What just happened? Ikea has announced a new line of gaming furniture that's a bit different from what we're used to seeing in this category. Rather than large, car-like chairs and expensive, RGB-covered tables, the new Brännboll collection wouldn't look out of place in any home, especially one for students in the 1990s.
Launched at Milan Design Week 2024, the Brännboll collection aims to reflect "casual gaming today," said Philip Dilé, product design developer at Ikea.
Most of Ikea's collection is very colorful, something else we don't usually associate with gaming furniture, which is often mostly black or white. It's also designed with gaming in mind. An example is the new Gaming Easy Chair (above). It's low to the ground, which Dilé said was a common request among gamers, and comes with a shaped mesh seat and metal frame. The idea is that it can adapt and shift with the movements of gamers immersed in whatever they're playing. "It's like our novel take on a rocking chair, but instead you swing," Dilé told Wired.
Minimalists might like the Gaming Station, which looks like an updated version of one of those late 90s computer desks, complete with space for a monitor, keyboard, and desktop tower. Ikea's version can be hidden away, chair included, just by closing the doors.
Need something to hold all your devices and snacks? How about this gaming cart. It comes with casters and pegboards on the side, much like the Asus ROG pegboard Ikea already sells – check out the strapped-up ROG Ally in the photo. The image also shows a holder designed to prevent your popcorn bowl from tipping over.
Something I like the look of is the Gaming Lounge Chair. It has casters on two legs so you can easily drag it closer to a screen. But the main feature is the way the lower of the two cushions folds out so you can stretch your legs and get even lower to the ground.
Display cabinets, a popular piece of furniture for gamers, also make up Ikea's collection. These are wall-mountable and come in nice blue and white colors, great for showing off your comically expensive statues of video game and anime figures.
The rest of the collection consists of a side table that, similar to the Lounge Chair, has two casters on one set of legs. There's also a basket that apparently doubles as a table, a snazzy rug, and an inflatable donut chair.
No word yet on how much the furniture will cost. The Brännboll collection will launch across all Ikea markets in September 2024.
For some traditional gaming furniture, check out our reviews of the Secretlab Magnus Pro XL desk, Noblechairs Legend chair, and FlexiSpot C7 Ergonomic Chair.
