Offering machine-cut particleboard and gravy-filled meatballs, IKEA is taking on the expensive and overpriced gaming furniture and accessories market

IKEA has announced a partnership with Asus Republic of Gamers to launch a new line of gaming-specific furniture and accessories for the US, UK, and Ireland markets in October Not all accessories will be available at once; some will be available in January 2022

"We believe there is much work to be done to democratize the gaming experience," said Ewa Rychert, global business leader for workspace at IKEA Sweden, in a press release announcing the news 'By offering affordable, high-performance gaming products and complete solutions that reflect people's personalities and preferences, we are taking the first step in our gaming journey'

The new line of furniture and accessories includes height-adjustable desks, chairs, headphone stands, tumblers, neck pillows, virtually snuggies, mouse pads, and ring lights In all, the line includes 30 products

Of the accessories, the gaming chair lineup seems to be the most intriguing IKEA has introduced five new models of gaming chairs, ranging in price from $69 to $349

The lowest price is the Huvudspelare at $69, $80 ahead of the FlexiSpot Gaming Chair GC01, the lowest price on our Best Gaming Chairs list It's made of polyester with a mesh backrest and steel

Utespelare follows, with a black or gray polyester/polyurethane/cotton blend seat that's not particularly plush but leans toward Ikea's minimalist aesthetic

Further up the road is Matchspelare, a $189 chair, also constructed of polyester/polyurethane/cotton over steel, but with a mesh backrest and headrest

The last gaming chair by IKEA is the Gruppspell, a $289 chair with a steel frame, all polyester, and mesh headrests

The top of the line gaming chair by IKEA is the $349 Gruppspel grain leather gaming chair Unlike the other chairs, it is made of cow grained leather, but follows the same design as the $289 Gruppspel

Of these chairs, the $129 Utespelare and the $349 leather Gruppspel may be the biggest deals, hundreds of dollars below their competitors The former looks like a sophisticated racing seat, but in some cases is $200 cheaper

The GT Racing Pro series costs the same as IKEA's Utespelare chairs Of course, they don't seem to be as foam padded as their competitors However, the leather Gruppspel is $450 and $150 less than competitors like the SecretLab Titan and Razer Iskur, which are made of Napa leather, respectively

According to the IKEA press release, this model is full leather, not the cheaper bonded leather material found in many lower-priced chairs Bonded leather differs from full-grain leather in that it is made of genuine leather and faux leather fibers bonded together It looks similar to full-grain leather, but it is often less durable and tends to peel and fade over time