New gaming centre opens in Dublin

Just back from the opening of a pretty amazing new gaming venue in Dublin's South William Street. 40 Xboxes, most of them 360s, are arranged in the 'Xbox Live Gaming Centre' a few doors down from the Indian restaurant with that guy who always stands outside. The layout is plush with comfy armchairs, couches and other seats. 7 or 8 different games are networked in groups of between three to six for multi-player events. Best of all are the screens – a plalanx of high def Samsung LCD tellies, which really show off the detail in the Xbox 360 games. It's €5 an hour off-peak (up to 6pm) and €7.50 an hour peak which is fairly cheap, compared to how much you'd go through in an arcade. Plus the setting is 10 times nicer. This is going to be packed out night and day. I remember secondary school days of visiting arcades after school and there are at least three or four boys schools within handy walking distance of this. Then there are nearby Kevin Street and Aungier Street DITs, an endless supply of Ghost Recon fans. The promoters say it's the first in Europe. More are certain to follow based on this model.