This has hard sides and collapses down flat. The top comes off, so you can peek inside the cube. The top cushion has a wool like covering and is well padded, like a pillow. The inside of the cube also has a wool covering but there is no padding. The cover is slightly loose so I,m sure you could stuff it with some filling to make a softer cushion for the inside. It comes with 3 balls, 2 are premounted in the window holes on each side. The third ball can be mounted wherever you like. My cats like it so far!