I'm not officially the only one with three TVs in my living room

New microtrends pop up every day on the internet that become old news five minutes later. In Polygon’s new series, The Next Generation of Everything, we take a look at what’s exploding in the worlds and fandoms we follow, and what the latest changes are saying about where Extremely Online life is going next.

It is important to stand by your beliefs, even if your style is too forward-looking for the people of your time. Earlier this week, I showed off my powerful TV setup, which includes three TVs mounted on a wall. There was a surge of anger and confusion, a lack of understanding of how to get my sound mix so perfect. But there was also an outpouring of something else: support.

Some powerful, clever, and I have to assume that good-looking readers have approached their own multi-TV groupings – some of which are even more powerful and awesome than my own. Here are some of their setups.

The Monolith – Brian Jacobson

a photo of a large TV with four smaller TVs - two upstairs and two downstairs - in a living room

Brian Jacobson contacted me with his five-TV setup, which is designed to display five different sports games at once – that’s two soccer games, two basketball games, and NFL GameDay all at the same time.

They use one 65-inch, two 32-inch, and two 24-inch TVs – which I called The Monolith. Everyone is plugged into the soundbar so Brian can switch between games at will. You use the Logitech Harmony to manage the setup.

This setup is interesting because it goes so much in one direction, like it’s all one picture. These are not his and hers televisions and a third one to share. These are ALL SPORTS, ALL THE TIME. It’s like a sports bar with a TV hanging slightly above the wall in the upper right corner. That’s a compliment, of course. If you want to watch multiple games at the same time, where better than a sports bar? And with that logic, why not just build a sports bar in your home?

The Security Room – Anonymous, just outside Detroit

This setup is so powerful that its owner asked me not to reveal their name, just their approximate location.

Here we see what an impressive workspace with three huge monitors looks like. However, those monitors are 43-inch 4K Roku TVs from TCL. Each television set has access to the TV radio waves through an antenna system, and each has an ethernet cable that connects them to the Internet. All three also act as monitors for the owner’s computer. It looks like a security room that you would find in the back of a museum, hence my name for it.

This setup doesn’t seem that extreme at first glance. Many of us have two or even three monitors at our desks right now. However, these are not large monitors. They are large 4K flat screens. Nothing prevents Anonymous from watching a movie, a soccer game and a video game at the same time. And that plays with power.

“Poolworld” – Cosmo Orlando

a photo of a living room with three televisions on a wall above a fireplace

This three-TV setup is from Cosmo Orlando, who revealed that they refer to their home as “Poolworld”.

This is a setup similar to my own, using a much wider wall to display three much larger TVs. How much bigger, I’m not entirely sure, but Cosmo pointed to the coffee cup next to the center TV to make the scales bigger.

I’m not sure what Cosmo uses these TVs for, but I can imagine myself in this setup. One person on the couch, another in the lounge, each enjoying their own thing while we both watch WandaVisionand while our cats (another thing Cosmo and I have in common) face each other.

A story of two televisions (and a trampoline) – Michael California

Michael California sent me this setup that she and her partner use while hunting monsters together in Monster Hunter. I call this “A Story of Two Televisions (and a Trampoline)” because, as you may have noticed, an unusual piece of furniture goes with this setup.

The main TV is a 65 “TV while the TV on the trolley is 43”. There’s also a trampoline behind the trolley that Michael bought for his six-year-old, who is reportedly cheering his parents on as they hunt Rathalos and other beasts. The trampoline is vital to this setup as it is adorable indeed.

I like this setup because it’s a little more practical and less embarrassing when there are guests. Since television is on a trolley, Michael and his company seem to move it when people walk by, giving the illusion that this is not a house full of people having to consume media together. I also love the mini trampoline as an exercise to keep your child occupied until they are old enough to take part in the Monster Hunter hunts. Of course, the proximity of the cart television to the trampoline worries me seriously.

If Michael sounds familiar, you can tell her name by that Death stranding Piece released on Polygon in 2019.

Funkoville – Steve Salai

Funkoville – named after the legion of characters under the television and on the left of the screen – is the creation of Steve Salai.

Steve didn’t offer me any details about their setup, but we can see the large TV playing a TV show about cereal flanked by a smaller TV plugged into a PC and playing Overwatch. The primary TV is also well-lit, and both flat-panel monitors appear to have speakers connected to them, which looks like a pretty serious surround sound system to the primary setup.

This setup just looks convenient. The subdued light combined with the background and the candle gives it that cavernous feel. And this is what it looks like Overwatch The TV can lie flat against the wall when not in use. I care about that kind of practicality, so I appreciate Steve’s commitment to the multi-TV lifestyle.

TV Chic – Kyle Hilliard

Kyle Hilliard, co-host of the MinnMaxShow, sent me a setup that is probably the cleanest. Here we have what I call TV Chic, as it doesn’t sacrifice aesthetics for the sheer efficiency that two flat screens offer.

There are two TVs that appear to be the same size and brand, two sound bars, two Xbox Series Xs, two switches, a PlayStation 4, a PlayStation 5, it looks like it could be a very large router in the middle , and a really nice looking digital watch. Both sit in identical entertainment centers, each flanked by identical cupboards.

Aesthetically, I love this setup and wish I had room for it myself. You get the real combination of the mirrored setup here (the unique positioning of the Xboxes and switches is a nice touch) but when you’re sitting on something that looks like nice adult furniture. It is wonderful.

Starlight and chill – ChromeDreams

This setup comes from ChromeDreams. This is the Reddit username that person used for them.

This setup offers some nice mood lightning. From a format perspective, it’s pretty similar to my own Triforce setup. ChromeDreams has two larger TVs under a smaller TV – which apparently is mostly devoted to streaming and entertainment. The rest of the setup comes from a variety of sets – not that there’s anything wrong with that – and also includes two hidden cats.

Similar to Steve’s Funkoville setup, the setup of ChromeDreams just seems to be comfortable. We have some lovely items from the most popular franchises to decorate the room, as well as the fairy lights to give it that homely feel.

Exodia – Steven Williams

Steven Williams receives the coveted Exodia title because all five of these televisions together form an unstoppable setup for watching sports.

The central TV is 70 inches while the other four are 35 inches each. The entire setup is connected to DirecTV. Around the entertainment center we can also see a PlayStation 4, soccer ball (of course) and various snacks including the seemingly jerky beef in two cups. There also seems to be a little bear in front of the sign that says, “There are two times a year. Football Season and Waiting for Football Season “which feels wonderfully out of place.

Steven also did something here that many of my colleagues at Polygon, including myself, didn’t do, which hides the wires. That’s a lot of work for so many TVs, and it really gives the whole setup a clean look. This is the kind of room your childhood friend’s father might have had – a room you were not allowed to enter when he was at home. The kind of room this dad thinks in, “I’ve worked for those five TVs all my life, and I’ll be damned if I throw a 12-year-old kool-aid on the carpet.” And I mean that as best as possible.

The command center – Grady Bailey

This Grady Bailey command center setup has a lot to consider. Not only do we have to go through numerous setups here, but Grady has been living multi-TV life in some form since 2010. That is commitment to the craft.

The more you click through these settings, the more will be displayed. Remarkably, at least one setup has eight (EIGHT!) Screens that run at the same time. Interestingly, Grady also seems to be scaling down his setup over time, as there are only two TVs in 2021. You can also see Grady pick up a cute, cute replica of the portal weapon in 2018.

Of all of these setups, this is what makes me both inadequate and extremely pleased that people have the option to create their own setups like this one. It’s also evidence of something I’ve always known: Sports nerds are eons ahead in multi-TV gaming.

These are the homes of the great people who have reached out to me over the past week and agreed to be featured here. These eight brave souls prove that there must be at least a dozen more of us who have such cool setups. If we have learned from all of these great entertainment hubs, then each person and family has their own entertainment needs, and you shouldn’t let other people ruin your great plans for a sick multi-TV setup.