DS Fanboy review: Sumo beanbag chair

What's awesome about the DS? Well, a lot of things -- but one of the best is that it's portable and can go wherever you can go (within reason, of course). But what about those times when you really want to play at home? Where do you sit? Sumo wants the answer to be in -- or on, or around -- one of their luxury beanbag chairs, and to that end, they sent us a chair to check out while we were getting some DS on.

And before going into the details, let me just say -- this chair is great for DS gaming at home. Those long runs of Final Fantasy III, the ones that make your arms hurt and your eyes weary? Get up, kick the chair into a different position, and settle in ... it's like a whole new world. For shorter, more intense sessions, like getting your butt kicked on a Tuesday night in Mario Kart, I favor the upright position in the photo -- feet planted, lots of room to move, serious posture. That's my gaming pose. Grrr! So of course, I'm not as relaxed as Sumo's model. Oh well.

So what's the deal with these chairs and why should you care? After all, it's just a beanbag chair, right? Wrong. Sumo is like the Lexus of the beanbag chair, with a price to match. Currently, during their holiday sale, the Sumo Omni goes for a cool $129 -- which is a lot for what we consider casual, slacker furniture. So the essential question here could be: is it worth it?

The obvious benefits of a beanbag are few: sure, they're portable and posable, and often cheap, so it doesn't matter if you pour your beer all over one. The downfalls are worse ... they split open, shedding little pellets all over the house, and always at an inopportune time. So how does the Sumo Omni measure up to a traditional beanbag?

When it comes to portability, the Omni might be somewhat lacking -- but is that really a drawback? The chair is huge and weighs 18 pounds, so it's not like you're going to toss it from one side of the living room to the other to make space. But then again, this isn't your traditional beanbag. You toss the $12 number from Wal-Mart. The Sumo Omni is flexible furniture. Give it a space and let it live there. The Omni certainly is posable, though. You can beat it into any shape that's comfortable for you. Need neck support to keep your eyes open through power gaming sessions? Check. Like to pull your knees up to balance the DS? Check. Whatever your needs, this mega-beanbag can fulfill them.

What about dirt and mess, however? This is an expensive chair as beanbags go, so you'd think it might not mix with beverages and Cheetos. Not so -- the outside is durable, stainproof, and needs only a damp rag and a little elbow grease for the worst of spills. This is an assumption and wasn't tested, but it's like worrying because you spilled a little soda on your waterproof, plastic raincoat. It's just not an issue here. And that gives it a great durability factor as well. I'm sure if I shot the Sumo Omni, I could split it ... but with anything less than small arms, and this bag is pretty safe from being torn open.

So all in all? Yeah, if you dig beanbag chairs and always wanted one that could rival your sofa in size, this ends up being a great deal for the money -- particularly during the holiday sale. And it's a great place to wile away the hours when playing DS at home.