A new gaming zone, dubbed Gamerbase, has been created in HMV's flagship Trocadero store in London thanks to a key gaming and retail partnership with Dell and Intel.

The 2,300 square feet of trading space packs in a number of Xbox 360s and top of the range Dell XPS gaming PCs, each running Intel quad-core processors and a pair of Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards.

As well as playing all the latest games for users to play on their own or in multiplayer, customers will have the option of buying games or Dell hardware at the Gamerbase, furthering Dell's move into resale through the channel, rather than direct via the web only.

"We wanted to provide consumers the ability to try before they buy in all aspects of gaming," explained Dominic Mulroy, managing director of Gamerbase.

"The typical model of a gaming cyber centre has now been extended to include games purchases direct from HMV and now they can buy the whole range of Dell systems from our store at a great discount. Our staff have all been trained by Dell to ensure that customers receive the best advice and support on their PC purchase."

Membership to Gamerbase is free, but customers will be charged between £2.50 and £4.00 per hour and unused time can be rolled over.

"The way people discover and enjoy games is showing signs of broadening out, and we want to be at the forefront of this process so we can continue to cater to all tastes and demands as they develop," said Tim Ellis, head of Games at HMV.

"The Gamerbase gaming centre is located right next to the store's games department, so gamers can buy or pre-order a PC title straight away if they've had a great experience playing it."

Gamerbase is now open seven days a week and matches the HMV store's opening hours.