The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X - especially the former - are so large that furniture store IKEA has designed and introduced mock consoles for customers on the hunt for new media cabinets at its stores. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are sizable consoles. The latter, while short, is abnormally wide for a home console. Meanwhile, Sony's newest hardware is a monster of a machine, particularly so due to its 15-plus-inch height. Simply put, plenty of new console owners have found themselves making concessions when trying to fit the recently released systems in their designated entertainment spaces.
Microsoft and Sony launched their new gaming consoles around the world late last year. Each device has been notoriously difficult to find in stock, however, due to supply constraints and widely successful scalping groups. Of course, that's had little effect on the memes mocking the comically large consoles' sizes and shapes. Of course, the PS5's massive heatsink and fan make up its powerful cooling system, and they also help to explain the console's mammoth design. Still, fans of either console are hoping the hardware manufacturers have plans in place for slimmer models further down the line.
Until slimmer models of the PS5 and Xbox Series X become available, though, some players will have to settle on either reconfiguring their entertainment set up or investing in a new media cabinet altogether. Those looking to do the latter will be pleased to learn that IKEA, well-known for its gaming-related creativity, has taken measures to make the shopping experience easier. As seen in a post on Reddit, the furniture store created what appears to be cardboard mock-ups of the newer PlayStation and Xbox devices, allowing console owners to better decide which media cabinet is best for their gaming set up while in-store. Especially worthy of note is the text featured on the side of the PS5 mock-up. It reads: "Which IKEA media storage unit will be able to fit my new, meme-ishly oversized, game console?"
It's a creative and clever solution to what will likely become a more widespread problem as time wears on. That IKEA already has these mock-ups in place suggests the store may have previously fielded many customer questions about the size of media cabinets in relation to the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Or maybe the retailer is simply having a laugh, all while preemptively preparing for the inevitable wave of new console owners astonished at the physical size of their purchases. Either way, IKEA customers now have one less thing to worry about beyond the stores' notoriously maze-like design.
The consoles themselves are still tough to track down, though. This is an issue that should be solved before long. Microsoft has said it's working to make more next-gen consoles available. Similarly, a recent report indicates that Sony expects to drastically increase PS5 production throughout this year.
Source: Reddit