Starting up a Gaming Cafe

Lltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 17:26

Hey folks,

So i am in the process of doing a feasibility study on doing a Gaming Cafe and am looking to start up with about 20 Gaming PCs to start up. I was down to the cost assessments for the actual Computers i.e. the Components/ Networking apparatus and any other hardware i may require.

I was looking to get some input into this and any other advise that you may have.

So basically i have the A/ B/ C option and the idea is to work out on a optimized route to get the best possible computers with the most straightforward maintenance requirement that will last me at least 5-7 years without having to do major upgrades.

Let me share where ive got to so far.

Cpu ; I76700k - i76700 - i56400
Mobo; Asus Maximum Ranger - Asus z170 - Gigabyte h170m
PSU ; 750W Corsair
Case; Phanteks enthoo evolv ATX - Corsair Carbide
Graphics Card; ASUS GTX970 Strix - EVGA GTX970 - Gigabyte G1 GTX960
RAM; Kingston 8gb DDR4 (2)
HDD; Seagate 2tb - 1tb
Windows; Not sure
Coolings Fans; Not sure
Networking Hardware; Not sure

Im open to any recommendations you guys may have. I am not an avid gamer myself so i will take all the help i can get.

Computing

Comments

  • piggyfund on 08/06/2016 - 17:41
    +7

    I am not sure about PCs so can't help you with that but I have experience with running cafes and lived in Japan so know a fair bit about manga kissas or gaming cafe culture - I know they are hardly any in existence compared with 15 years ago and they are more retail stores than a cafe.. how will you make your money? you will have high overheads with rent and some gamers stay all day or after hours and don't buy or eat anything if they venture out of the house at all? Best wishes with your business anyway, PM me if you have specific Qs.

    interesting read: https://www.techinasia.com/6-mistakes-to-avoid-before-openin…

  • spackbace on 08/06/2016 - 17:42
    +26

    I am not an avid gamer myself

    So why are you going down this route? TBH, it doesn't sound like it's going to be an amazing money-maker. From everything I've seen, internet cafes are just dingy, run-down places.

    Expect to get peripherals stolen (keyboards & mice).

    • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 17:48

      It kind of is a big money maker in the region i am from, we have a total of 3 major Gaming cafes, 2 which are almost always packed. 1 extremely run down but still doing a lot of business!

      • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2016 - 17:50
        +1

        If its a big money maker, why haven't they expanded themselves?

        Clearly its making them millions so opening another cafe would make even more money?
        They're billionaires by now, so they can afford to do it at the drop of the hat… Right?

        Or maybe, its not a big money maker which is why they haven't expanded or other people opened new cafes.
        Food for thought.

        • scrimshaw on 08/06/2016 - 17:59
          +1

          Food for thought.

          funny you said 'food for thought'

          the 'straight up' gaming model is actually not self sustaining nowadays

          You need food and drink to make up some of your sales as well.

          Think of those hippy Video game bars that offer gaming, alcohol and cosplay sessions

        • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2016 - 18:42

          @ltjaris:

          But if its a cash cow, why is rent a drawback?

        • Bonsaichop on 08/06/2016 - 18:44
          +17

          @ltjaris:

          Thousand? That's $18-$21 million a year! You would need to charge $50 an hour, for 100 machines running 10 hrs a day non stop to make $50k in a day!?

        • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 19:39
          -3

          @Bonsaichop:

          Sorry that was a restaurant.

        • bs0 on 10/06/2016 - 11:03

          Cash mostly business perhaps? Hard to expand non-suspiciously if income is written off as quite low

        • fefris on 10/06/2016 - 12:28

          @ltjaris:

          Magic number generator? Bringing in that amount of cash but never expanded bull

        • figarow on 10/06/2016 - 21:55

          @ltjaris:

          I also know of a particular business they probably take no less than 50k-60k a day

          I think you mean "a year". Do yourself a favour and run from this business idea…

      • 50cent on 09/06/2016 - 00:21
        +15

        you must be from Box Hill

        • konholyoh on 10/06/2016 - 10:09

          I'm thinking the same thing, Beyond Internet cafe, business is crazy good for both cafes.

      • Powershopz on 09/06/2016 - 10:31
        +1

        Just throwing it out there - a lot of "Gaming" cafes/24 hour internet places are known for doubling as drug dealing dens.

        • buckster on 10/06/2016 - 20:47
          +1

          And this is generally a big factor in what keeps them afloat I'd say

      • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2016 - 12:40

        Be careful where you open I've seen two close in Cairns. One shutdown (personally I think because they were located next to a dominos and I assume gaming cafes only make money from sales.)

        If I was going to buy computers for the cafe it would be with the cheapest 3 or 5 year warranty components I could get(obviously they'd still need to be 'gaming capable'). Remember to claim depreciation and then also sell them after the warranty period.

        I'd suggest getting i3's with 4 or 6 GB of RAM cheap cases which are locked and hidden so that people can't steal anything.

        Another thing you could do is rather than just sell "time", sell packages i.e. 2 hours comes with a 600ml and some food (vouchers for the food). I've seen a cinema do this and it was a great idea. They were probably 20% cheaper than other cinemas so people didn't mind, but tbh I don't think you'll survive without food sales.

      • Lunatic on 09/06/2016 - 14:47

        Have you scoped the competition? What do you think they are doing right/wrong. What could you offer that they couldn't (assuming you're going to base in the same or a close by location)

        • ltjaris on 09/06/2016 - 16:54

          I am going into a new area altogether, the bigger places have a separate area serving food but i dont see it doing a lot of business.
          For me this really is a stepping stone into this industry and business management in general, so im starting very very small and look to expand both horizontally and vertically as i gain experience.

    • blurrybird on 09/06/2016 - 17:07
      +5

      I provide all technical consultation for a newly created gaming cafe in Melbourne - located on Southbank practically next door to Crown Casino.

      They're doing great but part of that is the fact that they drilled cleanliness into their employee culture. As soon as a customer is leaving they're like vultures to the desk with an alcohol wipedown and to fix up the chair recline, etc.

      ZEN Gaming Lounge. Pretty amazing place :)
      http://zengaming.com.au/

      • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2016 - 17:51

        Bar a few issues with some Aerocool power supplies :P

        • blurrybird on 09/06/2016 - 19:43

          Not sure what your connection is but WE WON! All aerocool POS units are being replaced with Silverstone striders.

          Very happy (but not happy about having to replace them all)

        • [Deactivated] on 10/06/2016 - 15:56
          +1

          @DarkRyoushii: I may or may not have been the guy jumping up and down to get your power supply change over approved :P

          I'm just happy that's finally sorted out - I felt really bad for you guys :/

        • blurrybird on 10/06/2016 - 16:53
          +1

          @windspeed36: in that case, thank you so much!

        • nailsforlunch on 17/06/2016 - 23:47

          @DarkRyoushii:

          I live two minutes walk from Zen, any ozbargain deals? ;)

          Never been but been meaning to check it out. Not much point though with my computer being sufficient

  • Forrest Gump on 08/06/2016 - 17:47
    +10

    I think you need to take all those parts you mentioned and see if you can fashion them in such a configuration that can effect time travel.

    then go back about 10-15 years ago when this kind of business was viable lol

    sorry if that came of a bit harsh….maybe change tact - I heard of small bars springing up that offer retro gaming - snes, n64 ps1 etc.

    liquor license hard to get but maybe this kind of thing would work in a café environment if close to uni or affluent highschools?

    • cameldownunder on 09/06/2016 - 15:46

      Guess you are right. Too many tablets, that allows people to go to Starbucks, get a coffee and use the SB internet to play their favourite game on the tablet.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 09/06/2016 - 17:10

      so kind of like mana bar but not a dive?

    • striker5950 on 10/06/2016 - 21:02
      +3

      lol, gaming cafe? what is this 1999? this is like starting a blockbuster dvd rentals. sorry OP but bad idea

  • mskeggs on 08/06/2016 - 17:48
    +8

    The PCs are going to need replacement much more often to play current games, like every two years.
    The rent and staffing costs are what kills this business model.
    If you can get cheap rent and low staffing costs it may be possible.
    The systems I have seen are optimised so a full HDD image restore can be done very quickly to recover software issues.

    • ItsMeAgro on 09/06/2016 - 11:59
      +4

      The PCs are going to need replacement much more often to play current games, like every two years.

      Not true anymore.

      • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2016 - 13:20

        3 max. At least the Graphics cards

        • Praeto on 11/06/2016 - 12:09
          +2

          This hasn't been the case for quite awhile. While my newest machine with 980s certainly does a better job running games than my older machines, I've yet to find anything that my 6 or even 8 year old machines can't run perfectly fine. My previous gaming machine is using 5 year old 6990s, and still runs all current games at high resolution on a 30" monitor without any issues.

        • [Deactivated] on 11/06/2016 - 12:55

          @Praeto: I'm still on a 560ti (2011 vintage) all on minimum settings and barely able to keep above 60fps on 1080p. Some games I just can't play, and it doesn't even beat current consoles (PS4/XB1). Been this way for a couple years.

          If it was in the same situation 3 years from now with poor graphics/frames not many PC Gamers would be able to tolerate it, let alone pay money to play games on that in an Internet Cafe.

  • RockyRaccoon on 08/06/2016 - 17:50
    +5

    at least 5-7 years

    And who do you expect will be playing these after 2 years? Latest and greatest down the road while your older slower units sit at empty desks…

    As you said you are not a gamer, so you need to understand what they like, and it's not going to be 5 year old hardware.

    • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 18:04
      +1

      Thats a fair point. I'll keep that in mind.

  • macrocephalic on 08/06/2016 - 17:51
    +9

    Ignoring all the feasibility stuff that others have brought up. You don't need to spend the extra on the K CPU - you won't be overclocking in a retail store. Reliability is king when it's a business.

    • ItsMeAgro on 09/06/2016 - 11:59
      +4

      Or i7's. Rule those out now. i5's are fine.

      (Personally I might even go i3 and spend the money saved on the GPU, you'd have to find out what games people are playing at these cafes and test a few).

      • Sinful on 10/06/2016 - 17:37

        MGowan is right.
        Check the other gaming cafe's… what are they running and do people like the hardware they are using.

        No harm in asking the regulars for their insight.

  • shadowarrior on 08/06/2016 - 17:56
    +21

    Entering a market for business which you are not passionate about is one of the biggest mistakes in any new venture. Because the start-up period will be full of tears, agony and the call of a distant hope. Only thing which will keep you afloat is good numbers (statistics to see if the venture is even feasible, wrapping up in the first month is cheaper than borrowing more and neck deep in debt 6 months down) and passion about the field.

    Being an avid gamer myself, it is a niche market. As piggyfund said, gaming cafes were the in-thing and one of the most lucrative businesses back in mid 90s to early 2000. You could try building your cafe around any (and a combination) of the esports category to host local competitions. I won't give you much details, but these keywords should be good enough for you to do more research about a business model to follow.

    You don't need i7 to run the games you most likely be looking at hosting. An i5 non K will do just fine. A 960/970 is a good option, though i'd prefer the 970 for bit more future proof. Look at 16GB RAM. OS installed in SSD. However, don't expect to keep your hardware till 7 years. Be prepared to cycle them around every 3 years. No gamer wants to game on 7 year old hard ware. Take into account a lot of early depreciation on items like keyboards, monitors, mouse and power supply.

    You will also need a server managed login protocol with a time gate for billing. The OS needs to be installed so that it can't be intruded. I know some companies offer a shell which only lets the user access certain selected applications (in your case, the games).

    For network, to support online gameplay, you will need close to NBN 100/100 bandwidth. A capable router (hint, it's not the ISP supplied free el-cheapo ones), a manageable switch. You could get away with an unmanaged switch.

    • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 18:10

      This. Thanks for the information i was actually looking for.

      • Do you mean a single 16GB Ram stick because currently im considering 2x8GB.
      • Would a step up to i7 -6700 be better than i5-6400 and hold better in the future.
      • What components are the most important to be upgraded every 3 years, what parts can be expected to last more than 3?
      • For the PSU i was hoping the 750w Corsair would suffice but was prepared for keyboard and mice yearly replacement.
      • shadowarrior on 08/06/2016 - 18:26
        +2

        Single 16GB will give you room to upgrade if you have a 2 slot RAM motherboard, but if the single 16GB stick fails then your machine won't turn on. Go with 8GB x2. Get a Corsair/Kingston one. Don't have to get one with really high Mhz speed as you won't be overclocking your CPU.

        Go for an i5 6500. A good way to manage upgrades is staggered one. For example, if you are upgrading your CPU+Mobo this year, aim at upgrading your GPU the year or two after. Which means you can't have two 'low-end' (CPU+mobo and GPU being the two) in the machine. One is always newer (next gen) than the other.
        The i5 6500 will be fine to hold you for 3-4 years. You maybe able to expand it around 5 unless your CPU is bottle necking your GPU. You are looking at upgrading your GPU on your 3rd year. Go for the mid-ranged cards (for example, 960 will be entry level gaming card, 970 mid range, and 980 and 980ti high end for your case). Then upgrade your mobo+cpu around the 4th year. And the i5 6500 will hold it's place till then. Unless they change chipsets (which Intel often does) you maybe able to re-use your motherboard. If not, the Mobo and CPU go hand in hand. You might be able to re-use DDR4, unless DDR5 becomes mainstream by then (which I don't see happening within next 3-4 years). Your drives, unless they fail, should last you the 5-7 year span. You don't have to upgrade your networking equipment. Make sure your premises is wired cat6 and all your equipment (router, switch, computer) support 1gig ethernet ports.

        The PSU is fine. Go for something which has 80 Plus Bronze or Gold. Always being on will reduce its lifespan eventually. If you have good air con, it should last you the 5-7 year mark unless your GPU needs more power (which I doubt). My Seasonic X-750 runs my main gaming rig 24/7 and been doing that since 2010 without skipping a beat.

        Get basic keyboard and mouse, don't have to spend for 'gaming' keyboards and mice. A lot of gamers in the e-sports category will bring their own peripherals, specially mouse to use.

        Get hard mouse mats instead of cloths. Will last you longer.

        • ItsMeAgro on 09/06/2016 - 12:05
          +7

          The i5 6500 will be fine to hold you for 3-4 years

          Longer than that, probably. It's hardly noticeably faster than CPUs from 2011. CPUs are lasting much longer now.

          I have to stress, i7's will gain you nothing. You might want new GPUs in a few years, save the money for that.

        • ltjaris on 09/06/2016 - 16:56

          @mgowen:

          Thanks for the info msgowen. I will stick to I5-6500 as have been suggested by other users. Any noticeable differences between 6400 and 6500?

        • ItsMeAgro on 09/06/2016 - 18:30
          +1

          @ltjaris:

          Basically, anything on the same tier in Toms CPU Hierarchy chart will have pretty similar performance in games:

          http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html

          There's a Tom's GPU Hierarchy chart too, but wait until the latest GPUs like AMD R9 480 are on it to compare those.

  • scrimshaw on 08/06/2016 - 17:56
    +1

    If you are opening up an internet cafe, make sure it has eateries near you.

    Yeah, this is important, gamers come in during the night, they leave hungry. So it makes sense that they would choose to go a net cafe that has good proximity to places that serve food.

    • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 18:06

      Very sound advise. I definitely had that in mind.

      • scrimshaw on 08/06/2016 - 18:14
        +3

        your system specs are also wayy over the top. Skylake Core i3 with something cheap like GTX 960 will already play a lot of games that LAN gamers look to play — you're thinking things like TF2, DOTA, StarCraft II, Street Fighter, GTAV, Warframe, Overwatch et cetera. These are not games that will take a Core i7 to run.

        And then you have all the really shitty Free-to-Play Korean MMO anime games that will run on just about any toaster.

        You might perhaps even have some Chromeboxes that are good just for web browsing and stuff. They don't require any maintenance or re-imaging, and they'll be good enough for non-gamers looking to just jump on the web. You don't need to worry about viruses either because it's ChromeOS

        Also don't forget you need to get software licensing, the police will break into your office and confiscate your stuff if you're not operating legally.

        Cases —- you're going to want a case that has security locks — and is easy to clean. You don't want looks. Nobody cares about how it looks. You want to lock it up so people can't steal a HDD or a graphics card, and you'll want to be the person holding the keys to them. This includes employees who may be dodgy and steal your equipment.

        • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 18:27

          I also had titles like League of Legends/ World of Warcraft in mind. Would you have a recommendation for Cases?

        • mskeggs on 08/06/2016 - 18:59
          +4

          The gaming cafes around me in Haymarket/China Town Sydney seem to have a sideline in pirate or 'grey' media. There has been one big police raid and I have noticed what I took to be non-legit stuff for sale (perhaps?) behind the counter, not quite on display. Maybe it was Asian market TV or movies, so kind of grey, not pirate. Not sure.
          They aren't my thing, but I think there is a bit of an overlap with the seedier end of town (well, as far as it applies to computer nerds).

          As for the food. I suggest you might consider offering some snacks. You should at least be able to offer a snack vending machine without getting council approval for a food business. The margins on food are so high you want to capture any of it you can, not hand it all to the neighbours!

        • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 19:42
          +2

          @mskeggs:

          I plan to sell snacks and talk with the eateries around me and see if we can workout a pricing so that i can serve hot food without actually having to do the hard part.

        • ItsMeAgro on 09/06/2016 - 12:06
          +1

          @ltjaris:

          Yes i3 and 960 are PLENTY for those.

      • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2016 - 19:18
        +1

        How is losing potential business sound advice? You should be the one selling them food.

        • ltjaris on 09/06/2016 - 19:45
          +1

          In my experience, we like to eat from different places once we are out and about. I dont see myself doing very well selling hot food,snacks and drink perhaps. Different eateries bring different options and it could be a nice relationship with them and a much easier buck for me to just re-sell as opposed to start my own hot food setup with added costs.

        • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2016 - 20:55
          +2

          @ltjaris: That's how you think now, until you get into business and realise you need to capitalise wherever possible. Small meals here and there could pay your wages. You'll change your views.

          Sounds like a big venture that requires more experience. Best of luck though, you'll definitely learn a lot.

        • ltjaris on 10/06/2016 - 19:58

          @tren:

          Thank you tren

    • ChillBro on 08/06/2016 - 21:02
      +1

      Or simply offer hot food services and you'll make a bit of money through that.

    • cameldownunder on 09/06/2016 - 15:50

      I would go for some vending machines, softdrinks, energy drinks and chips and chocolate bars

  • KaTst3R on 08/06/2016 - 17:58
    +4

    I have been travelling around asia where LAN gaming is common. I think a LAN centre is quite a tough business. Not only it is highly competitive, there are lots of issues surrounding these sort of commerce, like gangsterism, theft, potential fights, liquor issues, have to be 24 hrs, loud noises, etc. However, what I noticed is that there are many proper coffee and food cafes that can also rent consoles (per hour) for friends to play party games, street fighter, COD, etc. These sort of cafes are usually lighted brightly and attracts the "clean" sort of crowd. You can consider that path if you really wanna do something gaming related. Cost of consoles are much cheaper and the money can be invested in something else like a fridge and a coffee machine to start.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2016 - 13:59
      +1

      As much as I hate Console gaming compared to PC, you a right. Running an internet cafe is a nightmare. You're better off running a conventional cafe with a few PS4s in the corner and some Desk space for BYO Laptop.

  • khao on 08/06/2016 - 17:59
    +4

    anecdotally speaking, i've seen tens of internet/gaming cafes in my local area open and close within 12-24 months. the ones that have succeeded (and i say succeed cause they haven't shut down yet) are in prime locations in a predominantly asian suburb (their culture is much more used to LAN gaming than the west). i assume you've done your research into the viability of your proposed cafe, but setting up shop in a location that isn't easy to get to or doesn't have high foot traffic is destined to fail due to the ease of access of PCs from your target audience.

    the most popular lan games (off the top of my head league of legends, cs:go , dota) don't have very high system requirements so the appeal of having a high end computer to play on at your cafe PROBABLY isn't enough to justify the effort and price of going down and playing there. again, if you're in a high traffic area, you might appeal to gamers who are already out and about with their friends who want to stop in and play a quick game or two. saying that though, i can count on my hand the number of times i did this with my mates when i was in high school and we were all pretty big gamers.

    something that could set your gaming cafe apart is to foster a community by hosting regular tournaments with prizes, appealing to the competitive nature of your customers. start small (free play time, food/drink vouchers) and work from there depending if you can grab some sponsors or have enough interest to increase the prize fund yourself. anywho, just throwing ideas out there.

    having said all that, i do wish you all the best, sorry i can't help you out on the PC parts front but hopefully my experiences help you anyhow!

    • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 19:45

      Thank you for your advice and kind words Khao.

  • rgr on 08/06/2016 - 19:03
    +5

    dude no one does gaming cafes anymore, it's not 2002 where everyone is on dial up. ADSL/Cable/NBN etc. have all provided the infrastructure that everyone once needed to have LAN-like gaming experience from home, plus the advances in communications and whatnot make local gaming redundant.

    • scrimshaw on 08/06/2016 - 20:50

      LAN parties are not dead yet. A lot of people thought LAN would die off once we had Xbox Live and faster broadband and what not, but sitting at home alone playing with friends over the internet still doesn't quite have the same 'feeling' of camaraderie or rivalry when you have everyone in the same room.

      Plus there are still a ton of cheap-arse gamers out there like students who can't afford gaming rigs and fast broadband.

  • Google Chrome on 08/06/2016 - 19:07
    +1

    One of my friends (5) opened up a gaming cafe only quite recently. I was initially apart of the plan (as I was willing to contribute the most capital). But after continual discussions with them I decided not to, however I was still apart of the planning, design etc… Compared to the other gaming cafes around one was definitely more premium, however, with the cost structure and actual pricing, there was no way we were going to be making good profits any time soon. In addition the only times where the place actually had a decent amount of people were the weekend and 5pm onwards. We also have a cafe, including a board game and console lounge. Regarding the computers we were able to get bulk discounts, with the majority of the PCs running similar specs to what you've got down. Not too sure how many PCs we have, probably between 50-70. Location is a factor and you should consider how long it is going to take before you make back your investment.

    • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 19:43

      Location is definitely a key factor.

      Would you be able comment on the reliability of any brands that i should stick to/ avoid for Computer parts.

      • Google Chrome on 08/06/2016 - 20:02
        +1

        So far RMA wise, corsair have been very easy to deal with you submit your claim and a UPS guy came to pick it up. Majority of our peripherals are corsair products. We did have razer products as requested but the were a pain when you had to deal with repairs/rma. Haven't had too many problems with the benQ, Asus monitors. We also have spare parts ready as well but haven't had any component failures yet. The item that I've noticed gets replaced the most has been headsets but that isn't surprising considering they get picked up/dropped all the time. Just stick to named brands: corsair, asus, Kingston.

        • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 20:05

          Thanks a lot! Any recommendations on Case/ Network peripherals?

        • Google Chrome on 08/06/2016 - 20:25
          +1

          @ltjaris:

          The majority of the cases that are kept under the desk are basic cases (<1$00). In the premium area where the cases are placed behind the monitors are corsair 650d, with the ones at the ends on the tables inWin branded ones. Networking, I'm not too sure, I think we started of with an unmanaged switched but switched shortly after due to some problems.Majority of the cabling was done through the walls and we had the structural columns at our place so it made concealing cables a bit easier. Also you might want to look at some sort of UPS solution.

  • Diji1 on 08/06/2016 - 20:44
    +6

    Ditch the i7 for an i5 (pretty much zero difference for gaming), ditch the Z170 for a non-overclockable motherboard and now there's no point in buying in buying a K series CPU so you've saved more money because now you no longer need to purchase an additional heatsink or memory faster than 2133Mhz.

    That money saved should go towards a much better video card and/or monitor.

  • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 20:49

    What Motherboard would you recommend?

  • ModaMagic on 08/06/2016 - 20:58
    +6

    Instead of the 970, you could go with the newly announced RX 480 from AMD, better performance for $199 USD.

    I think If you're looking for a sell point, Virtual Reality hardware could be one. Although you'd probably have to have a cleaning and hygiene procedure to follow. The only draw back would be these things aren't built like brickNokia phones and would need some space to setup. People want to try VR, but just don't want to pay the price for the hardware to run it,

    Monitors and Mouse sort of matter if you're targeting "PC Gamers" you would need mouses with high adjustable DPI like the Logitech G502. A monitor with 1ms latency and 144hz refresh rate.would also appeal to FPS gamers in particular.

    • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 20:59

      Thanks Kamui, ill look into the RX480 now. That's true i have been looking for mouse and keyboard options that wont cost me too much.

    • ItsMeAgro on 09/06/2016 - 12:25
      +1

      VR could end up being the main earner, even, for gaming cafes.

      For the next few years, great VR will be around but not really affordable to have at home yet.

      There might be a lot of people who want to try it, or play a round of something with some mates, but can't afford the 2 grand to have a rift/vive and capable pc at home.

      • drakarn_123 on 11/06/2016 - 12:33
        +1

        This.

        Competitive VR games is going to be epic once there's enough games out there.
        OP, look up Hover Junkers for the HTC Vive.

        Imagine what you could charge people (assuming the game license permits?) for people to have a 1v1 against their best friend or bf/gf

        I would definitely pay $50 for an hour or maybe even 30 minutes doing that

  • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2016 - 21:01
    +1

    Realistically, how much money have you got to get this off the ground?

    • ltjaris on 08/06/2016 - 21:03

      Thats what the feasibility study is for, to have a fairly accurate estimate of how much money i need.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2016 - 21:18
        +4

        The question is how much you have not how much you'll need.

      • TheBird on 09/06/2016 - 12:25
        +1

        It's the cash burn during the time it takes to break even is what hurts, unless you're going to man it yourself.

        I'll post a little more below.

  • frondono on 08/06/2016 - 22:15
    +1

    I saw something about the new amd cards I think its the 480, apparently they're pretty good for the price compared to nvidia's offerings. But I don't know much about gaming or graphic cards.

  • Bargaingeek on 08/06/2016 - 22:41
    +3

    Gaming cafes still make money? Weird

    • mrluke on 08/06/2016 - 23:08
      +1

      They don't unless you are city centre. Only teenage gaming nerds go. Adults go to the library for free internet or somewhere with free WiFi, use their data and/or have it at home. I would seriously reconsider this idea.

  • mrluke on 08/06/2016 - 22:42
    +9

    DONT DO IT unless you want to piss your money down the drain. It sounds fun but none last very long.

    • ltjaris on 09/06/2016 - 17:15
      -3

      I, sir, intend to prove you wrong. Sorry my head is stuck in it unless i run into MAJOR obstructions.

      • mrluke on 09/06/2016 - 22:35
        +2

        Dude the set up and number of our PCs is the least of your worries… I wouldnt bother with top of the line stuff. First look at how much it costs to rent a decent shop, it has to be one near a train station because most of your clientele wont be able to drive… you need to get a crew of hardcore gamer nerds who like to play together to rock up every day. Otherwise you will be lucky to have anyone there… people dont pay $4 an hour for internet when they know they can get it for free. If it was a profitable enterprise dont you think they would be in every suburb but no there is about 3 left in the entire South East of Melbourne… Dandenong, Box Hill although that may have closed, there was one in Frankston that lasted about 6 months before it closed… I have seen them close in Carnegie, Cheltenham, Glen Waverley, Melbourne, Richmond and probably more places I cant think of. Try to find one of these guys who owned them before you blow your dosh…

        • andyken on 10/06/2016 - 10:12

          people not pay for the internet, they pay for the GAMES, yes LAN GAMES, not INTERNET

      • YellowDieselGolf on 10/06/2016 - 08:41

        Don't worry. You will.

  • Knightelf on 08/06/2016 - 23:14
    +18

    My recommendation: find a new business idea.

  • Employee427 on 08/06/2016 - 23:52
    +5

    You definitely want to spend less on components that don't add much to performance. I don't know much about gaming cafes, but if I were to go for a build in the near future it would be something like this:

    CPU - i3-6100
    Mobo - Any H110M LGA1151 Micro ATX
    Memory - Any 8GB DDR4
    Storage - 240GB SSD
    GPU - Radeon RX 480 4GB
    Case - Any Micro ATX Case (that can fit the GPU)
    PSU - EVGA 430W

    This is a no frills build and you would definitely save cash, especially since you're going to be building multiple PCs.

    notes:
    i3s aren't far off i5s in most games. Locked i5 may be a good investment.
    If you need more storage, add a 1TB HDD, but keep the SSD for the OS.
    ATX cases are needlessly massive.
    750W power supplies are overkill for single GPU setups.
    2x8GB RAM can be handy, but not entirely necessary.

    Also, new GPUs are coming from AMD and nVidia. You should be looking at the RX 480 which will likely settle at the $350ish range and the GTX 1070 at $700ish. More info about these in the next couple weeks, but all signs point to great performance/dollar.

    Definitely recommend pcpartpicker and /r/buildapc, which definitely help, especially with incompatibilities.

    Mock build here: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/LVFTWX

    • Settero on 08/06/2016 - 23:56
      +2

      arnt most places also using networks instead of individual hdds ? it would just save so much time on maintenance…

      • Employee427 on 08/06/2016 - 23:59

        Didn't give that much thought, but that's a good point. Would also save a decent amount on the hdds themselves.

  • smpantsonfire on 09/06/2016 - 00:22
    -4

    I wouldn't buy cases, designed the computers into under the table or behind the wall. Easier for cleaning, troubleshooting not having to open cases all the time etc.

    I wouldn't do it at all.

    SSD instead of HDD. Store games on Network maybe.
    8GB ram would be enough.

    Don't need anyhting close to 750w for Skylake and SSd with only one GPU.

    So I still wouldn't do it at all unless you have money to burn.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2016 - 13:41
      +4

      You've got to be an idiot not to use a computer case at all. They cost $50 and keeps everything into one manageable unit, not to mention air flow. Most cases have a hole for a padlock to prevent unauthorised opening and they are very easy to take off once it's unlocked. But hopefully they are managed/built well enough not to need constant access.

      • smpantsonfire on 09/06/2016 - 18:39

        Air flow could still be managed with custom cabinetry. having the heat directed elsewhere than into the room would be a good thing, and the computers will run way cooler

        • [Deactivated] on 09/06/2016 - 18:41
          +2

          When you're starting a business, you don't need to deal with the cost and nonsense of custom cabinetry. And then when you need to take a PC out of service for maintenance it's going to be a nightmare.

        • smpantsonfire on 09/06/2016 - 18:48

          @The Land of Smeg:

          What about cleaning of the computers inside weekly? Save so much time!

        • [Deactivated] on 10/06/2016 - 08:20
          +1

          @smpantsonfire: why would you need to open them weekly for a clean? Being pubic use didn't make the dust accumulate quicker. Take 5 seconds to unlock, unscrew (electric screwdriver or thumbscrews) and pop off the side panel anyway

  • isthisreally_me on 09/06/2016 - 00:40
    +1

    As someone who owns two Gaming cafes i can say that if you have the right location and with some decent marketing you can do well.
    My first cafe took about 18 months before it started to do really well for me.
    Not giving out exact figures, but as the owner i earn just over 3 figures from one cafe and the second is earning 20% less for me currently but is also at a much newer location. I will say this that approx 50% of the earnings of the business are from food and drinks.

    • Settero on 09/06/2016 - 00:46
      +13

      so it earns sub 1,000 ?

    • ihbh on 09/06/2016 - 08:24
      +1

      You didn't specify the period. Is this per week?

      Do you work in the business? If so, have you taken out your wages yet, or this is wages/profit?

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