IKEA has launched YXSTABY, a nine-piece collection for gamers designed in collaboration with Xbox, in the Philippines. The range includes joystick-inspired stools, functional TV stands, comfortable gaming chairs and more.

IKEA introduced the collection at its Pasay showroom on November 4 through interactive room settings that show what a gaming setup can be. The launch event drew design lovers, gaming enthusiasts and coplayers, and referenced IKEA’s blue and yellow FRAKTA carryall bag with a cosplay runway, followed by immersive station tours.

Designed for how gamers play

IKEA and Xbox each contributed one designer to the collection, drawing on their expertise in comfort and design and on what gamers need. With an estimated three billion gamers in the world, gaming has changed how people spend their time and furnish their homes.

“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.

XBOX Devices Head of Design Carl Ledbetter says, “We share a common design ethos: we want to help people solve the challenges they face in their everyday lives.”

What’s in the collection

The collection is inspired by Xbox gaming controllers and designed around the way gamers actually play.

• Gaming lounge chair: Accommodates a forward-leaning position for early gameplay and a reclining position for longer play
• Rolling side table: Keeps gaming accessories at hand
• Cable storage solution: Designed with felt inserts to protect cables, and unfolds into a laptop stand
• TV stand on castors: Can be moved from one room to another
• Gaming D-pad cushion: Inspired by the “+”-shaped directional button on the controller
• Stainless steel platter: Inspired by the D-pad
• Tilting thumbstick stool: Draws from the controller’s analog stick
• Mirrored display box: For prized controllers and gaming collectibles

Built for Filipino homes

For Filipino households, IKEA says, a gaming chair can move from a shared bedroom to the dining room when everyone is asleep, and a TV stand can move to the living room for multiplayer gameplay. It can also stop the family from complaining about gaming accessories being all over the house.

For families with limited space, gaming no longer has to be in one room that serves multiple functions throughout the day, such as homework, meal preparation, eating or work meetings.

The collection also aims to settle the argument in countless homes about how gaming can ruin the aesthetics of a house.

“For Filipino gamers, the collaboration is even sweeter with IKEA’s affordable pricing and insights into how people really live, especially since the Philippines ranks first globally among internet users who play video games on any device, and play an average of 11 hours per week, the highest weekly gaming time globally,” says May Castillo, IKEA Philippines Sales Leader.

IKEA Philippines Selling Manager Sarah Cox adds, “The YXSTABY collection is inspired from XBOX gaming controllers, designed around the way gamers actually play, and splashed with IKEA’s sense of fun.”

At the launch

Coplayers Prince De Guzman and Awie De Guzman played a game of Pac-Man during the event, while Bimby Aquino-Yap spent his downtime playing Xbox games with the collection. Host Hans Galeria and Castillo gave the audience a run-through of the lineup.

Visit the IKEA showroom at Mall of Asia, Pasay, and shop online at www.ikea.com.ph.