For the past six months, I've been playing PlayStation. GTA, you know—shooting but missing everyone, stealing cars and crashing into walls, failing every mission. I’ve completed ten percent of the game in twice the time it took my wife to finish it.

The problem with console gaming, especially at an older age, is the strain on your neck. You lean forward, play with the joystick, twist around—and you feel the pain. Mostly, you just feel old.

PlayStation. GTA (credit: Rockstar Games, official site)
PlayStation. GTA (credit: Rockstar Games, official site)
A few months ago, a friend told me he bought a La-Z-Boy, a reclining armchair that completely transformed his gaming experience and relieved his discomfort. Unfortunately, my living room is too small for that, but I found a tester to try out the Sydney model armchair from American Comfort. It’s one of the models from the brand-new 2025 collection, part of the advanced Platinum armchair series—including the Clark, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Sydney models.
Sydney model armchair from American Comfort (credit: David Rosenthal)
Sydney model armchair from American Comfort (credit: David Rosenthal)
According to the company, and we checked this ourselves, the Platinum series offers the most comfortable and smart armchairs in the world, incorporating numerous personalization mechanisms and delivering an unmatched level of comfort. These are hybrid electric armchairs featuring a FULL POWER HYBRID (FBH) system with an extensive technical specification:
  • 1800mAh rechargeable battery, allowing the armchair to be used without being plugged in. A hybrid armchair.
  • SMART SUPPORT system – A mechanism for adjusting and supporting the lower back, enabling users to fine-tune the lumbar cushion's volume with a button.
  • TOP UP system – A system for customized neck and head support, ideal for different needs (reading, watching TV, or just napping).
  • USB port – Charging via USB cable for mobile devices.
  • DOUBLE VISCO layer combined with pocket springs in the seat and leg area—so comfortable you won’t want to get up!
  • Pocket springs in the seat (combined with a thick visco layer) for maximum support.
  • ZERO GRAVITY position, which reduces gravitational force, creating an effect of even weight distribution throughout the body, improving blood circulation, and providing ultimate relaxation.
  • Available in fabric or full, soft, high-quality leather.
The tester is an elderly woman, a widow living alone, and particularly skeptical about products of this kind. She fell in love at first sight. "I sank into it and couldn't get out—it's addictive," she said. According to her, the armchair provided her with a perfectly tailored comfort experience. "I hardly ever sat in the living room before, and now I don’t leave it."

After hearing such superlatives, I couldn’t resist and had to try it myself. It was an incredible experience. The armchair has several adjustment buttons that are very easy to operate. The seats feature a visco gel layer that distributes pressure and conforms to the body’s shape. The independent springs provide, just like in a mattress, maximum comfort. I kind of regretted not bringing my PlayStation with me, but you can’t have everything.

Sydney model armchair from American Comfort (credit: David Rosenthal)
Sydney model armchair from American Comfort (credit: David Rosenthal)
How good was it? Let’s put it this way: The starting price of the Sydney armchair is NIS 5,890 (for fabric seats) and higher for leather seats. The tester had wanted to buy an armchair for a long time but had a budget half that price. After the experience, she didn’t hesitate for a second and bought it—and that alone tells you everything you need to know.

And me? I’ll keep trying to get to my destination with Michael, Lamar, and Franklin while sitting uncomfortably on my chaise lounge—and in the meantime, I’ll also schedule an appointment with a chiropractor.