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Take a tour of the Macworld | iWorld 2012 show floor
Just as soon as the show floor opened at this year's Macworld | iWorld 2012 in San Francisco, we grabbed a camera and did a run through the exhibitions on display. You can see all of the various booths and their vendors and showcases in the gallery below (everything from Mac and iOS accessories to app developers and even content producers), as well as shots from the "Macworld Midway" displays and the registration area. Things are hopping on the first day of the conference. There are some big names missing from the show floor; Apple obviously isn't officially here, and some of the big vendors from previous years aren't around. But as you can see below, there are plenty of exhibitors here, both big and small. We'll have lots more coverage from Macworld | iWorld all this week, from most of the exhibitors in the gallery below and even more. Stay tuned! %Gallery-145729%
Galaxy Tab 7.7 disappears from IFA floor, not a trace left behind
Just two days after Samsung unveiled its Honeycomb-sporting Galaxy Tab 7.7, the slate (along with all traces of its existence) has vanished from the IFA floor. All demo models have been yanked from Sammy's booth, branding has disappeared, and even the large poster touting the slate has been covered up. The Korean company hasn't been entirely forthcoming about the reason behind the removal, but a spokesperson did tell SlashGear that the move was voluntary. Given that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is already barred from sale in Germany (and some 7.7 units on display bore a sticker informing handlers it would also not make it to retail in Deutschland), speculation has led many to link the vanishing act to the ongoing legal battle with Apple. For now though, all we have to go on is Samsung's confirmation that the tablet has been pulled, accompanied by a refusal to comment further.
Take a JPEG tour through the PAX East 2011 show floor
If you're not kicking it Good Will Hunting-style in Boston for the Easternmost, 2011-most edition of the Penny Arcade Expo, we can easily take you there through the magic of internet. Check out the gallery below to see some of the biggest productions on this year's main expo hall, from the gigantic Child of Eden preview display, to the equally gigantic Pikachu, hovering mere feet above attendees' heads, patiently waiting for his moment to strike.%Gallery-118906%
The Daily Grind: What are you hoping to hear from GDC?
This week, Massively's own Shawn & Rubi are headed out to San Francisco to check out all the sights and sounds of this year's Game Developers Conference. In fact, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the event, one that has grown from a small gathering held in someone's house into an enormous industry-wide event. There are tons of topics to look forward to, from intricate development issues to the wider ramifications of online and social gaming. Given how many varied and interesting panels, discussions and more bedeck the conference's schedule, we thought we'd ask whether there's anything in particular you're hoping to hear from this year's event. Are there any games or topics you're really craving more news about? Grab your morning cuppa wake-up beverage goodness, check out the schedule, and tell us what you're hoping to learn more about in our upcoming GDC 2011 coverage! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
BlizzCon 2010: Of booths and graffiti
A graffiti wall is put up for each day of BlizzCon. Markers are provided in multiple colors and attendees are encouraged to make their marks. Hey, is that a reference to <It came from the Blog>? I wonder who put that there. /whistle innocently The show floor at BlizzCon provides fun each year in the form of interactive areas, vendor booths and large, shiny objects. No sparkle ponies, though ... unfortunately. Check it out in the gallery below. Shiny. %Gallery-105863% BlizzCon 2010 is upon us! WoW Insider has all the latest news and information. We're bringing you liveblogging of the WoW panels, interviews with WoW celebrities and attendees and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
JPEGs from the frontlines of the GDC 2010 show floor
Click to flash-ify Unless you're a journalist, analyst or developer, your odds of ever attending the Game Developers Conference are pretty slim. Feel free to live vicariously through the Joystiq crew by checking out the gallery below. No, it's not nearly as flashy as E3 and PAX's show floors -- except in the case of the MotionCapture.com booth (pictured above), which is quite possibly the flashiest thing we've ever seen. %Gallery-88016%
Macworld 2010: TUAW livestream from the show floor
TUAW is broadcasting live from the show floor of Macworld 2010. Stay tuned all day long for live video from the show floor, including interviews, demos, and hands-on with vendors, friends, and luminaries. On the schedule today: Blue Microphones, the makers of the Gorillapod, Telltale Games, Shawn King of Your Mac Life, and many more.
Macworld 2010: Hands-on with Microvision's SHOWWX laser pico projector
I'm still skeptical about laser projectors -- while the technology is impressive, the practicality is still a little limited. And unfortunately, Microvision's demo of their SHOWWX projector here at Macworld 2010 didn't do much to change my mind. It's a nice little device -- it's almost exactly the size of the iPhone, and the rep told me that most of the unit is actually the battery -- and there are some good applications for it. But for the consumer market that Microvision really wants, the $500 unit (that will go on sale in March) is still a little too small in terms of scale and usability. Just using the device, which will project clear images and video from an iPhone or iPod on a wall about three to four feet away (more or less depending on ambient light), you can tell that the idea of a microprojector is almost at the level where it could be really successful. As the rep said to us, the iPhone is a 1:1 device, and while many of us do use it to show pictures and video to each other, it's really only meant to show one person at a time. But the projector goes to a "1 to few" relationship instead, and that's a prospect that will be appealing to anyone who wants to show off business presentations, video, or pictures of family members to anyone else.
Macworld 2010: First look at the show floor
The show floor doesn't actually open for about 40 more minutes (as of this writing), but here you go -- we'll get you in, let you look around, and see what Macworld has to offer this year. From the indie dev booths to the towering Dr. Bott and IBM booths, to our own TUAW livestream studio (look for our livestream later today) and all of the different accessory manufacturers, browse through the gallery below and take your own pre-show walk around the floor. Stay tuned all the rest of the week for coverage from almost all of these exhibitors, as well as more pictures, video, and blogging direct from the show floor. Even if (like one Steve Jobs) you're not here at Macworld this week, we'll make it feel like you are! %Gallery-85255%
BlizzCon 2009: The show floor
Skip the lines! Skip the crowds! See all there is to see from the BlizzCon 2009 show floor in our gallery without having to leave the cool comfort of your computer chair. We will, of course, be updating throughout the weekend as we see more strange and unusual sights.%Gallery-70667%BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!
Ten things WoW players should know from E3
Blizzard, as you probably already know, was not at E3 this year (officially, anyway -- they did have at least a few folks wandering the exhibit halls). But that doesn't mean there wasn't anything for you WoW fans: both Elizabeth Harper and I were there from WoW.com working with our sister sites Joystiq and Massively, and as WoW fans, we saw plenty of awesome games and demos that you should know about.So even if you haven't been paying attention to E3 information on other sites, here's a quick wrapup of ten different things you should know from last week's big convention if you're a WoW player. There were no big expansion announcements or hints at future Blizzard releases -- they're saving all of that for BlizzCon this year. But there were a few games to watch, a few booths to marvel at, and a few trends to notice that you'll want to be aware of even if you're spending most or all of your gaming time in Azeroth. Hit the break for the first four.
E3 2009: Day one video
While it's technically the first day for most attendees, we've actually been here since Sunday, preparing for the big event. Yet, yesterday marked the first time the show floor was opened and we all got a look at the new E3.After last year's disappointing showing, the organizers more than made up for it with what is arguably the largest collection of shinies we've seen at any conference in recent years. To pay respect for E3 going back to the way it was, we've compiled this short video of what we saw on Day 1. There's some shaky-cam footage of the show floor, some great MMO screens including never-before-seen shots of Torchlight and DCUO, and of course, an EverQuest booth babe. You can check it out right after the jump, and be sure to look for another compilation video once the convention is over, featuring our favorite moments. Massively is on the ground in Los Angeles this week and covering all the latest E3 MMO news coming from the convention. Check out our breaking coverage (or all the Joystiq network E3 reporting) and keep your eye on Massively's front page for the latest developments.
Shots from the E3 2008 showfloor
Wondering what E3 2008 actually looks like now that it's made a triumphant (if smaller) return to the L.A. Convention Center. Look no further than the handy gallery below, full of shots directly from the floor. This year's show may not capture the rock-concert-meets-theme-park feel of past shows, but it's still pretty cool walking into a huge room and seeing dozens new and unreleased games, free to try, as far as the eye can see. We'll be updating the gallery with interesting shots throughout the show, so be sure to check back frequently.%Gallery-27705%
Bumblebee spotted on CES floor
The Transformers' Bumblebee showed up on the CES show floor this year, though we have to say he was more than a little worse for wear. According to reports, he'd been out drinking all night with David Caruso at the Bellagio, and couldn't find his keys when he woke up... which we're sure you can imagine is a major problem for him. When we requested an interview, the alien robot claimed he wasn't feeling too well, and asked if we had a swimming pool and two gigantic Alka-Seltzer tablets.
All of E3's Barker Hangar in less than five minutes
In previous years, seeing everything on the E3 show floor in less than five minutes would be a ridiculous proposition. You sometimes needed hours just to get in to some of the more popular booths. This year, though, the entirety of the "Summit Software Showcase" in LA's Barker Hangar is so small that it can easily be traversed in less than five minutes. Want proof? Check out the above video, which shows the circuit in double speed and proves just how much tinier the new E3 is than that of years past.
"I Hate You, E3," declares Escapist writer
Okay, so maybe not hate completely.The eye-catching title of an essay from the latest installment of The Escapist puts the emphasis on the negative aspect of the love-hate relationship many industry vets have with E3, but there's surprisingly a lot of love for the trade show here, even if you don't subscribe to the hardened "I hate E3 because I love it" theory of convention devotion.While the Joystiq staff hasn't been to quite as many E3s as the founder of the International Game Journalists Association (IGJA), we can certainly empathize with the world-weariness that might accumulate after years of weeklong death- press-marches and working in overcrowded, sensory-overloaded spaces. We just hope our love of the game(s) will stay with us as it has for Mr. Thomas, whether we're watching from home or working the show floor in person in post-apocalyptic L.A. The parties will be sure to be awesome.See also: Joystiq at E3 2006 mega-site The Escapist's big E3 issue this week, with references within to Joystiq's Paris Hilton story and some E3 party pics orig. from Joystiq The Game of Journalism -- the IGJA's official web site
E3 Day One: Booth babe spotting
At E3, we hoped to see some ladies wearing a little more than in previous years. Despite any enforcement of rules, there were still a lot of assets on display on the show floor -- here's some of the best (and worst) from day one.To our right is a classic uncomfortable, gimmicky costume. She (we assume it's a she) doesn't have to keep smiling, 'cause it's pasted on. Warning: repeatedly raising your arms in the Ms. Pac-Man gesture of welcome may cause injury.
Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode
In case you missed it on Friday, IGN posted a pre-E3 hands-on preview of Guitar Hero II's new co-op mode. It's a departure from the first game's multiplayer mode in that the two players have to depend on each other a lot more to pass each song and thereby make beautiful music together.While the old multiplayer option will still be around in the sequel, the new mode mixes distinct lead guitar and bass or rhythm parts where each player affects the other in various ways, whether by failing if either performance slips (as in DDR), sharing the same Rock Meter (with mistakes from either player resetting the score multiplier), and needing to both go vertical at the same time to activate the shared Star Power. Thankfully, different difficulty levels can be assigned to each player.The Joystiq team out in L.A. will probably find something to do until they get their sweaty paws on a guitar controller or two on the E3 show floor (maybe one of those wacky press conferences will help pass the time), but we're sure the wait to try the latest build of this rockin' series will be worth it. The seven songs available at E3 are listed below.[Thanks, murph]
