IKEA is teaming up with Xbox for Yxstaby, a new nine-piece collection of gaming furniture and accessories inspired directly by the familiar shapes of the Xbox controller. The range is designed to make gaming gear feel more at home in living rooms rather than looking like traditional gaming furniture.
The Xbox influence is immediately recognizable. One of the accessories is a mint-green X-shaped cushion inspired by the controller’s D-pad, while a faceted metal tray borrows its geometry from the circular D-pad found on Xbox Elite controllers. Perhaps the most unusual piece is a compact stool modeled after an oversized analog stick, complete with a rounded base that allows it to tilt and pivot as the user moves.
IKEA and Xbox say the collaboration goes beyond simply turning controller components into furniture. The companies designed Yxstaby around the increasingly flexible ways people play games, whether on consoles, PCs or handheld devices, and whether they are sitting on a sofa, chair or directly on the floor. Xbox design chief Carl Ledbetter notes that gaming is no longer something confined to a dedicated room or basement, making furniture that can adapt to everyday living spaces increasingly important.
That approach can also be seen in a wheeled TV stand designed to accommodate a large television, console, cables and accessories. It can be rolled closer to the player when needed and moved away afterward. There’s also a lounge chair intended to support the forward-leaning position many players adopt during intense sessions, with a dedicated controller pouch hidden underneath the seat. At the same time, IKEA says it remains comfortable enough for more conventional lounging or reading.
The analog-stick stool is arguably the collection’s most playful design. IKEA designer David Wahl and Xbox designer Elliott Hsu reportedly started with the actual Xbox thumbstick design files, carrying its geometry into the much larger piece of furniture. The result makes Yxstaby feel less like another collection of RGB-heavy gaming products and more like IKEA furniture with subtle gaming references built into its DNA.
The nine-piece IKEA Yxstaby collection is scheduled to arrive in IKEA stores and online this fall.
via fastcompanyme