Anyone want to finance this idea?

I've had this idea stuck in my head for some time now.

If you're a regular visitor to this blog, by now you would have figured out that computer gaming is one of my main hobbies. I've been gaming on computers since I was still using an old Apple II Plus, and while I have diversified a bit by gaming on various consoles as well, I still consider myself, first and foremost, a PC gamer.

All of the PCs I've built for my own use reflect this proclivity, and I get my info on what particular parts to buy from various magazines, books, and technical/review sites on the web.

I've noticed that there aren't any local web sites posting really in-depth reviews of PC hardware. Oh, there are some magazines which post a couple of such reviews now and then, but most aren't really that technical, aimed more at a general audience, too shallow for hardcore PC technophiles and gamers. More often than not, the reviewers are "too nice" and don't really say if a particular piece of hardware is good for gaming, or merely a piece of proverbial crap. Reviews of this sort aren't really helpful, and even confusing.

Also, there doesn't seem to be any "boutique" computer assemblers specializing in assembling custom modded PCs or PCs especially spec'd for running games here in the Philippines. In the United States, a lot of brands cater specifically to this niche, including such well-known brands such as Alienware, Voodoo, Falcon Northwest, ABS, etc.

I've seen a lot of purported gamer PCs being advertised on different local PC mags, but except for having top-of-the-line processors or over-the-top case designs, these computers are particularly poor gaming PCs, often due to anemic video cards and miniscule amounts of system RAM. Hell, I've hardly ever even seen a local PC being sold with surround speakers, and virtually all modern games take advantage of surround sound.

While some may think that high performance video cards, sound cards, surround speakers, and the like are expensive, it need not necessarily be. There are a lot of inexpensive components out in the market which nonetheless significantly enhance the gaming experience. And besides, on the other end of the spectrum, there are always people for which cost is no object. I envy those people. :-)

If you're the type of person who's familiar with such terms as dual-channel DDR, HyperTransport, pixel pipelines, vertex shaders, DirectX 9.0c, dual core, or cryptic acronyms like SLI, HTT, SSE, AMD64, RAID 0, SATA or EAX, you can probably relate.

I think this is a void just waiting to be filled locally. Also, if you consider the growth of the gaming industry, I also think its inevitable. Yet, no one is stepping up to the plate.

I'm thinking of setting up some sort of retail company specializing in PCs for gamers. Of course, it'll sell individual components as well, and provide support and sound technical advice, unlike those huge warehouse-type outlets where most of the technical support people don't know jack (like this one time when a sales clerk was insisting that an Athlon 64 had a 333 MHz FSB, hell, an Athlon 64 doesn't even have a FSB). Given the access to various PC components, I think it should also have a website of its own, giving no-nonsense reviews and recommendations. In other words, a local PC company and website by gamers, for gamers. Has a nice ring to it, no?

It could even sell customized PCs online. I don't think that has happened here yet.

Alas, such a company will probably require a sizeable investment, and that I don't have.

So, I was wondering, does anyone else think this is a good idea? Does anyone want to finance it? :-) Or at the very least, if you're planning on setting up such a company, would you like to hire me? I could be a good visionary when it comes to technology. :-)