A Thumbstick You Can Sit On Walked Into Gamescom as Part of the IKEA x Xbox YXSTABY Gaming Collection

Gamescom usually sells the next console, the next season pass, the next reason to stay up too late. This year IKEA arrived with a nine-piece line called YXSTABY, built with Xbox designers piece by piece, and the pitch is quieter than the hall around it. Play now happens on sofas, at kitchen tables, between homework and dinner. These objects are meant to roll in for that hour and roll back out without turning the room into a cave.

Work on the YXSTABY project began during a 2024 meeting at Milan Design Week, where IKEA’s Philip Dilé shared the Brännboll gaming line with Xbox design lead Carl Ledbetter. Fast forward two years, and every YXSTABY item is now co-designed by one of IKEA’s designers and one from Xbox, a somewhat unique cooperation. According to Ledbetter, Xbox already used IKEA’s Billy bookcase as an informal testing area for new consoles, so they had a head start before the cooperation began. Dilé put the goal in plain terms: make furniture people actually want in a shared room, rather than furniture they tolerate because a game needs a place to live.

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The star of the show is the thumbstick stool, which costs $49.99 in the United States and is available in green or black. That’s a lot of work that went into getting the design exactly correct. IKEA’s David Wahl began with the original 3D blueprints for an Xbox stick, scaled it up, and then spent months smoothing down that hard grip to create a seat that nonetheless appears undeniably like the gaming controller from across the room. The textured top prevents you from slipping out, and the small rubber rings on the base are similar to the swappable caps of a pricey Elite controller. Even when you sit, there is a tiny tilt, similar to a real stick, before it returns to its upright position. Wahl, who is from Älmhult, IKEA’s hometown, was among the first to receive the original Xbox in 2001. He added a personal touch with an assembly note that reads “Hej from Älmhult.” Prototype bases went through several revisions, including a totally circular version that was somewhat too top-heavy, before they settled on one that stays in just fine.

The matching D-pad cushion ($14.99) and 13-inch stainless steel D-pad platter ($14.99) share the same design elements as the controller. Johan Ejdemo, IKEA’s head of design, first drew the platter as a stool before chopping off the base and leaving the little buried cross that you can use to stow remotes, keys, or even little controllers without making a big show about it. Meanwhile, a compact, mirrored display case in black or white ($29.99) is about the size of an Xbox pad and allows you to appreciate it from every aspect, as well as anything else you don’t want to hide.

Larger pieces of equipment elevate the movement to a whole other level. A TV stand with castors ($149.99 in white or black) is a change for IKEA, which hasn’t done one of these in years. A robust easel-style frame can hold a 55-inch TV, a split shelf for your console, a few hooks, plus some discreet storage for wires and additional controllers. Wheel it over to the sofa, play, then wheel it back when you’re finished. A companion side table ($149.99 in oak veneer and gray) in the corner of the room is also handy, as it is a strong little object that keeps your controller charged and all of your belongings tidy, and the green tray is the only bright feature in the entire design. Both of these are designed to be quite subtle, blending in with the rest of your existing furniture.

Seating stays just as temporary, as a Vissle lounge chair in beige ($99.99) has some elasticity in the steel frame, flexing just enough to lean back without dumping you into a nap. Down at the bottom of the chair is a mesh pouch that holds your controllers or a magazine and is lined with the same green Ikea utilizes for all of their gaming gear. The cover is washable, so you won’t have to worry about it getting stained. For work, there’s a simple small monitor stand ($34.99) that can lift one or two screens, store your stuff underneath, and hold a phone, headphones, or tablet on the edge. To keep all of your cords and gear organized, there’s a steel and particleboard toolbox ($29.99) that can fit everything and then turns over into a laptop rest, allowing you to game and then return to dinner without having to look for anything.

IKEA has used a very subtle palette here, with white, black, beige, oak, and the green used for all of the pockets and compartments. Straight lines and curving portions are the norm, so they’ll blend nicely with almost any other piece of furniture. This entire range was introduced at IKEA’s first Gamescom stand in Cologne this week, and U.S. stores get it October 1, with online orders following November 30. UK pricing runs lower, from £12 for the cushion and platter up to £115 for the side table, also from October 1 while stock lasts. Availability shifts by market, and the run is finite.