IKEA and XBOX launch a new gaming-inspired collection designed to feel at home wherever play happens

Introducing YXSTABY, a nine-piece collection designed for gaming at home as it happens today, in any room and alongside everything and everyone else in it.

Gaming is one of the world's biggest hobbies and an essential part of everyday life for more than 3 billion people. At home, it moves from room to room and screen to screen, and takes place alongside everyday activities; at kitchen tables, on sofas, alongside homework and dinner. The YXSTABY collection is designed for the way gaming fits into daily life, with thoughtful, versatile pieces that make room when it's time to play, and still feel at home when the game is over.

YXSTABY was designed in close collaboration between IKEA and XBOX, with one designer from each team working together on every piece. XBOX brought 25 years of understanding how people play, IKEA over 80 years of life at home expertise, and dedicated visits to homes where gaming is part of daily life. Throughout the process, the designers considered the needs of both players and the people who share their spaces. How might a lounge chair, for example, support different positions and moods of play, hold the gear discreetly when the game is over, and still look at home in the living room or wherever you choose to play?

"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. 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. Together, we set out to make furniture people really want in their home, not furniture they accept because it is what you need to game," says Philip Dilé, Product Design Developer at IKEA of Sweden.

The collection makes it easier to bring play into a room and tuck everything away afterwards. The TV stand, the first of its kind IKEA has developed, rolls to wherever play is happening, with storage for gear at the back, and rolls away when the game is over. For people without a dedicated gaming space, the toolbox keeps controllers, cables and hardware together. Its lid closes over the contents and doubles as a laptop stand, so the dining table can become a place to play and then simply return to being a dining table.

Other pieces solve the small, familiar challenges that can come with playing at home. The side table rolls to wherever you sit, giving controllers another place to rest than the arm of the sofa and space to charge behind its sliding doors. The monitor stand raises one or two screens to a comfortable height, with storage underneath and holders for a phone, headphones and controller.

Playful designs inspired by the iconic controller

The XBOX controller is a recurring source of inspiration for the collection, shaping both how several pieces look and how they work. Its familiar forms and details appear throughout the collection in unexpected ways and help create thoughtful gaming solutions for the home. The D-pad becomes both a comfortable cushion and a decorative platter in shiny stainless steel. A mirrored display box showcases a controller from every side, alongside figurines and other collectibles worth showing off. The thumbstick stool takes the idea furthest. Developed from the controller's original 3D design files with XBOX device designers, it turns an object moved by a thumb into one designed to sit on. Even the grip texture has a new purpose, helping to keep a person in place just as it keeps a thumb from slipping.

"I queued all night 25 years ago to get my hands on the first XBOX console, so those shapes are nostalgic to me. The challenge was making it work as a stool, with the right seating curve and stability, while still feeling like a thumbstick. It even moves the way a thumbstick does, so it tilts with you while you play," says David Wahl, Designer at IKEA of Sweden.

Each piece in the collection is designed to sit naturally alongside the furniture people already own. Straight lines and softer shapes, in muted white, black and beige, bring a familiar Scandinavian simplicity, while green guides the eye to the pockets, slings and compartments designed to hold gaming gear.

YXSTABY was unveiled at Gamescom in August and will available in IKEA stores and online from 1 October. Availability may vary by market. For more information, contact your local IKEA.