Some objects travel between worlds without changing their nature, and this autumn a piece of gaming's everyday hardware is making that crossing. At Gamescom 2026, Microsoft and IKEA, two companies that have quietly shared a design philosophy for years, revealed YXSTABY, a nine-piece home collection that takes the familiar shapes of the Xbox controller and lifts them into rooms where people sit, rest, and live. The line reaches shops and screens on October 1, and it leaves an open question for the wider world: whether a sign of play can become comfortable decor for people who never picked up a
IKEA and Xbox Unveil YXSTABY, a Nine-Piece Collection That Turns Controller Design into Living Room Furniture
Furniture that hides a gamepad in plain sight
Mark
Why does a furniture line from Xbox and IKEA matter at all?
Mimi
It moves a gaming object into the living room. The thumbstick stool uses the original CAD files, so it's a deliberate copy of the controller part, scaled up.
Luke
Worth noting that's a design claim from the companies. We haven't seen prices or how the stool performs as a stool.
Mark
What's the Billy bookcase connection?
Mimi
Carl Ledbetter, Xbox's Head of Design, says the team has long used the Billy bookcase as its de facto test for console design. He says both brands care about scale, accessibility and fitting into homes.
Luke
That's one executive's account of the relationship. It's a nice anecdote, but it isn't independent confirmation of how they work.
Mark
What was hard about making it?
Mimi
Flat-pack. Furniture has to ship, be assembled by customers and look natural in non-gaming rooms, which a boxed console never has to do.
Mark
And the look?
Mimi
Subtle. Xbox green stitching on gray and black fabric, and a lounge chair with a forward-leaning posture and a reclined one.
Luke
Still unknown: pricing, which pieces are sold in which markets, and how many units are planned. October 1 is the only date we have.
Il Polso
- A familiar gamepad has been scaled up into furniture, and the tension lies in whether that translation will feel natural or strained.
- The thumbstick stool, built from original CAD files, invites sitters to tilt and pivot, turning a controller gesture into everyday seating.
- Engineers had to solve problems ordinary console design never faces, such as shipping oversized parts flat and letting customers assemble them at home.
- Restrained gray and black fabrics with subtle green stitching let the collection slip into living rooms without shouting about gaming.
- The global launch on October 1, both online and in IKEA stores, now tests whether the pieces will reach beyond existing Xbox owners.
Some objects travel between worlds without changing their nature, and this autumn a piece of gaming's everyday hardware is making that crossing. At Gamescom 2026, Microsoft and IKEA, two companies that have quietly shared a design philosophy for years, revealed YXSTABY, a nine-piece home collection that takes the familiar shapes of the Xbox controller and lifts them into rooms where people sit, rest, and live. The line reaches shops and screens on October 1, and it leaves an open question for the wider world: whether a sign of play can become comfortable decor for people who never picked up a gamepad at all.
At Gamescom 2026, Microsoft and IKEA unveiled YXSTABY, nine pieces of home furniture built from the shapes of Xbox controllers. The idea takes parts of a gamepad that players touch every day and enlarges them into things you can sit on, rest a drink on, or tuck gear away in.
The centerpiece is a green and black stool modeled on the thumbstick. Designed from the original CAD files to keep its form true, its curved base lets a person tilt and pivot in every direction, just as the real control does. Its textured edge gives the sitter a bit of grip. The D-pad appears twice, as a large cushion and as a stainless-steel tray inspired by the faceted metal D-pad on Xbox Elite controllers. The rest of the range is quieter: rolling side tables with cable management, display boxes for controllers, and a cantilevered lounge chair with a hidden pouch beneath the seat for stashing gamepads.
Carl Ledbetter, Xbox Head of Design, described a long, mostly unspoken bond between the two brands. For years, he said, the Xbox team has used IKEA's Billy bookcase as an informal test for any console design, since both companies aim for scale, accessibility, and a natural place in everyday homes.
Translating controller ideas into IKEA's system was not simple. Oversized elements had to ship flat and be assembled by customers, and everything had to feel at home in rooms that were not built for gaming. The designers answered with restraint. Green Xbox stitching runs through neutral fabrics as a wink to enthusiasts, and the lounge chair offers a forward-leaning posture for focused play and a reclined one for relaxing or reading.
YXSTABY launches worldwide, online and in IKEA stores, on October 1. The real question is whether pieces this understated can win over people who have never owned an Xbox.
At Gamescom 2026, Microsoft and IKEA showed off YXSTABY, a nine-piece home furnishings collection built around the shapes of Xbox controller hardware. The line takes parts of a gamepad that players handle every day and scales them up into things you can sit on, set a drink on, or store gear in.
The piece that stands out most is a green and black stool modeled on the controller's thumbstick. It was designed from the original CAD files, which the companies used to keep the shape accurate. Its curved base lets a person tilt and pivot in every direction, as the real thumbstick does. The seat surface carries the thumbstick's textured, tessellated edge, which also gives the sitter some grip.
The D-pad gets two treatments: a large cushion, and a stainless-steel tray based on the faceted metallic D-pad found on Xbox Elite controllers. The rest of the range is less overtly controller-shaped. It includes rolling side tables with built-in cable management, display boxes for controllers, and a cantilevered lounge chair. Under that chair's seat is a hidden storage pouch meant to keep gamepads out of sight when nobody is playing.
Carl Ledbetter, Xbox Head of Design, described the partnership as a long-running, mostly unspoken connection between the two brands. He said that for years the piece of furniture the Xbox team has used as its de facto test for any console design is IKEA's Billy bookcase. In his telling, both companies design around the same goals: scale, accessibility, and fitting into everyday home life.
Bringing controller ideas into IKEA's system was not a straight transfer. Ordinary hardware development ends once a finished console is boxed. Furniture had to clear further hurdles: the oversized controller elements needed to ship flat, be assembled by customers, and sit comfortably in rooms that are not dedicated to gaming.
The designers handled that with restraint. Xbox green stitching runs through neutral gray and black fabrics, a nod for enthusiasts that avoids turning the living room into an obvious gamer cave. The lounge chair supports two postures: a forward-leaning one for competitive focus, and a reclined one for casual play or reading.
YXSTABY is scheduled to launch globally, online and in IKEA stores, starting October 1. As with much of IKEA's catalog, the name comes from a real place in Sweden. The open question is whether furniture styled this quietly will appeal beyond people who already own an Xbox.
Citazioni salienti
The piece of furniture that we use as our de facto test for any console design is the Billy bookcase from IKEA.— Carl Ledbetter, Xbox Head of Design
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Hot Hardware ↗
Technology