Pyramat PM300

Sit down, shut up, and listen!  The Pyramat 300 will leave gamers happily doing all three.

There are three things every serious gamer needs: a good television screen, a booming sound system, and a place to comfortably park their body.  Pyramat Interactive can’t appease the lust for a large quality television, but the new company can take care of the needs for a sound system and comfortable seating with one product: the Pyramat 300. 

The Pyramat 300 (‘Pyra’ as in Pyramid thanks to the shape of the headrest) looks like a standard sit-up mat with a triangular headrest at one end, but it offers a lot more than cushiony seating for gamers.  Inside the headrest are speakers that deliver quality stereo sound where gamers need it most; blasting right next to their ears.  The Pyramat 300 headrest also has some sub-bass kickers to provide a nifty rumble feature.  It’s quite an immersive experience and a comfy place to lie down on. 

The mat itself is about 4 inches thick and five feet long when fully laid out.  It compacts easily for storage or portability in seconds simply by wrapping the mat around the headrest.  Even though the mat is only inches thick, it is incredibly comfortable and sucks gamers into playing games for hours on end.  The Pyramat 300 can also unfold to a chair mode (think of the mat being partially unraveled) but it doesn’t quite compare to the lounging comfort of the fully extended option. 

Setting up the speaker system is a snap.  A hefty AC adapter powers the Pyramat 300 and supplied RCA cables connect the red and white plugs from your game console, DVD player, or stereo to the Pyramat headrest.  Once the individual volume and rumble settings are tuned, gamers are ready to go.

Although the Pyramat 300 works for all games, it seems perfectly designed for action-packed first-person shooters.  I immediately threw in Halo (what else?) and sat down in the Pyramat 300.  A few minutes later I had forgotten where I was.  The sound is completely engulfing.  Firing off a few rounds from the assault rifle into some aliens is extra gratifying with the rumbling feature.  Enemies to the left sound like they’re coming from the left thanks to the speakers being right next to gamers’ ears.  Needless to say, the sound freaked me out and I loved it.  The next test was the latest Tom Clancy game, Ghost Recon: Island Thunder, which quite possibly has the best sound of any console game.  If you’d like to take a few years off your life or want to induce a premature coronary, I suggest playing Island Thunder on a Pyramat.  It is intense!  Grenades, bullets, and thunder echo in your head and add a completely new dimension to the game.  The rumble from the different guns is amazing.  Each gun has a different kick to it, and it really comes through on the Pyramat.  I did a short test run with NCAA Football 2004, but it didn’t compare to the in depth stereo sound of first-person shooters. 

The Pyramat does a great job of keeping other people involved or shutting them out.  Two RCA outs allow users to have both the Pyramat and their normal sound system plugged in simultaneously.  Conversely, The Pyramat has a headphone jack to protect others from hearing your intense firefights. 

The Pyramat may seem like an extraneous accessory, but it really does bring out a lot in FPS titles.  It is ideally suited for gamers who can’t get enough of FPS titles and have an extra $150 to spend.  See www.pyramat.com for more information.
 

Pros:

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.  The Pyramat 300 enhances certain games particularly well.  Halo, Ghost Recon, and other excellent FPS games are perfect for the Pyramat 300.  It intends to give gamers a quality audio experience and a cozy place to lie down, and delivers both swimmingly.  The Pyramat also works well with DVDs and music.  The convenient storage and portability is also a plus. 

Cons:

At $150, it may not be in everybody’s price range.  Although it works great for FPS titles, it’s not ideal for sports games or other genres. 

Verdict: 8.6

Unless you have a booming surround sound system, the Pyramat 300 is definitely worth checking out for FPS fans who want to be completely sucked into their games.