoughtfully included a breakaway cable.
Will Project Arielle become a launch product? Let's see. Image: HWZ
That said, there are still unanswered questions. Pricing being one, and a chair with built-in heating and cooling is unlikely to come cheap. Durability and maintenance are other considerations. How well will bladeless fan system hold up under daily use? Will it be easy to clean and repair? These are questions that Razer weren’t ready to answer during my private sesson with them at CES, which is fair enough since Project Arielle right now is still at a concept phase. But I’ll admit that I’m very intrigued by how the final product could turn out, if (with a big “if”) it does become a real product at all, especially if Razer decides to stick with the proven Fujin Pro gaming chair design.
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