GameStart 2018 is officially announced! Attracting more than 24,000 visitors last year, GameStart was a fun-filled event that gamers should not miss. Like last year, we will be there to bring you the highlights of GameStart 2018.
This year, GameStart will be venturing outside Singapore and into Indonesia’s shore where they will hold the first inaugural GameStart 2018 Indonesia. More details will be provided by GameStart later this year.
With games across multiple platforms, from PC to mobile, console and tabletop, there is will be something for any types of gamers. Esports, cosplay and Founders Base, which provides discounted booths for startups, artists and indie developers to showcase their products, will again be part of the event.
SEA Major, the top fighting game tournament in South East Asia will also be back at GameStart 2018. Lineup of games include Street Fighter V, Tekken 7 and more. Check out more details at www.beastapac.com.
Meanwhile, you can read up on the last year event here as well as view the video below for some of the highlights of GameStart 2017.
Japan pop culture lovers are having a wonderful time this weekend. C3 Anime Festival Asia 2017 Singapore (C3AFASG17) is happening now at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre. It runs from 24th Nov (Fri) to 26th Nov (Sun) opening daily at 9:30am.
Aptly named as Anime Festival Asia, anime lovers will be able to indulge in their inner otaku at this event. From buying figurines to checking out the latest anime, there are endless amount of things to do. However, you should not be thinking that C3 AFA is all about anime only. There are a number of booth showcasing uniquely Japanese technology and food as well.
Aniplex Booth
One of the largest anime production house in Japan, Aniplex exhibition spans across three booths each showcasing their latest anime titles. The three titles that are being promoted are Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, the upcoming Record of Grancrest War and Black Butler.
At the ‘Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend’ booth, one thing stood out. This 1:1 life-size figurine of Kato Megumi (one of the main character of this anime) is the most expensive one that you can find in the entire show. If you have SGD25,000 to spare, you can bring one home. And yes, it comes with free shipping. This life-size Kato Megumi is an extremely rare figurine with only 20 pieces produced to date.
If you do not have SGD25,000, fret not. The booth feature an Augmented Reality (AR) experience. Just download an app and you can see Kato Megumi spring to life on your mobile phone.
You can also learn more about the World Of Grancrest War at the Aniplex booth.
Idols Showcase – Nogizaka46
Love Live! and Idolmaster has bridged the world of Idols and Anime for lots of Anime Fans. On showcase at C3AFASG17 for the first time outside Japan is the idol group Nogizaka46. Nogizaka46 is the official rival of the more well-known AKB48. The group is created by the same producer for AKB48, Yasushi Akimoto.
Unlike AKB48 which has a largely male fanbase, Nogizaka46 has a significant population of female fanbase. The group does regular modeling and appears on the cover page of popular female fashion magazines. Learn more about the group which started in 2012 at their booth.
Uniquely Japanese Technology
While being a show dedicated to the Japan pop culture, who can forget about Japanese technology which itself is one with the pop culture?
Nawatobi Jumper
A relatively simple game; jump on a skipping rope and blast a cat off in a rocket. The idea behind the game is to encourage people to exercise in a fun way. We were told that this gaming booth can be found in some malls in Japan.
We have the National Step Challenges. Perhaps the next one could be a National Skipping Challenge power by this technology.
VOLLY – Your Voice In A Rolling Ball
A ball toy that looks a bit like Wilson from the Cast Away movie is on displayed at this year AFA. It’s a very simple toy for kids. Using stickers, they can create their own unique Volly. After which, they would record their voice into it by speaking to the toy.
By rolling the ball around, the recorded voice will be playback with a twist. Depending on the speed and angle of the roll, the voice get distorted adding a mechanical overlay to it. Unique to this show is a pair of Nogizaka46 Vollys that comes prerecorded with two members of the idol group.
Body Odour Machine
Always wonder whether you have weird odour coming out from your body that no one has ever told you about? Fret not, now there is a device that helps you do just that! Kunkun Body, a body odour measuring solution by Konica Minolta, is available at this year C3AFASG17. The device can detect three kinds of odour, namely sweaty smell, middle-aged-oil smell and old-aged smell.
The device can be used to measure different parts of your body such as the foot, armpits and head. It is paired to a mobile device and will display a numerical value between 0-100. 100 being the worst and 0 being the best.
We have mixed feeling about this product. On one hand, it can indeed be useful for us since generally people don’t tell you upfront that you smell bad. On the other hand, ignorance is bliss at times.
Performance
Credit: C3 Anime Festival Singapore
There are a total of two stages at C3AFASG17. A main stage which requires additional cost, and the Super Akiba Stage which is situated in the exhibition hall.
The main stage has performance by Artistes such as Ayasa the Violinist,FLOW, 乃木坂46 (NOGIZAKA46),Tomohisa Sako,Shiena Nishizawa and more.
Several featured anime will also be showcased at the Stage. The highlight will be world premiere of Record of Grancrest War’s first episode. Lead voice actor, Kentaro Kumagai will be present at the convention to meet fans of the anime. You can check out the stage schedule here to decide whether you want to spend the extra dollar on the access to the stage area.
Ayasa had a special segment on the first day of event at the main stage
The Super Akiba Stage located at the Canon exhibition area are packed with exciting shows and performances as well. A range of activities such as Cosplayer Showcase, Talk Shows and Performance will be held throughout the day.
Guest Cosplayer Angie at Super Akiba Stage
Let’s Go Shopping
This Gundam Model may not be as grand as the 1:1 scale Gundam Model in Tokyo. But standing at a height of more than 3 adults, this model is impressive by its own rights. Although this is not something you can buy home, there are many other things you can buy at AFA.
Toys, Figurines, Lucky bags and all things anime. AFA is indeed a heaven for anime lovers. Tons of things to buy and see. Time to reward yourself after a year of hard work!
Credit: C3 Anime Festival Asia Singapore
The Odex booth is by far the most popular booth with a long snaking queue. If you have time, this is one booth that you cannot miss.
Credit: C3 Anime Festival Asia Singapore
Canon Imaging Experience
Take Picture with a Giant Pikachu
At the Canon Imaging Experience, photo taking services, complete with backdrop and even print out are provided for free! Various backdrops are available.
Cosplay
This is one of the special days where one can freely wear a brightly coloured wig without getting too much stares. Fans of games and anime don on their favourite 2D character costume and bring live to Anime Festival Asia every year. If you are not into cosplay, you are welcomed to take photos of the cosplayers. Practice basic, ask the cosplayer for permission first before your photo taking. Most of them are very friendly.
C3AFASG17 features a number of guest cosplayers. Take this opportunity to have a photo with them.
Anime Tourism
Where to visit in Japan for Anime Fans? This map located at the back of the hall shows you exactly where you can go. It features location where various anime has been based on so you can take your very own Anime Pilgrimage. A copy of the 2018 official edition is available at the booth for free. Make sure to ask the staff for a copy.
It’s the time of the year again for some Christmas shopping! If you have a electronic that you wish to buy in 2017, SITEX is your last chance to get good deals at a major consumer electronics event. This yearly event is happening right now at Hall 7 and 8 of the Singapore Expo from 23-26 Nov 2017 (Thu-Sun) from 11am till 9pm.
With the opening of the new phase 3 downtown line, it is even easier to get to SITEX this year. Do take note that unlike previous year, this year, SITEX is located at Hall 7 & 8.
Something for the Gamers…
Game console trade-in is provided by GameXtreme at Hall 7. You can trade in your old console and get a new one at a discount. For those who wish to quickly get rid of their consoles while buying the latest PS4 Pro or Nintendo Switch, this could be what you need. If not, you can always post it on GameTrader.SG and sell it on your own.
The latest PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim are the top selling consoles at GameXtreme.
Here are the trade-in prices.
Do check out their booth at Hall 7.
Something for the Treasure Hunter…
While you are at SITEX, how about winning some free prizes such as a Moto M Smartphone or a SkullCandy Headphones? You would just have to visit each of the five zones (Smart Home, AutoTech, KidsTech, VR/AR and The Audio Room) and answer three to five simple questions. The TechHunt has two sessions, one on the 23rd of Nov (Thu) and the other on the 26th of Nov (Sun).
The first 300 registrant will be entitled to a free TrackR. TrackR is basically a bluetooth tracker that will ring and light up when you activate it remotely via the TrackR app. Perfect for those who keeps misplacing their items.
Apple Fans have their iPhone X to drool about while Android fans have the latest Google Pixel 2 XL and the much talk about Razer Phone. Both of them are available for you to try out at the Singtel Booth (Hall 7).
Google Pixel 2 XL
The Google Pixel 2 XL feels great on my hand. Display is crisp and colours are vivid. And being a Google ‘official’ phone, it will get the latest Android OS right after the release. So you can be sure your Pixel 2 XL will always be running the latest OS.
Razer Phone
This is the baby that we can’t wait to try out. Although it is being marketed as a gaming phone, this Android Phone is highly capable of being a mini home-theater system.
We tried the video that demonstrated the power of the Razer Phone sound system powered by Dolby Atmos (the same sound system used by some theather). We were blown away! Despite the noisy background, the sound coming out from the phone sounds really good. The two powerful speaker residing on both sides of the phone does an excellent job in throwing out the audio to us with surround sound quality.
Gaming-wise, there are three games to try at the booth. Definitely, the visual look fantastics on the display. However, we feel that there could be more that the Razer Phone is capable of. Perhaps not all Android games that is out in the market now will be able to harness the full power of the Razer Phone which is a pity.
Buyer has to note that the new Razer Phone is running on Android 7.1 (Nougat) and not the latest Android 8 (Oreo). While we are told that the update will be coming in a few weeks time, no one is really sure when exactly it will be coming.
Something for the Audiophiles….
If you like listening to good quality music, you must visit SITEX’s Audio Room. Tuck away in a corner of Hall 8, it’s the best place to go to chill out amidst the hustle and bustle on the show floor.
Listen to some music from the DJ or plug in your own devices to try out some of the headphones at the Audio Room. We pampered our ears with the top end Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Headphones. It cost around USD1,200 and is showcased at this year CES 2017 in Las Vegas. You would have to try the headphones yourself to experience it yourself.
Something for the Cryptocurrency Beginner…
Heard of Cryptocurrency and always wanted to have your own mining server? Building your own computer to mine cryptocurrency like Ethereum and Bitcoin may not be a trivial task.
The guys are the Mining Rig Club are there to help. Located at Hall 8 at the Innovation Zone, Mining Rig Club is a newly form startup that had concoct what they believe is the highest ROI rig for cryptocurrency. Buy a rig from them and let them run and service it for a monthly fee. It is that simple. Their rig comes configured for your use so you don’t have to trawl through the internet to find out what to install or run in order to mine cryptocurrency.
They are located at the Innovation Zone at Hall 8.
Something for the Smart-Shopper
IUIGA is a start-up that promotes luxurious quality product at affordable prices. They are kind of like your Muji except a lot cheaper with products at the same quality.
How do they do it? IUIGA operate via a Original Designer Manufacturer (ODM) business model. A ODM is a manufacturer that does designing and produce the good for a brand. The ODM owns the product and design rights. Hence, IUIGA is able to find those same Manufacture for well-known brands like Muji and Samsonite. Their ‘Aluminium Alloy Frame Luggage Bag‘, which is the from same manufacturer a Samsonite but at almost half the price, is already sold out.
WIth things to buy, win and see, spending your weekend at SITEX will be well worth your time. Also, get your Christmas presents early. SITEX would most likely have what your love one needs.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
GameTrader.SG is the official Media Partner for SITEX 2017
