GamEX Magazine recently held the first ever Video Game Console Convention in the Philippines, GX-CON 2007. The convention was held at SM Megatrade Hall 3, on October 7, 2007, from 10AM to 9PM.
Pinoyxbox (PXB) was at the event to promote gaming on the Xbox 360. Lots of fun was had by all, and I think everyone did a great job in providing information on the console, as well as answering the usual questions about the console's games, the hardware, and Xbox Live. PXB had 3 consoles available for play at the event, and held playfests with Guitar Hero II, Halo 3, Gears of War, and Forza Motorsport 2. There weren't that many technical glitches for PXB, other than a balloon pillar that got popped halfway through because of staples on the floor.
For this event, Pinoyxbox did NOT receive any kind of help or support from Microsoft Philippines--they were contacted about it (both through phone and via e-mail), but they didn't send any sort of reply (not even a "No, we're not interested", or "No, we aren't selling the Xbox 360 in the Philippines", or a "Please cease and desist from promoting something that we aren't selling locally."). I guess that pretty much tells us that they have no plans to even acknowledge the existence of the Xbox 360.
And no, don't ask me about Sony Philippines and whether or not they helped pinoypsx.com with their booth. I worked more with Pinoyxbox for this event so I really have no idea how they handled their booth for the event. I do recall that Sony Philippines' last comment regarding local PS3 support was along the lines of "we're not releasing the PS3 officially in the Philippines because of piracy", or something like that. Perhaps check out pinoypsx.com and ask them what they think about that one.
As for the convention itself....it isn't perfect, but it's a good start. I have to admire GamEX for even having the guts to try a console gaming convention without official support from Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft.
Pictures below!
