HMV has brought joy to Edinburgh’s gamers by announcing a dedicated gaming zone in its flagship Edinburgh operation.

Due to open this Friday the idea is supported by Xbox and the zone will feature 27 360s for fans to pass the hours by.

HMV aren’t thinking small on this either as it is setting aside 2000 square feet to house the consoles, all displaying on Samsung hi-def TV screens, and multi-player gaming for up to 16 players is also on the cards.

However, all good things don’t come for free. Gamers who want to join in the fun will have to become member, and pay £5 for a three hour session, but HMV intends to let fans get the most from their time in store by running regular competitions with titles such as Halo 3, PGR 4 and Guitar Hero III.

"Games are now an integral part of the HMV offer, and whether we're selling them or, as in this case, also making them available on a pay-per-play basis, it's about getting our customers closer to the things they love, and giving them access to content however they wish to consume it," commented Tim Ellis, head of games at HMV.

"If the HMV gaming zone proves a hit, then we'll consider if there are opportunities to roll out the concept to other stores in the chain," he added.