If you’ve ever wished you could pack up your entire work-from-home setup and move it from one room to another without juggling a laptop, keyboard, mouse, cables, and a handful of work items, IKEA might have just the thing for you.
Meet the YXSTABY Gaming Laptop Support with Storage, a clever little piece of furniture developed by IKEA in collaboration with Xbox. Originally designed for gamers to move their setup between rooms, whether playing in the bedroom or bringing it into the family room when friends come over, it doubles as a portable workstation.
At first glance, it looks like a compact toolbox, but open it up and it transforms into a laptop stand, with room inside to store your tech essentials when you’re done.
First Impressions: Clean, Simple, A Bit Industrial
One of the first things I noticed about the YXSTABY Toolbox is how understated it looks. Despite being designed with gaming in mind, it doesn’t scream “gamer accessory” or look out of place in a modern home. IKEA has gone for something that feels more like a piece of furniture that blends in with the rest of your home.
The white exterior gives it a clean, minimalist appearance, while the wood-look side panels introduce a little warmth and texture. Inside, the green felt lining adds a welcome pop of colour. This combination of colours makes it attractive enough that you don’t want to hide it away.
The YXSTABY is noticeably heavier than I expected. Having said that, the weight gives a solid and sturdy feeling, adding confidence that it can hold a fair bit of equipment without getting flimsy.
Assembly
As with most IKEA furniture, you’ll need to assemble the YXSTABY before using it. Fortunately, the process is relatively straightforward, and you shouldn’t have too much trouble putting everything together.
One minor nitpick is that some of the screw holes aren’t perfectly flush, which is a small detail that could have been better finished. That said, it doesn’t affect the overall assembly or the appearance of the finished product.
My use case: A portable work-from-home setup
Although IKEA developed the YXSTABY with gaming in mind, my main use case is working from home.
I don’t want to be tied to one particular desk or corner of the house. Sometimes it’s nice to change the scenery or work from a different spot.
With the YXSTABY, I can keep my laptop, keyboard and mouse together in one compact unit, pick it up and move to another part of the house, then set everything up again when I’m ready to work.
The lid unfolds to become a laptop stand, while the interior provides space to store my equipment when it’s not in use. The felt lining also helps cushion the contents.
When the workday is over, everything goes back into the box. Close the lid, put it aside and reclaim your table space without leaving your equipment scattered around the house.
Where to buy
The YXSTABY Gaming Laptop Support with Storage is now available at IKEA Australia for $45.99.
