^Maybe an established place like E-spot could invest in these and have a room for "elite" club members or smth like that

I just thought of something.. Parts for logitech wheels are impossible to get aswell so u better know how to fix them by diy.

Thanks for all the feedback.

First of all you guys don't need to worry about my costs, and income. Thank you for the concerns!

I just need to know if i have local Vancouver people that are just as enthusiastic as me. If i could gather a group of people that are willing to help out and gather people with me, that would be great! I know there are people who are willing to pay a couple bucks, there are people who arent willing to pay a cent, there are also people that will pay for all of the equipment and wont ask for anything in return, and there are also people that dont mind forking out the money, but they ask for something in return. I wont generalize people on the forum. I need individuals that like cars, like racing, are civilized, and are willing to start this community with me! I don't care whether you are 50 years old, 15 years old highschool kid, or 28 year old married man, as long as you are polite and enthusiastic you are welcomed!

Is this for profit or non profit?

I would be up for it. I used to frequent on a forum that sat on granturismo.com and made some good car friends. Maybe this will be something like those little groups of people who hang out at the Landsdown parking lot and drive RC cars. If you decide to peruse it let me know if you need help setting up something online like revscene's message board.

im up for it.

if you are looking for civilized members i would stray away from RC and Metro where you'll attract the high school kids that will drive in a manner where you'll be repairing your equipment on a weekly basis.

your trying to build hype for a community that doesnt exist yet. Make a community first and then people wil come.

this brings back memories of the days of daytona usa x 4 (or 8player) and 4minute drifts on advanced :D well ~4min10secs lol

Although the concept is great. I don't think you've thought this through.

You need to build a stable business. Here's a few things that come to mind right away.

Building a business based around ONE console game will kill you. You'd be better off starting a LAN cafe with a bunch of G25/G27's. Even then, when they break due to excessive use (which they will very frequently) then what? You charge the customer the full price of the unit? What if they were using it lightly and it just broke because the previous guy was using it hard? And lets say you charge a damage deposit, then you have the down time because your steering wheel needs to be repaired. Most manufacturers don't warranty consumer electronics for commercial use.

Next issue which is the most important...

Why would someone want to pay $4/ race when your usual arcade games cost $1-2/race and doesn't require a damage deposit. And how much would your damage deposit be? $20? That wouldn't cover the cost of repairs or replacing it nor would it cover the down time and business you will lose. So...$100? $200? I don't know about you, but I sure as hell wouldn't whip out $200 deposit + $4/race to play video games. And think about your target market....what age group are they? Do they have $200 + $4/race? I just spent 3-4 hours playing many races and redoing many races. That would cost me $150+ to play at this GT5 Club. Sorry. You haven't sold me.

And have you ever looked into HOW MUCH a retail spot in Richmond Centre/Metrotown costs? You see those shitty little food court stalls that barely fit 10 ppl inside? That'll probably run you around 6-10K/month on a 3-5 year lease. You would probably need MINIMUM 1000/sq ft. which will run you at least 10K in a prime mall. So 10k/month + electric + insurance + wages + renovations + security deposit. You would need to make at least 20k/month in sales for this to be semi worthwhile. That means you need to sell a MINIMUM of approx 170 races/day to basically break even.

Do you really believe you could keep this place busy for 3-5 years on a daily basis? If so, then great. Odds are. Not likely.

Remember the days of Daytona USA the arcade game? People would line up and play that shit. I know I did back then. Do you think if some arcade had 16 machines they could keep those machines busy everyday for 5 years? Nope. GT5 is a fad. Great game, but once the hype dies down, you're basically stuck with an expensive dream.

Yes the idea is cool. But as a business...guaranteed failure.

Yeah, I believe Espot used to have xbox 360's..

i dont think this is feasible business wise if you were to open a facility catering only to GT5. Yes it would be a great idea if you already operate an arcade and add this as a section. But all that investing just for GT5.... you'll shut down in a year with debt.

edit: cman333 hit the nail on the head.



if you really want to do this because ur passionate about the game, then better thing to do is lease a place for other business purposes and have this club going on in the off hours. If it builds interest and you see it making a profit, then slowly convert. During peak season you can lease it out for other purposes.... lets say... MJ gathering for the clais' :D

cman333 thanks u analyzed it! haha believe it or not i have a spreadsheet that calculates the costs and everything. I never really looked into this as a business or money making idea. I just wanted to gather GT5 fans and play together. If any of you are interested, i have empty office space at Bridgeport in Richmond, we can try setting it up with out own equipment. I have already picked up a new tv, g27, and gt5 yesterday! i dont have the play seat yet though!

Let the gaming begin!
please PM me your number if you are interested!

Let me turn things around, so IF....IF the equipment was fully sponsored
What do you guys think =D

Thanks again guys, Thanks for all the feedback

I think you need to start a Forza 3 club :)

Screw the G25/27, get these:
http://www.fanatec.de/html/index.php?id=250&lang=en

If you were to rent a small warehouse and get a few friends to chip in then that would make sense.

Say $2000/month rent + utilities. That seems more realistic. Still unsure about $4/race + damage deposit. If your doing this on passion and don't expect to make profit then this is basically just a GT5 social club. Maybe charge a monthly fee or something. I'm sure a few RS people would do it.

But again, how long do you expect this hype to last? 2-3 months tops? Seems like alot of work for a few months of success.

I don't know about you guys, but I like console gaming at home. I wouldn't drive somewhere on a daily basis to play the same game I have at home with people. Maybe once in awhile.

Hell if you're serious about it, I have 400ish sq ft in shop I could spare for you try it out. Right now it's just used as storage lol.

Need to get this:
http://www.fanatec.de/webshop/new_us...sc3m_en_02.jpg

I'm sure people would pay $40 to $50 a month to play on that.

http://www.fanatec.de/webshop/new_us...2624d8c303d2a8

It is kinda similar to the CS craze back in the days. I've never understood how it got so big. We would go every week & spend HOURS playing at $10-15/hr. Can anyone see the same with GT5?

As for initial investment, it's pretty similar. But only have 1 game is probably not gonna fly. The other thing we have to think about is the support. Are there going to be custom tracks? Are there going to be side games like car soccer?

There r definitely possibilities, but it's gonna be very hard work. I dun see it working as a hobby even if just want to break even. Also, how much money r u willing to throw into it on a continuous basis?

Okay guys, iv finally decided to club will not be open to public, i will keep it friends only and by recommendation only. This club is going to exist but my friends and i feel that this is going to be dangerous Telling people on RS where this club is going to be is stupid! haha So this place will exist and everything is under planning!

Revscene community thanks for the feedback! And remember, if one day you do see a place that has a lot of driving simulators, thats ME!!!

your link is broken