Your essential guide to combining BDI with your PS5 or XBox Series X
Gaming was a multi-billion pound industry in 2020, with the largest demographic falling between the ages of 18 to 34, followed closely by 34 to 54 years of age. Many gamers these days own multiple gaming devices and accessories, including consoles, handhelds, ultra-wide monitors, premium speakers, gaming headsets, and specially designed gaming chairs.
Proper storage and organisation are especially crucial for gaming consoles and finding the right cabinet to house, cool, and protect them. However, most media cabinets today aren’t built with next-generation console dimensions and requirements in mind. Because they’re packing increased hardware for features like faster processors, increased RAM, ray-tracing, 4k gaming, and solid-state hard drives, these units are bulking up considerably and require a larger footprint.
Gaming Giants
The PS5 and Xbox Series X are the largest gaming consoles to ever be released, thanks to high-end internal hardware designed to meet the demands of next-generation gaming.
The highly in-demand PlayStation 5 (PS5), for example, is the largest unit ever released. These uniquely designed console units stand at least 15-inches tall, and in their vertical orientation create a unique storage challenge. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X isn’t exactly petite, measuring almost 12 inches tall. When you consider that many gamers own several consoles, having room to grow becomes even more critical. These challenges are precisely why a media console with adjustable shelves and spacious interiors is a must-have for your next-gen gaming setup.
Luckily, BDI’s Corridor, Align, and Elements TV stands and entertainment centres offer ample space for gaming setups, as well as many tech-driven considerations specifically designed to protect your home theatre and gaming gear.
Here’s more on the best BDI media consoles for next-gen gaming and what makes them ideal for today’s gamer and their technology needs:
Corridor 8179
The Corridor 8179 media cabinet offers a host of features that are designed to maximise the life of components inside and protect your gaming console investment over the life of your system.
Corridor 8179 is an award-winning design distinguished by its louvered doors and durable satin-tempered glass top. Ideal for complete gaming systems, the cabinet boasts adjustable and removable shelves, allowing a total height clearance of up to 17.25 inches, perfect for even a vertically positioned PS5.The remote-friendly and acoustically transparent louvered doors—along with ventilation built into the bottom, rear, and top panels—allow heat to disperse evenly.
Align 7479
Sleek and streamlined, the Align media collection offers multiple cabinet sizes and tech-inspired features that make it ideal as a host for a full-featured gaming system.
Similar to Corridor, the Align 7479 features flow-through slatted doors designed with form and function in mind. The four-compartment cabinet has three adjustable and removable shelves that allow up to 17” in height for gaming gear to be stored inside.The slatted doors also mean you can keep components concealed inside while air, sound, and IR signals easily flow through. The roomy interior spaces allow for 8-12 components, including a soundbar up to 37” wide—making this an ideal cabinet for a complete gaming setup.
Elements 8779
Nature-inspired laser-cut door patterns not only boast a signature design feature for the Elements collection, but they allow contents to stay concealed, organised, and beautifully out of view.
For a more architectural aesthetic, the award-winning Elements 8779 features three nature-inspired door patterns to choose from. The doors are laser-cut and then backed with perforated metal that allows audio, air, and remote signals to pass through without interference while keeping items neatly concealed inside.
Offering the largest available interior spaces, the 8779's adjustable and removable shelves allow for components up to 18.25" and can house a soundbar up to 37.75" wide in the central compartment and hold up to 12 components throughout.
Next-Generation Features
Your next-generation gaming console needs a media cabinet with next-generation features to store, present, and protect your gear while helping to take your home entertainment set-up to the next level.
Here are just a few innovative features that come standard on the Corridor, Elements, and Align collections:
BUILT-IN VENTILATION
Keeping things cool.Ventilation slots in the bottom panels, back panels, and shelves promote airflow, keeping electronics cool.
CABLE MANAGEMENT
Clutter control. Cable cut-outs, integrated routing channels, cable straps, and removable back panels keep wires organised.
REAR ACCESS PANELS
Component access. Ventilated rear panels slide or can be removed for easy and unfettered access to the rear of components.
HIDDEN WHEELS
Ease of movement. Concealed wheels make movement and access to cables a breeze. Levelers help to balance on uneven floors.
For those with smaller game caves, the Corridor 8177, Align 7477 and Elements 8777 are versatile solutions.
The fixed soundbar shelf means there is not as much room to house gaming systems vertically, yet the wide interiors can accommodate horizontally placed consoles. In addition, both the Corridor 8177 and Align 7477 feature dedicated storage drawers ideal for games, controllers and other accessories.
The latest generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles requires an entertainment system that can effortlessly house them and provides the innovative features you need to keep them running at their optimal levels.
Combine that with built-in cable management while also providing the storage you need for your games, charging docks, and other accessories, and it becomes clear that a thoughtfully engineered BDI TV stand will help take your gaming setup to the next level.