Making handheld gaming captivatingly comfy.

Between the mobile game boom and Nintendo’s Switch being the most powerful handheld game system to date, video gaming has gotten much more convenient and flexible in the past few years. Oddly enough, though, in some ways it’s gotten less comfortable as a result.

When playing a game on a standard console, you can hold the controller on your lap and look straight ahead at the TV screen to see the action. But when playing on your phone or a handheld system, the screen and controls occupy the same space. If you hold the hardware flat on your lap, you’re hunching your back and curling your neck to an uncomfortable degree in order to see the screen, and if you hold the screen up to your normal eye-height, you’ve got to keep your shoulders flexed the entire time.

So what you need is a comfortable way to keep the phone/system at a nice, medium height to minimize the strain on your body, and that’s just what Japanese company Thanko offers with its Turn A Cushion.

With its roughly triangular shape, the Turn A Cushion sits on your lap, with the indention wrapping around your hips in the front. Soft protrusions at the elbows help you keep your arms in place, and it comes with an attachable arm and holder in which to mount your smartphone, if you so desire. Thanko calls it “The cushion that turns gamers into prisoners,” though that’s meant to be of the happy-and-willing variety, in the sense that the cushion promises to make gaming so ergonomic that you can play for as long as you want without becoming uncomfortable.

▼ Even with the phone holder in place, the cushion still has two other pockets in which to stash munchies. Don’t worry, the cover is removable and washable, in case you get snack dust on it.

The design has similarities with laptop cushions, but its more compact design makes it easier to use, and it’s equally handy when sitting on a sofa or the floor.

Or, if you’d like to really stretch out and relax, the Turn A Cushion can also function as a chin/chest rest.

The Turn A Cushion is priced at 5,980 yen (US$54) and can be ordered here through Thanko’s online shop (the same shop that sells its ultra-popular portable-size one-person rice cooker). Meanwhile, if you’re looking for more substantial gaming interior elements, there’s always Japan’s gaming bed.

Source, images: Thanko
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Follow Casey on Twitter, where’s it’s impossible for him to hear “turn A” without mentally adding “Gundam.”