Holodeck Gaming?

[XxSATANxX]

Seems this guy is thinking BIG SCREEN! The company's test site features 42 gaming stations with high-speed personal computers and high-definition screens ranging in size from 17 inches to 13 feet.

Would you like to know more? (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9118269)

[Varsity]

Still not a single photo of this thing. :(

[Xerxes]

http://www.holo-dek.com/flash.html

[Morrolan]

"Would you like to know more?"

Awesome use of the quote.

[DeadPixel]

Most video game players play at home on their computer, game console, or the Internet. But HoloDek officials believe their creation will bring such gamers out of the solitude of their homes.
"We want to make it socially acceptable to enjoy the gaming experience," said Kit McKittrick, CEO of HoloDek.

It's called E3 and by noon 80% of audience is sweating like pigs in Las Vegas, looking to restock their belly with a fresh bag of Dorritos and a BigGulp of Coke.

Arcade games are a dying thing of the past. Unless they want to model this like an ammusement ride, I doubt people would be returning for $1/hour as they want to price it.

[Xaerin]

Kit McKittrick, CEO of HoloDek

What a name! and what a service! They even cater!
Who else fancies a "Jumbo Gulf Shrimp Cocktail" and going for a spin in the 360 degree sphere flight simulator! Hell yeah!

This would be so cool if it became as prevalent as cinemas are today. Who'd go to watch a Bond film when you could BE Bond!

[NoName]

Would you like to know more? (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9118269)
This almost sounds more like an ad than a news article. Regardless, this doesn't seem like it's going to be available across the entire US, and I don't see this becoming mainstream.

It might be fun for a party or something, but beyond that...

[Tricky Thumb]

Dik McDikktrick- "We're asses who think our idea is not only original, but that videogame nerds will socialize and think we're cool because we thought of it."

Anyone else see that when they read the article? I've been squinting for a few minutes but that's all I see, guess my monitor might be on the frizt.

[Blade]

Huge monitors and these guys can't even afford to stock their systems with current-gen video cards..

[Mr.Green]

Then there's the "half-pipe," which features a screen that is 20 feet wide and 12 feet high. Another creation is a sphere, which is 20 feet in diameter and eventually will offer a 360-degree wraparound gaming effect. The gamer sits inside the sphere on a robot that rumbles, banks, and spins out, providing many of the same effects as a flight simulator.
These sound pretty good though.

[Heretic Machine]

I doubt people would be returning for $1/hour as they want to price it.

There was a highly successful LAN cafe in south western Virgina that charged something lik $3-$5 an hour. $1 seems uber cheap to me.

[IagoTheHunted]

Dik McDikktrick- "We're asses who think our idea is not only original, but that videogame nerds will socialize and think we're cool because we thought of it."

Anyone else see that when they read the article? I've been squinting for a few minutes but that's all I see, guess my monitor might be on the frizt.

Yeah have to say I'm leaning in that direction too. The gameplay experience sounds flawed. How are people supposed to manage their saved games on all those existing epic-length games? Are people really supposed to pay $60 an hour to play GTA on a huuuuuge screen? To beat the game that's what... maybe 50 hours, so $3,000? Lame. And the alternative is just to get a little taist of the game. Also lame. This isn't going to work as more than a novelty, and not all that novel really. For it to really work they'd have to approach it like a competing consol system. Y'know. Get developer support, and it's never going to happen if you put development costs against the profits of their little novelty station.

I don't think arcades are dead (go to Japan if you don't beleive me) but we've seen time and time again with crap like Phantom that these piggyback-off-the-sucess-of-mainstream-games ideas don't hold any weight with gamers.

[IagoTheHunted]

There was a highly successful LAN cafe in south western Virgina that charged something lik $3-$5 an hour. $1 seems uber cheap to me.

Look again, that's $1 a MINUTE, for the "good" screens. $5 an hour for the stack of screens.

[XxSATANxX]

I think the model is to provide a place to LAN without you having to do anything but show up. Also the huge screens are just a fun add on. In Chicago we used to have a Battletech venue where you sat in giant robot pods and played mechwarrior. I think Holodek is trying to pump up that kind of destination entertainment. The sphere sounds like a cool idea hope these guys can tough it out.

[Sazime]

"Would you like to know more?"

Awesome use of the quote.

Damn skippy!! Biggest reason I clicked the linky.

[Tia]

"Would you like to know more?"
This almost sounds more like an ad than a news article.

he was quoting Starship Troopers. It was... umm.. a joke I guess ;-)