IKEA is probably not the first name that comes to mind when it comes to PC gaming and accessories, with the likes of Secretlab and Omnidesk dominating that space. But it appears that the Swedish furniture maker is venturing into new horizons with a new range of gaming furniture and accessories in a new partnership with ASUS ROG.
IKEA first announced the news earlier this week, stating that it will be teaming up with the Taiwanese PC giant to produce a new line of “affordable” gaming chairs, tables and other accessories. This new range of roughly 30 products will be launched in China in February 2021, and will be available for the rest of the world come October 2021.
“There are a lot of existing conventions about gaming which are often stereotypical or negative, for example, all the games are built on violence, gaming is asocial and it is predominantly a men’s activity. In fact, figures show that gaming is among the most truly cross-demographic activities, and it can improve an individual’s mental health and general well-being,” says Ewa Rychert, Global Business Leader of Workspace. “We hope that the new gaming range will help to embrace and enable the benefits of gaming in life at home.,”
”ROG is thrilled to be partnering with IKEA to create the ultimate gaming lifestyle for gamers. Gamers have always dreamed of the perfect gaming space that is both comfortably functional and enables full immersion in games,” says Kris Huang, General Manager of ASUS Gaming Gear and Accessories Business Unit.
“With years of experience delivering innovative gaming solutions to gamers, ROG has a strong understanding of the gaming community. Together with IKEA as an expert in home furnishing, we envision that this collaboration will create synergies that empower gamers to build the gaming space they have always imagined in the comfort of their own homes.”
What exactly IKEA and ASUS ROG will come up with for their new line remains to be seen, though we can imagine their new chairs, for example, could be at least half the price of the likes of a Secretlab or Royale one, which typically retail for about S$400 and up.
Speaking of gaming chairs, we’ve seen just what ASUS ROG could do with its very own Chariot RGB gaming chair, so we imagine IKEA will be using that as a blueprint of sorts.
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.