The Cooler Master Orb X is a $15,000 mega pod for work and play
The Orb X is immersive and futuristic, but unaffordable for most
Lots of people put effort into their home office or the setup for their ultimate gaming PC. You need the best gaming chair, a desk for your keyboard and your mouse, etc. But what if you could take care of a lot of that all at once… in an immersive pod?
That’s the question that Cooler Master seems to have answered with its new Orb X, a gaming pod that is designed to be the future of gaming. And it’s certainly futuristic. The pod is surrounded by ARGB LED lighting strips that give it a look almost from the movie Tron, with a monitor arm that swings up and down to let you into the pod.
As ridiculous as the picture I’m painting for you may sound, it appears the reality is pretty nice. Our friends at Tom’s Hardware got to go and test the Orb X out last month and they came away pleasantly surprised with the level of immersion. Almost as important, they didn’t find the immersion to be claustrophobia-inducing.
They did note though, that the design feels more suited for a public gaming station rather than a personal home entertainment pod, which seems at odds with who would actually want to buy this setup. To be fair, the marketing for Orb X agrees with Tom’s Hardware’s assessment.
Cooler Master has a teaser trailer that shows people sitting down to take an emergency meeting or gaming at a bar. Given that we don’t yet know the price for the Orb X, maybe businesses will be the sole target audience, but if you’re interested in Cooler Master’s immersive pod, you can register for the waiting list at its website.
Cooler Master Orb X: Some assembly required
While we don’t know officially how much the Orb X will cost (rumors are it will be $15,000), we can’t imagine it will be cheap. The pod includes a reclining chair, an extra large desk that will wirelessly charge your phone, 2.1 surround sound speakers and a monitor arm that can support up to three 27-inch monitors (or one 34-inch monitor).
Of course, you’ll also need to buy the monitor(s). While the Orb X comes with everything you need in terms of ports and wiring, you still need to buy the monitor(s), PC, keyboard and mouse. So if you think you could be interested in the Cooler Master Orb X, make sure you check out our buying guides to the best gaming PCs, best monitors, best keyboards and best mouse so you’re prepared to build your ultimate setup.
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Even if you aren’t interested in buying the Orb X, the holidays are the perfect time to get a great PC gaming deal, so check out our deals coverage if you’re looking to upgrade.
Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.
Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.