Event Coverage

HWZ members first to preview Games Hub, a dedicated game store within Harvey Norman's Millenia Walk superstore

By Ng Chong Seng - 13 Aug 2016

HWZ members first to preview Games Hub, a dedicated game store within Harvey Norman's Millenia Walk superstore

Note: This article was first published on 11th August 2016.

 

Welcome to the new Harvey Norman Games Hub!

Gamers, rejoice! There’s a new premium game store in town, and it’s the Harvey Norman Games Hub located on the first floor of Harvey Norman’s Millenia Walk superstore.

Slated to officially open this Saturday, 13th August, the Harvey Norman Games Hub represents Harvey Norman’s ambitious foray into the Singapore gaming arena. Sure, the Australia-based retailer has sold gaming hardware and software in its 13 outlets across our island before, but this is its first attempt to blend a unique and more personalized shopping experience into a game store. (Because you know, gaming sections at typical IT megastores are usually kind of boring.) Doing it within the Millenia Walk flagship store is a no-brainer too, as this 100,000 square feet store is now well-known for its breadth of products and knowledgable and friendly salespeople. In fact, according to CEO Katie Page, this Harvey Norman Games Hub is the first of such stores the company has in the world, and Harvey Norman has every intention to bring this format to its stores in other countries.

So, what’s so special about the Harvey Norman Games Hub? If you missed our earlier news and picture gallery, and weren’t one of the 100 HardwareZone members who came down for a preview last Friday, 5th August, we've a quick recap below. But before that, here's some video highlights of the event last week, with more photos below:

While the official opening is only on 13th August, the store is actually open for operation since 6th August - so drop by and check it out soon!

 

So, what maketh a Games Hub? 

 

1.) A permanent VR area

Yes, there are stores that also have a virtual reality corner, but Games Hub’s VR area (maybe room is a better word) is the biggest we’ve seen so far in Singapore, with enough space for you and a couple of friends to move around and fling your arms. The HTC Vive isn’t officially on sale in Singapore yet, but it goes without saying that once HTC launches it here, Games Hub will be one of the places you can buy it from. A Harvey Norman spokesperson told us that this VR area will be a permanent fixture; and judging from the booth’s popularity last Friday, this is clearly the right move.

2.) Play games, make friends, win prizes

Harvey Norman is also trying to add some community elements to the Games Hub by having a gaming station (decked with an Intel Core i7-equipped Lenovo Ideacentre Y900 desktop and several Lenovo Y27g curved gaming monitors) where customers can drop by and compete anytime and have their names listed on the in-store leader board. Winners for the month will also walk away with attractive prizes. Currently, the game being played is NBA 2K16.

And in a separate area, there’s a racing rig complete with Logitech G’s G29 driving force racing wheel, Logitech's Driving Force Shifter, Logitech Z906 5.1-channel speaker system, Playseat’s Evolution gaming seat and gear shift holder, multiple Samsung 31.5-inch SE590C curved monitors, and an Acer Predator gaming PC (G6-710-I670MR162T), for a super-realistic racing sim experience. Harvey Norman says you can have this entire experience in your own home for a bundle price of S$7,788. What if you already have a capbale gaming system? Harvey Norman has another bundle price without the gaming machine and triple curved monitors for S$1,999.

3.) No more buyer's remorse: Try before you buy

One thing that Games Hub is different from other game stores is that it encourages you to hands-on the products before you buy. And we're not referring to just the gaming laptops or consoles like Xbox and PlayStation that are on display; but also the gaming accessories like keyboards, mice, and headsets. If you’ve any doubt about the feel or performance of an accessory, feel free to let the salesperson know, and he or she will take it out and connect it to a working PC for you to try.

Of course, to be a one-stop shop for gamers, product ranging is important. Harvey Norman Games Hub offers PC hardware and games, PlayStation and Xbox game consoles and game titles, and loads of gaming accessories, such as gaming mice, keyboards, headsets, mousepads, and speakers. Brands that you’ll find here include Acer Predator, Asus ROG, Corsair, Lenovo, Logitech, Microsoft Xbox, MSI, Sony PlayStation, Razer, and Samsung.

 

Sneak preview for HWZ members

As mentioned earlier, Harvey Norman was kind enough to let 100 HardwareZone members to have a sneak preview of the new Games Hub store last Friday. You've seen the highlight reel above; here are a few more photos.

Games Hub has a dedicated area for VR demo, with enough room for the player to move about.

There's also a fully-decked racing simulator for racing game fans. Vroom, vroom!

Are you good at NBA2K? If so, come on down for a game and try to get your name on the leader board. Prizes are given out to winners monthly.

Games Hub isn't just for PC gamers. You should also check out the store if you play the Xbox or PlayStation.

Want a more affordable way to get into VR? If you've a compatible Samsung handset, the Samsung Gear VR is a good choice.

 Games Hub not only encourages its customers to try out the games on the various working stations, but also the gaming accessories. Don't be shy, just ask and play!

It's good to start early.

Let's play some games and make some friends. What do you say?

All-girl gaming team Girlaxy was at the event too, taking on challengers on the League of Legends game. Girlaxy will be present on August 13 and 14 too for Games Hub's official opening.

That's some pretty awesome League of Legends cosplays.

 

Grand opening on August 13 & 14

In conjunction with Games Hub's official opening on the August 13 weekend, Harvey Norman has launched a inaugural gaming competition called “Harvey Norman Gamers Cup”. The year’s competition is organized jointly with Garena, with gamers competing on League of Legends. Winners stand to walk home with up to S$5,000 in vouchers and products.

The first Harvey Norman Gamers Cup will take place at Millenia Walk. Registration has already kicked off since July 25 via Garena’s platforms. The qualifiers and quarter-finals happened just this past weekend, and the semi-finals and finals will take place on August 13 to coincide with the store’s opening.

In addition to the semi-finals and finals of the Harvey Norman Gamers Cup, customers can expect many gaming offers during this opening weekend. There are opportunities to take photos with gaming characters and meet all-girls gaming team Girlaxy, as well as instant lucky draws for shoppers who meet the minimum spent requirement. So if you're looking for places to bring the family to this weekend, why not come on down to Harvey Norman at Millenia Walk and have some fun.

The stage is set for the semi-finals and finals of the inaugural Harvey Norman Gamers Cup this weekend.

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