The San Diego State bookstore has added two more sound chairs to its collection in an effort to increase student interactivity in the shop.
The sound chairs are X Rocker Spider 2.1 wireless with vibration game chairs.
The bookstore first introduced two sound chairs during winter break but has since added two more. The chairs are located in the Aztecnology department and are placed in front of a 75-inch TV.
Kelly Morlock, buyer for Aztec Shops, said the idea to bring the chairs into the store was a collaboration between her and Kathy Brown, associate director of buying for SDSU.
The goal for providing a gaming spot on campus was to allow students to go into the bookstore and hang out, said Morlock.
She said students can go into the store and ask an aztecnologist to “experience the experience” on the sound chairs.
To “experience the experience” is to watch a YouTube video that allows students to get the full effect of the sound chair though sounds and vibrations that coincide with the video.
The chairs have volume and bass-adjustable controllers so students can adjust them to their specific needs.
Students can go into the bookstore and watch a movie or play games on the PlayStation 4 or Apple TV. There are two PlayStation controllers available for students to use as long as they provide their Red ID.
Junior business major Branden Martin tried the chairs for the first time to play “Star Wars Battlefront” and compared the chair experience to a virtual reality helmet.
“The sound was just amazing and every time you shot your gun, the chair would vibrate,” Martin said. “It’s literally being inside the game.”
Martin said that he wouldn’t expect the bookstore to be a spot on campus where students go to “kick it” but maybe setting a lounge area would encourage people to go in and watch a movie with friends.
The bookstore won’t be adding extra chairs to the collection but the addition of an X-Box gaming system could be introduced if the gaming station is popular among students, Morlock said.
The four X Rocker chairs are available to students, faculty and staff within bookstore hours.
