Pop quiz hot shot--what's the most in-demand piece of electronic equipment at the Consumer Electronics Trade Show?

No, it's not the Microsoft Surface. It's not a new Intel chipset. It's not a Macbook, or an e-book. It's not an OLED TV, or a curved DLP, or a robotic manatee. And it's definitely not an HD DVD player.

Think leather cushions. Think smooth reclining action. Think vibration features, arm massagers, and butt-kickers.

Yes, above all else, the most tested products on the show floor this year were chairs. And no wonder--CES is a labyrinth of Poe-like proportions. Some are here to buy, some are here to sell, but others--others just want to sit their ass down.

That's where I come in.

I took time out from the hectic pace of covering games and electronics in order to focus on what Shackers really want--all the best in chair news and reviews. So sit down, relax, and check out this year's Chair of the Year Award winners.

Achievement in Overall Utility
Winner: The Repose

The Repose is a thick red thing of beauty. Sitting in it was a breathtaking experience, and that was only half the story. Among its many features are a gentle airbag massage, a built-in seven speaker system for DTS sound, a USB charger, wireless music player connectivity, a multitude of digital inputs, and a cup holder. Sure, it's missing the standard 2.4ghz wireless audio receiver and built-in fridge, but it's hard to fault it for that.

Just kidding. It's only missing the fridge.

And how about that name? The Repose. Simple, classy, it calls to mind both Manny Calavera and Christopher Walken in a bathrobe, two wonderful images that should always be in your mind as you recline in The Repose.

Runner-up: The Chair of Lecter

I'm calling this guy the "Silence of the Lambs" model. Designed by Zed from Pulp Fiction, this chair has clearly bypassed some kind of governmental regulation on its way to CES. Or was it just wheeled in from the Adult Video convention down the hall?

Either way, I was too terrified to try it, but it looked like it probably should win an award, which is enough for me to vote for it, right?

Achievement in Plastics
Winner: Game Center

This self-contained gaming pod by Game Center is a little perplexing. One part Minority Report, one part A.I., it makes for quite the imposing pod. When Spielberg said he wanted someone to cry from a game, he didn't mean he wanted your wife to cry when you brought something like this into the house.

Still, as a kid, this would have been pretty cool. Especially since the next logical step is to black drape a sheet over the side and turn it into a giant egg-fort.

Worst Bargain
Winner: Dreamflyer

The Dreamflyer is basically a powerless flight simulator--a metal frame mounted on a big gimbal, counterbalanced by a weighted tail. Attached to the frame are throttles, pedals, joysticks, three large LCD monitors, and a chair. The gimbal reacts to the action of the center column, using your weight to drive the motion. Gravity takes care of the rest.

Well, your wallet does some of the heavy lifting. The tri-mounted unit costs almost $3000. Monitors not included.

Most Likely Cause of Herniated Disk
Winner: D-box

While Dreamflyer aims for elegance, D-box takes the manly approach to flight and racing chairs--more power. Mechanized jackhammer-like mounts rattle your bones in car simulators, and they help simulate motion in the flight sim configuration.

Of course, this doesn't help when your demo unit is trying to run Flight Simulator 2007 on a 40" TV in high resolution mode and crashes hard, but the seat was comfortable enough that I didn't mind.

Achievement in Whiteness
Winner: Intel

The Intel Hi-Def Lounge had some pretty crazy chairs. These babies were real space-age buckets, with built-in speakers and mysterious lights. It may as well have been an ad for 2001: A Space Odyssey in HD.

Ultimately, I felt the Intel chairs were a little lacking in terms of depth. I would have liked to have seen greater characterization, both inside and outside the chair. Not quite Chair of the Year material.

Turn the page to find out more about this year's chairs of CES, including our winning pick.