IKEA & Xbox Press Play On Furniture & Storage Inspired By The Iconic Controller

Images courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

IKEA and Xbox are making room for gaming without turning the living room into a command center. Their new nine-piece YXSTABY collection treats play as something that happens between dinner, homework, and whatever else is occupying the sofa, with furniture designed to roll in when it is game time and blend back into the home afterward.

Newly unveiled at Gamescom, YXSTABY is the result of a collaboration between designers from IKEA and Xbox, in time for the latter’s 25th anniversary. Instead of just building the range around the familiar dedicated gaming setup of a desk, racing-style chair, and glowing accessories, the teams looked at how gaming actually shares space with everyday domestic life.

Image courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

The companies visited homes where gaming was already part of the daily routine, paying attention to the needs of players as well as the people living alongside them.

Xbox contributed its experience designing gaming hardware, while IKEA approached the project through furniture, storage and the practical annoyances that appear when a controller, laptop, or console needs somewhere to go.

“How people play at home has shifted, and it is as much about relaxing and connecting with others as it is about performing, which changes what the space has to do,” said Philip Dilé, Product Design Developer at IKEA of Sweden. “XBOX knows what players need from their gaming setup, and we know how to solve the small problems that come with adapting that to everyday life at home.”

Among the more practical pieces is a movable TV stand, which IKEA says is the first product of its kind developed by the company. The unit can be rolled into position when someone wants to play, with space behind it for gaming equipment, before being moved away again once the screen is no longer needed.

Image courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

Another piece turns storage into a temporary setup for people without a dedicated gaming room. The toolbox keeps controllers, cables, and other hardware together, while its closed lid doubles as a laptop stand. That means a dining table can become a gaming station without permanently surrendering its day job.

Image courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

Image courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

A rolling side table takes aim at another familiar problem: where to put the controller when the sofa arm is already occupied. The unit can follow the player around the room and includes concealed charging space behind sliding doors. A monitor stand, meanwhile, can accommodate one or two displays while providing storage underneath and designated spots for a phone, headphones, and controller.

Image courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

“At Xbox, we think a lot about what helps players feel immersed in a game,” said Carl Ledbetter, Head of Design at Xbox. “The hardware is an important part of that, but so is the world you create around it.” He added that working with IKEA allowed the teams to consider the experience beyond the screen itself and into the surrounding room.

The Xbox controller provides the collection with its more playful ideas. Its directional pad has been enlarged into both a cushion and a shiny stainless steel platter, while a mirrored display case is designed to show a controller, figurines, and other collectibles from multiple angles.

Images courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

Image courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

Then there is the thumbstick stool, arguably the range’s most literal translation of gaming hardware into furniture. IKEA developed it using the controller’s original 3D design files alongside Xbox device designers, scaling up a component normally operated by one thumb into something capable of supporting an entire person. The familiar textured grip has been repurposed to help prevent the sitter from sliding.

Image courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

Designer David Wahl had some personal history to draw on. “I queued all night 25 years ago to get my hands on the first Xbox console, so those shapes are nostalgic to me,” he said. Wahl explained that the challenge was retaining the appearance and movement of a thumbstick while making the enlarged version stable and comfortable enough to sit on. The finished stool even tilts as its occupant moves.

Images courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

Despite those unmistakably Xbox-shaped objects, IKEA has kept much of the collection visually restrained. Black, white, and beige dominate, with straighter forms balanced by softer curves. Xbox green appears more selectively, drawing attention to pockets, compartments, and other areas intended to hold gaming equipment.

Images courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

The approach shows how gaming has moved beyond a particular type of room or player. With phones, laptops, consoles, and handheld systems spreading play across the home, IKEA and Xbox are designing around the idea that the same space might need to accommodate a game one moment and something completely unrelated the next.

Images courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

YXSTABY will reach IKEA stores and its online shop from October 1, although availability will differ between markets. After years of gamers adapting their homes around their hardware, IKEA and Xbox are giving the furniture a turn to play along.

Image courtesy of IKEA and featured with permission

[via IKEA, images courtesy and featured with permission]