No matter how well PAX West 2019 badge-holders plan out their four-day convention schedule, there’s no way they can see every tech demo and game reveal on the show floor. If you’re planning on attending, you should try and scope out the best booths ahead of time, whether “best” for you means trying out the coolest tech, winning free swag or meeting gaming celebrities.
For all of the above, your first stop should be the Republic of Gamers (ROG) booth at PAX West, which will be open every day from August 30th through September 2nd. Try out demos on the brand new ROG Phone II, face off against your fellow PAX attendees in Duos Fortnite matches, and try to win daily raffles and giveaways for exclusive ROG swag,
Whichever day you can make it, you’ll want to line up nice and early—especially if you fancy yourself a battle royale expert. In the morning, the first ten winning teams in Duos Fortnite will receive one ROG Mechanical Sculpture per player. These are limited edition mechanical eye sculptures from Metal Earth that you can build yourself, and they typically can only be found bundled with ROG laptops. So bring your best Fortnite teammate or just make a friend in line, and you could win this snazzy-looking collector’s item.
Plus, score the highest in your match, and you’ll receive an automatic entry into the daily raffle at 3pm, for a chance to win some brand-new ROG hardware.
But being a fort-building fiend isn’t the only way to win prizes. The booth will have other experiences and zones, revolving around ROG devices like the newly released ROG Phone II. Check out each zone and get your ROG “passport” stamped at each location, and you’ll be entered into the daily giveaway. If you don’t luck out, you can always come back another day and try again!
For another option, take a selfie while competing at the esports station and post it on Instagram. Tag “rog_na”, add the hashtag “#ROGatPAX”, and you’ll have an equal chance to win that mystery ROG swag.
Despite all these different options, maybe you’re not the kind of person who overly cares about PAX giveaways. If that’s the case, consider swinging by the booth in the afternoon between 1–3pm. At that time ROG will let visitors play Fortnite matches with streamers and “influencers” that ROG invited to their booth.
If you’ve ever wondered if you’re cut out for the esports life, now’s your chance to test your mettle in front of PAX crowds and see if your skills and nerves stand up to pressure. Or you can just enjoy the show.
Two of ROG’s announced “Elite Ambassadors” for its PAX booth are Jon Kefaloukos and Addison Queen. Kefaloukos, a former Gears of War pro turned caster, is a pro esports caster for Gears of War, Halo and Fortnite. Whereas Queen, an active-duty airman and a member of the Grunto Esports Fortnite team, brings more of a custom PC building perspective. Together they’ll commentate on matches and bring some tournament-style ambience to the ROG booth.
Once you’ve gotten your gaming and esports fixes, spend some time checking out the tech behind the fun. ROG will be showing off its brand-new, epically powerful gaming smartphone.
The ROG Phone II may be the most powerful gaming-centric smartphone on the market, and you and your fellow PAX West 2019 attendees will be some of the first to take it for a spin. Demos of PUBG or Fortnite will be available throughout PAX.
After you’ve played Fortnite to cheers and pro caster commentary, weighed yourself down with ROG prizes and tried out the latest Republic of Gamer tech, the rest of PAX will be a tough act to follow!
