Massive Multiplayer Gaming Warehouses On The Way

hephaist0s writes "A company called Holo-Dek Gaming has opened a gaming center in New Hampshire where $5/hour buys gamers a 73-inch high definition projection screen and a networked Alienware PC or or Xbox. More impressive, though, are the prototypes for their 180-degree gaming theater... and their game sphere. Yes, sphere. This is just a pilot program--the Baltimore facility planned for 2005 would have 300 networked gaming stations. Story and pictures here, company website here."

Comments

Uh the bulbs..

[telemonster]

If the projector bulb lasts 1000 hours, you would need to sell 100 hours alone just to cover the bulb cost.

Unsure of their financial viability

[rkohutek]

I own a cybercafe in colorado, and I'll tell you from first hand experience that the gaming community, although incredibly loyal and a ton of fun, cannot financially support such a behemoth.

300 Stations? I know there is one place in NY (??) that has something like that, and the only reason they are in business is because they /Don't/ cater to gamers, but instead to the joesixpacks.

Sure, the coasts are a lot more populated and have a higher per-capita of hardcore gamers who will pay to play, but with only ~20 stations, it will take them a -long- time to break out of the red incurred by the initial investment. We've been open for 14 months now, and we're still paying off our $1200 PCs, and we're the most popular gaming center in town! We charge $3/hr for members, and $4/hr for walk-ins, and we get by with very modest paychecks. We would surely be unable to stay open if our *screens* costed $1k apeice, not to mention the $2k+ alienware boxes they have, even at $5/hr.

It's a great idea, but man. Good luck guys.

Re:I don't see this picking up

[__aailob1448]

From the article itself:

Video games sales in 2003 exceeded $7 billion, according to the Entertainment Software Association-double the amount sold in 1996. There were 239 million games sold, $5.8 billion in console games and $1.2 billion in PC games. 1.2 out of 7 is about 17% (less than 20%). Therefore, The pc game market represents less than 20% of the Overall game market.

Ahh, grasshopper

[Safety Cap]

You need to pay the man at least $500 and then ask for the "interactive room".

If you get in, then you can get whatever booze, smack, or blow you want to go along with your choice of "interactive partner". Natrually, nothing in the interactive room is free; the $500 is the weed-out money to keep the riff-raff from even asking.