Video-game enthusiasts from across the UK will be flocking to the Play Expo in Manchester this Saturday for a chance to sample the future of gaming consoles; Playstation 4.
Play Expo returns to Manchester after making a successful debut in 2012, where it displayed an impressive line-up of current and retro games, plus hardware previews and cosplay.
This year, the much hyped virtual-reality headset, Oculus Rift, will also be available for a hands-on demo.
Oculus Rift is the brainchild of Palmer Luckey, who also founded Oculus VR, the company behind the head-mounted display.
Luckey, from America, first showcased the Oculus Rift to the public in June of last year at E3, the world’s largest video-game event held annually in Los Angeles.
Industry veteran and co-founder of id Software John Carmack demoed Doom: BFG edition running on a prototype version of Oculus Rift.
The demo became one of the biggest talking points of the show, with those lucky enough to get their hands on it lavishing heaps of praise on the virtual-reality headset.
In August of this year, Oculus VR raised nearly $2.5million on the crowd-funding website, Kickstarter, smashing its target of $250,000.
In the same month, Oculus announced that Carmack would be filling an official role within the company, becoming their new Chief Technology Officer.
Carmack said: “The dream of VR has been simmering in the background for decades, but now, the people and technologies are finally aligning to allow it to reach the potential we imagined.
“I’m extremely excited to make a mark in what I truly believe will be a transformative technology.”
Those who attend the Play Expo will also be able to finally get their hands on the Sony’s much anticipated PlayStation 4, with Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag playable on the show floor.
The PS4 hits UK shores next month on November 29, with Microsoft’s Xbox One launching one week earlier.
Anticipation for the PS4 is extremely high, with Sony announcing at Gamescom back in August that pre-orders had topped one million, well ahead of the PS2 and PS3.
Speaking to Eurogamer last month, PlayStation UK boss Fergal Gara said that pre-order levels are the highest the electronics giant had ever seen.
However, speaking in an episode of Bonus Round by GameTrailers this week, leading gaming industry analyst Michael Pachter, claimed that Sony might struggle to meet the extreme demand come November:
“I mean the only thing they’re gonna have a problem with is supply disruption,” he said.
“That million pre-orders they talked about, which I understand now is up to one and a half million, that’s a lot of consoles. That tells you that there’s not going to be a lot of boxes behind the first million and a half, so there are going to be supply shortages.”
Other notable games at Play Expo include Dark Souls II, the sequel to the soul crushingly difficult RPG from Japanese developers From Software.
Fellow compatriots Nintendo will also be showcasing some of their upcoming titles, although they are remaining tight-lipped as to what exactly will be showcased.
The expo also features a dedicated retro section featuring a huge range of classic arcade games alongside classic shooters, strategy games and driving simulators, plus a list of free-to-enter old-school competitions.
For the more competitive, the pro.play section will feature an endless array of tournaments and competitions that are free-to-enter, alongside some more exclusive events.
Furthermore, Play Expo will be playing host to the World Cosplay Summit, which features the very best in cosplay from around the world, including the chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Japan.
Play Expo will run on October 12 and 13, day tickets are priced at £14 for adults, £9 for children or £42 for a family ticket, weekend tickets are £23 for adults and £14 for children.
For more information on Play Expo and to book tickets click here.
Image courtesy of Sergey Galyonkin via Flickr, with thanks.
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