It’s September and that can only mean one thing: A gaming and tech-focused expo taking place in South Africa. No, the other gaming and tech-focused event. That’s right, rAge 2019 is here and it’s looking… well, you can see how it’s looking in the image gallery below. It’s looking expensive.
But that’s fine, because it’s after payday for most of us. And (also) unfortunately, it’s after payday for most of us and that means purchases. Purchases you don’t really think about and didn’t really plan for. Our favourite sort of purchases, really. Till it comes time to pay the bond or rent, that is.
The gang’s all here
Acer, MSI, Evetech, Matrix Warehouse, and ComputersOnly all have a large presence at the event and there’s a whole mess of retail going on. And not just from the computer hardware guys, though we reckon there’s gonna be a whole lot of thermal compound spread about after this weekend.
There’s also a full turnout from the gaming types, with the likes of Incredible Connection and BT Games offering a selection of (discounted-for-the-weekend) gaming gear. Many of Johannesburg’s specialist outfits for gaming, anime, comics, art and cosplay have made the trip and there’s a surprising amount of actual weaponry in attendance. If you’re fond of cutlery (used here in the old sense, from a time when everyone carried a knife), you may find something to stick into your boot on the expo floor.
No purchase necessary
But you don’t have to rock up with tons of cash — even if you’re going to be sad that you didn’t. There’s more than a little to do there, with a large section of the floor dedicated to game demos. The biggest lines we saw were for PlayStation VR titles, specifically Iron Man VR, with loads of folks lining up to give waving their arms while wearing a face-monitor a go.
If you’re more into competition or cosplay, there are also avenues for you. You can either sit back and watch or you can participate. Acer in particular will let you have a crack at claiming a pro gamer’s scalp in CS:GO, with prizes for those who manage to defeat their opponent. There are cosplay events and esports finals through most of the weekend which should hold your attention.
But you don’t have to take our word for it, even if we’re backing it with the pictorial evidence above. rAge runs all weekend and while it seems like some folk were forced to choose between this and Comic Con Africa, the show floor has been neatly laid out. It feels as though there’s more going on compared to last year’s event, but it also seems like space was more efficiently utilised.
And if you’re still on the fence, stay tuned. We’ve also captured a little video from the gaming expo. That’ll be along shortly and it may help push you off the fence, one way or the other.
