It's in the same city, in the same venue, but it ain't E3. But it might be as close as you're going to get.
E3 happens in May at the LA Convention Center, you can almost set your calendar by it. But the only problem with this major industry event is that YOU CAN'T GO. E3 is for the industry professionals only, so all that early gaming goodness is off-limits to Joe Gamer. At least, it was. Get ready for the Ultimate Gamers Expo, August 15-17.
The UGE aspires to be the E3 that the public can attend. Started by Wayne Pepper and Joe Hubbard, the plan is to get you access to the same sorts of workshops and exhibits that we see in May, and all for a $20 fee. Well, that, and the airfare, lodging, etc.
There's no word yet on the companies that will be attending, and it's probably not unreasonable to assume that some companies will take a "wait and see" attitude before deciding if they want to spend the money to have an exhibit. But with a projected attendance of over a hundred thousand, that might be enough to convince the PR folks that it's worth the risk.
