Wii Fits nicely into New York gym

New York, New York. So good they named it twice and decided to charge upwards of $2000 (£1000) a month for a poky studio flat.

Now Manhattanites fed up with breaking crockery or putting an arm through a wall of the city's famously petite apartments while playing their Nintendo Wiis can lash out to their heart's content.

Wii Sports as it should be

The Gravity fitness centre at Le Parker Meridien hotel on West 57th Street has converted an entire squash court into the ultimate Wii installation, boasting a digital projector, Wii Sports, Wii Fit and even a human trainer.

Mark Natale, executive director at Gravity, told Tech Radar: "We project games on a screen 20ft high and give players 800 square feet of space to work in. It feels much more lifelike, much more immersive. But it's the human element that really makes a difference."

Each $120 (£60) session with Wii Sports involves one-on-one coaching from a coach to help you tackle your digital boxing opponents or close out that tricky bowling split.

Trainer pushes gamers

"The trainer gives you that extra kick in the pants you need to get a good workout," Natale claims.

If you don't fancy splashing out over a third of the price of a new console for a single Wii session, you can forego the human element and simply rent the installation for a much more reasonable $50 (£25) an hour. "We've seen a lot of corporate clients. We've had 45 people playing against each other."

Wait a minute. 45 people playing computer games in a sweaty, enclosed, urban space? Surely you can buy a Travelcard and have the same experience on the Tube for about a fiver...

Mark Harris is Senior Research Director at Gartner.