In case you are wondering, we are not talking about a Gaming Den where shuffling of Mahjong tiles and punter shouting ‘Blackjack!” can be heard constantly. We are talking about one where you can take your gaming experience to a whole new level beyond your keyboard, mouse or controller.
NXND Computer (NXND) has started this Gaming Lounge which is figuratively a game centre that provides an immersive gaming experience through motion platforms or Virtual Reality which is largely centred on “combat” flying and racing simulation games.
Inspiration for Gaming Lounge
NXND has jokingly shared that the inspiration came from COVID19. One of the cofounder of NXND, Guan Tdee discovered a gaming community in Singapore consisting of individuals who are interested in virtual flying simulation. While its fun and engaging to meet in the virtual skies, there is lack of actual social interactions between such groups in Singapore.
I thought if I need to gather like-minded gamers together to share fun and knowledge and chill out, there must be a lounge or café that is enticing enough to make them “get out of their seat”.
-Guan Tdee (NXND Computer)
It was later expanded to include other game genre beyond just flight simulation.
What’s available at the Gaming Lounge?
There are various programmes to choose from. You are try out their immersive motion simulation with a choice of driving or flying on their motion platform.
Then there is a choice of a static panoramic screen, or VR. Team gaming (i.e. DOTA,CS,ArmA 3 and more) of up to 4 players are also available. More details are available on their site.
Booking and Opening Hours
Booking: Booking is needed to get a slot for the Gaming Lounge on their website at https://www.nxndcomputers.sg/book-online. Alternatively, you can whatsapp them at +65 9825-7608.
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 9am – 6pm and on appointment Sat: 9am – 2pm and on appointment Sun: On appointment
Address: 2022 Bukit Batok Industrial Park A Street 23 #01-138 Mezzanine, Singapore
With events cancelled or going online like the the latest edition of Anime Festival Asia, there is little place to go to satisfy your craving for all-things Japanese. Of course flying to Japan is impossible too at the moment.
Enter the new Rilakkuma themed Cafe by Kumoya Cafe. This pop-up cafe will be open for 6 months starting on 29 August 2020. Do note that this is a new Kumoya branch at Orchard Central. Their first cafe, Kumoya Singapore @ 8 Jalan Klapa, is still open but features not Rilakkuma but Bad-Barth-Maru and Gudetama.
For the uninitiated, Rilakkuma is a popular San-X character from Japan which translate loosely to “relaxing bear”. It has struck a chord with the generally hardworking Japanese simply with the idea of “let’s just relax” that is the epitome of the character.
Getting to the Cafe
Located at Orchard Central level 4, finding the place is not difficult at all. At the time of writing, the cafe does not allow reservation and only walk-in is allowed. So be prepared to queue for a period of time to get in.
We queued for about 50 minutes at around 1:30pm on a Thursday afternoon (we are there not as a media invite). Given it is still consider lunch hours when we are there, expect a shorter time during off peak hours like 3-5pm. And be prepared for a longer queue on weekends.
Customers are entitled to a maximum of 1 hour and 30 minutes in the restaurant. And with safe distancing, there are limited seating capacity. On the positive side, the experience overall is better with less people in the cafe. After all this is Rilakkuma – The Relax Cafe isn’t it?
The Food
Food-wise the selections are quite complete. From pasta to rice, desserts and drinks, you will be spoilt for choices. However, do not expect the price to be easy on the wallet. Each main is about $25-29. This is the typical pricing of such theme cafe.
We ordered the Chill-out Rilakkuma Yuzu Carbonara ($23.90), Chirpy Kiroiitori Beef Stew Rice ($23.90), Rilakuma Sweet Honey Pancake ($25.90) and a Lycee Momo Iced Tea with Chocolate ($13.90). Each dish is beautifully decorated ready for an Instagram moment. Taste-wise, while it is not something I will keep coming back for, it is fairly decent compared to other theme cafe we have been to.
The Merchandise
Beside the cashier counter, there is a corner full of kawaii Rilakkuma merchandise. Be sure to visit it while you are there. If you are a plushies lover, you will be glad to find some rare Rilakkuma plushies on sale there.
Overall
With the COVID-19 situation, visiting the cafe is one of the only way to get closer to a holiday experience. We would recommend a visit to the cafe if you are a fan of Rilakkuma.
One of the casualty of the COVID 19. The highly anticipated gaming events of the year gamescom Asia 2020 which is scheduled for October will be postpone to Oct 2021 instead. Hopefully the situation will get better by then and we can get back to attending conventions. Full press release below:
gamescom asia, originally planned for debut in Singapore this October, will move its inaugural edition to 2021.
Singapore, 10 June 2020 – The first edition of gamescom asia has been postponed to 14 – 17 October 2021. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic started, response for the event had been overwhelming. With strong interest and bookings from AAA game publishers, developers and country pavilions, preparation for gamescom asia was on track to deliver a world class event.
“As much as we would have loved to bring the event to life this October, the current global crisis has forced us to recalibrate our wants for gamescom asia. The health and safety of our visitors, exhibitors and staff is paramount. Moreover, for an inaugural event, we felt it was important to give the regional gaming community and fans the full experience of what an international event of this scale would be like, and not anything less. Today, we confirmed our decision to postpone the live event to 2021 instead,” expressed Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Singapore, the organiser of gamescom asia.
He added, “The team has been in conversation extensively with all stakeholders, partners and the Singapore government over the last few weeks to decide on the best course of action for the safety of all our participants. While the common sentiment was hopefulness for large-scale events to go back to normalcy, we agreed that the world is not situationally ready for this to happen. With that, we will have to adapt and refocus our efforts on 2021, and offer digital engagements leading up to that date in support of the Asian games industry.”
gamescom asia is the first satellite event of the world’s largest event for computer and video games: gamescom. The premier event aims to showcase the diversity of gaming within the world’s fastest growing games market – Southeast Asia, while covering the global spectrum of the games industry, gaming culture, esports, regional and international releases and more.
“We welcome Koelnmesse’s continued support in these challenging times, and are committed to partner with Koelnmesse to deliver a successful gamescom asia in 2021. The inaugural event will be a highlight in Singapore’s events calendar and provide new business opportunities for local and regional companies. We look forward to welcoming delegates to the event next year,” said Mr Andrew Phua, Executive Director, Exhibitions and Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board.
gamescom asia 2021 will be held from 14 – 17 October 2021 in Singapore at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre. For more information on the event, visit www.gamescom.asia or follow gamescom asia on major social media platforms.
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About gamescom asia
gamescom asia aims to serve as the premier platform for Asian game developers to explore partnerships globally, and act as a hub for international publishers who are looking for the next big thing in games. New releases and gaming related offerings will also be showcased. With the business area, the entertainment area and the industry gaming conference, gamescom asia covers the entire diversity of the games culture. gamescom asia is organised by Koelnmesse Singapore and supported by game – the German Games Industry Association.
About gamescom
gamescom is the world’s largest event for computer and video games and Europe’s largest business platform for the games industry. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, gamescom 2020 will be held exclusively in digital format from Thursday, August 27, 2020 to Sunday, August 30, 2020. On-site events in Cologne will not take place this year given the current situation. gamescom is jointly organised by Koelnmesse and game – the German Games Industry Association.
Koelnmesse – Global Competence in Digital Media, Entertainment and Mobility:
Koelnmesse is an international leader in organising trade fairs in the Digital Media, Entertainment and Mobility segments. Trade fairs like photokina, DMEXCO, gamescom, gamescom asia, INTERMOT and THE TIRE COLOGNE are established as leading international trade fairs. Koelnmesse not only organises trade fairs in these areas in Cologne, but also in other growth markets like, for example, China, Singapore and Thailand, which have different areas of focus and content. These global activities offer customers of Koelnmesse tailor-made events in different markets, which guarantee sustainable and international business.
The next events: gamescom, Cologne, Germany, 27.-30.08.2020DMEXCO, Cologne, Germany, 23.-24.09.2020photokina, Cologne, Germany, 18.-21.05.2022
