events

A Wall of Retro Memories – Curated by the One and Only Ms. Ausretrogamer!

November 12, 2025 By ausretrogamer

A Frame Full of Memories – A Gift from the Heart of Ms Ausretrogamer

Every now and then, something unexpectedly awesome happens in your retro-gaming life, and this time it came courtesy of my better half, Ms Ausretrogamer herself.

While I was busy diving into pixels, pinballs, and handheld nostalgia, she secretly gathered every pass, badge, lanyard, pin, medal, and random bits of retro-event paraphernalia I’ve collected over years of attending expos, conventions, tournaments, open days, and launch events. We’re talking the whole backlog of memories and nerd credentials.

And then she went full curator mode.

What I saw next absolutely blew me away:

All of it beautifully framed.
A museum-grade collage of my adventures across the retro-gaming universe.
A time capsule of joy, fandom, and button-mashing history – all now hanging proudly in our games room.

It stopped me in my tracks! It reminded me of all the amazing places we’ve been, the great people we’ve met, the tournaments we battled in, the arcades we rediscovered, and the endless good times that come with being part of this incredible community. It’s not just memorabilia – it’s a reminder that every event left a mark, and that she and I shared so many of those moments together.

Honestly… she nailed it.
The composition, the colours, the layering – chef’s kiss. This isn’t just a wall of frames; it’s a tribute wall to retro gaming culture and to the epic memories that keep the Ausretrogamer flame burning bright.

So here’s to Ms Ausretrogamer, the mastermind behind this unique and very special creation. The games room just levelled up, and so did my heart. ❤️

Pinball Expo ’22 is Celebrating its 38th Year!

August 25, 2022 By ausretrogamer

Oh how we wish we could go to this year’s Pinball Expo! We’ll be watching from afar. But, if you are one of those lucky folks that will be attending, Pinball Expo’s Rob Berk reckons this will be the biggest and best yet…..

Playing Magic Girl (the broken one!) at Flipout 2018! Beautiful to look at, but that’s about it!

MAGIC GIRL IS BACK!

After seven years in the making, the elusive Magic Girl pinball game is finally complete! The storied history of this machine can be traced back to 2015 when its first designs were being formulated. Through a troubled development cycle only 19 machines were ever built… but none of them were truly complete and had many missing components. But, through the hard work of American Pinball and an intrepid team of builders in the Netherlands, Magic Girl has finally been restored and the first ever fully-functional Magic Girl pinball machine will be unveiled on U.S. soil at Pinball Expo 2022!

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

Pinball Expo 2022 will also be hosting the first ever Pinball Expo World Cup Tournament! Players from around the world are signing up to compete, with tournament attendees on board from the U.S., Spain, and the Netherlands – and we’re looking for more! With guest speakers also hailing from Australia, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, Pinball Expo’s global influence has never been greater!

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

ENTERRIUM is opening its doors to Pinball Expo 2022 attendees to enjoy pinball, games, food, and fun! Come on down and catch up with old friends and meet new ones too at this upscale restaurant, bar, and arcade in Schaumburg, Illinois! The entire facility will be open with all pinball machines, arcade machines, bowlers, and more available to play at no charge!

And finally, the Vendor Hall this year will have longer show hours and will be packed with great manufacturers including Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, Chicago Gaming, Pinball Adventures, American Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and – all the way from Sweden – Pinball Brothers who will be there to show off their latest games : Alien and Queen! And we’re working with even more manufacturers to have their latest creations on display!

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S EVEN MORE!

For the first time ever Jersey Jack Pinball will be hosting a tour of its pinball facility! Check the website for more details!

Pinball Expo is truly an “Everything for Everybody” show and you’re guaranteed to have a pinball experience to remember in 2022!

Visit www.PinballExpo.com for more information about the event and to book your rooms today!

Thank you,

Rob Berk
Pinball Expo Chairman

image source: Better.net

story source: IFPA

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2018 Ticket Giveaway!

May 7, 2018 By ausretrogamer

*** THIS TICKET GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED **

Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, June 9 and 10!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double passes to the Melbourne event. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic giveaway?

Simply subscribe to our newsletter, then email us at [email protected] to confirm your entry. We’ll be choosing the two lucky winners at random on Monday, May 21 (entries close at midday on that day)! Oh yeah, one final bit of info, you will need to find your own way (and accommodation) to Melbourne.

CLAIMING TICKETS
At the conclusion of the giveaway, the winners details will be provided to Oz Comic-Con. The winners names will then be placed on the door list at the Media Check-In Desk where they will be able to collect their wristbands for entry. If the winners are outside of Melbourne, then they are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.

If you need any convincing of how awesome this event is, check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017.

image source: Oz Comic-Con

ReedPOP & EB Games partner up for PAX Aus 2018 featuring EB Expo

March 14, 2018 By ausretrogamer

THIS IS BIG NEWS PEEPS!

PAX Aus and EB Expo, the biggest gaming shows in the southern hemisphere, are teaming up to create the ultimate celebration of games and gaming culture at PAX Aus 2018.

This partnership will bring the world-class features of EB Expo to PAX Aus and include a dedicated area for the biggest game publishers to showcase upcoming titles, developer presentations, and Australia’s biggest pop-up EB Games store.

PAX Aus will take place from 26-28 Oct. at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and feature games and content from over 180 companies from around the world.

PS: Don’t stress, the Classic Gaming Area will return again at PAX Aus 2018!

The Classic PAX Aus 2017 Ticket Giveaway

September 27, 2017 By ausretrogamer

*** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED ***

Wanna go to PAX Aus 2017? Do you want an easy way to enter a ticket giveaway? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then you are in luck!

Thanks to our great friends at PAX Aus, we have 3 x double passes for Sunday (October 29) to attend one of the biggest and best gaming events in the southern hemisphere. To score one of these double passes all you have to do is tweet us your favourite retro gaming item(s) – be it a console, computer, game or accessory, we want to see what tickles your nostalgic nerve. Don’t forget to tag us in your tweet and use the hashtags #PAXAus and #ausretrogamer.

It doesn’t get any easier than that! So get cracking on photographing those retro gaming items, as entries close on October 4th at 8:00pm!

If you need convincing of how great PAX Aus is, then check out last year’s event.

For those of you that like to read T&Cs, here are the finer details of this most awesome giveaway:

Entries open to Australian residents only
Entries close on Wednesday October 4, 2017 at 8:00pm
To enter the giveaway, tweet us your retro gaming photos with the appropriate hashtags (#PAXAus and #ausretrogamer) and tag @ausretrogamer and @PAXAus
Entrants must follow ausretrogamer (to receive a DM if you are the winner!)
Winners will be notified via Direct Message (DM)
Winners will receive their tickets in the post (via Australia Post)
The winners (if interstate) will be responsible in arranging their own transport and accommodation in Melbourne

PAX Aus 2017 is on from October 27 to 29 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets / Badges are available here.

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017 Ticket Giveaway!

June 21, 2017 By ausretrogamer

*** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED ***

Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on July 1 and 2!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double 2-day passes. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic prize?

Simply subscribe to our newsletter, then email us at [email protected] to confirm your entry. We’ll be choosing the two lucky winners at random on Monday, June 26 (entries close at midday)! Oh yeah, one final bit of info, you will need to find your own way (and accommodation) to Melbourne.

CLAIMING TICKETS
At the conclusion of the giveaway, the winners details will be provided to Oz Comic-Con. The winners names will then be placed on the door list at the Media Check-In Desk, where they will be able to collect their wristbands for entry. If the winners are outside of Melbourne, then they are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.

If you need any convincing, just check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2016.

image source: Oz Comic-Con

Pinball Expo 2016

October 10, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Pinball Expo 2016 is almost upon us! the 32nd Pinball Expo will take place from October 12 to 16 at the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, Illinois. The expo will be jam-packed with new pinball machine reveals. Being the biggest Pinball Expo to date, expect the major pinball industry players to showcase their latest (and future) wares.

Here is what you can expect from the big boys (if you are one of the lucky attendees):

American Pinball:

The newest kid on the pinball block will showcase their first game, Houdini Master Mystery.

Dutch Pinball:

The diverse Dutch group of pinball maestros will have their much anticipated The Big Lebowski machine on display.

Heighway Pinball:

The UK pinball manufacturer will finally reveal Alien.

Jersey Jack Pinball:

The crew that brought us the brilliant The Wizard Of Oz and The Hobbit machines have been busy tinkering on their much anticipated 3rd machine, designed by the veteran pinball designer, Pat Lawlor.

Multimorphic:

The company behind the P3 Pinball Platform will show their latest version of the Lexy Lighspeed machine. They will also have the mini games from the Texas Pinball Festival from earlier in the year.

Planetary Pinball / Chicago Gaming:

With their extremely popular Medieval Madness Remake still high in demand, the Californian based company is teaming up with Chicago Gaming yet again for their second title! All be revealed at Pinball Expo.

Spooky Pinball:

The Wisconsin pinball makers will be busy showing their Rob Zombie Spookshow International, Domino’s Spectacular Pinball Adventure and possibly news on future titles!

Stern Pinball Inc:

Last but not least, the biggest pinball manufacturer of them all, Stern Pinball, will be revealing their Batman 66 machine. This will be Stern’s first game utilising a full colour LCD replacing the dot-matrix display. The game will feature a second smaller LCD on the playfield as well. The Batman 66 design team will be headed by George Gomez, with Lyman Sheats taking care of programming and artwork featuring Christopher Franchi’s impressions. The game will borrow heavily from the Batman The Dark Knight (2008) playfield, including the crane, but the left side of the playfield will be totally redesigned.

The other Stern pinball machine to be featured at Pinball Expo will be the Pabst “Can Crusher”.

image source: multiple – supplied

Conquered: EB Expo 2016

October 7, 2016 By ausretrogamer

As the old saying goes, time flies when you are having fun. This year’s EB Expo has come and gone, and yep, we had fun, lots of it!

A highlight for us was being invited by our Weird and Retro friends to assist in their awesome Retro Gaming section in the Freeplay City area. With 64 classic gaming systems to play, EB Expo attendees were not short on getting their nostalgia fix! From the ultra-rare Philips CD-I development kit, to the Commodore, Sega, Nintendo, NEC, Samsung and Atari wares, there was plenty to reminisce about.

While in the main hall, we got to sit on the Iron Throne, gawked at Optimus Prime, bumped into awesome cosplayers, played on PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox’s latest gear and shopped at EB Games’ massive Mega-Store! No need for more words, we’ll just leave some of our photos from EB Expo 2016 to speak for themselves…

With the sun shining, it was time for EB Expo 2016!

First stop, Hall 6 and straight to the Weird and Retro Freeplay classic gaming area

Time for a Hewson classic! Go Pogo!

The new generation enjoying some old generation gaming!

Whoa, a Jaguar in the wild!

Attendees wowing at the 16-bit computing wonders!

Freeplay City Mario Kart 64 4P Showdown!

More 4P shenanigans on the Nintendo GameCube!

Whoa, a rare beast – the Philips CD-i dev kit!

Which classic system to play first?

Difficult decision: go straight for Hotel Mario or play Transylvania on the Apple IIe?

We weren’t aware that Deadpool was on the C64. And is that Stunt Car Racer on the Amiga? Whoa!

The decision of what to play on next just keep getting harder!

Doing the math on the Jaguars!

The dark side of Sega. Oh wait, look at that beautiful Atari ST!

Busted! Weird and Retro’s Serby blowing bubbles all the way to his own PS4 Pro!

What’s this, an Atari sign and some old wares? Time to shop!

Cosplay heroes!

Time to hit the Great (Main) Hall Of EB Expo 2016

Aha, a chill session may be in order!

The Iron Throne rules this hall!

Anyone want a test drive?

Hang on, we want a test drive in Optimus Prime!

Hulk Smash!

Lego Xbox!

Lego Kong Ride and some sweet Poke Balls!

A work of Lego art!

We found Pikachu! Quickly, where are our Poke Balls?

Shop till you drop at the EB Games Mega-Store!

The temptation is strong in these ones!

Stocking up on a few goodies *wink*

We’ve hit the motherload of retrogaming goodies!

Surely we can squeeze this beauty in our checked luggage…

Scarily beautiful!

Bumped into the famous Nintendo brothers…

Mind blowingly cool!

Of course we had to go here too!

Woohoo, just dance!

Jump on the tractor!

Gonna grab a seat at Nintendo-land

Let’s all play! Got lots of streetpasses here *winks*

The Nintendo posing podiums!

Another posing podium!

Heading over to Xbox

Forza Horizon 3 was quite popular!

Dr. Curlytek conquered the VeloDrone!

Waiting their turn patiently for some VR

Aha, there they are!

The unmissable PlayStation exhibit!

Wowing the masses with PlayStation VR

Dare to enter!

Driveclub VR = WOWSER!

A well deserved award!

All good things must come to an end. Till the next EB Expo…

Highlights: Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2016

June 13, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Oz Comic-Con commanded us to ‘unleash your inner geek’ – and we were very happy to oblige. We came, we saw, we played, and we conquered Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2016.

From the awesome cosplay (which never ceases to amaze us!), freeplay gaming areas, fantastic artists, comics and pop culture gear, to the TV/movie superstar celebrities (like Lucy Lawless, John ‘Captain Jack Harkness’ Barrowman, Robert Patrick, David Anders and Rose McIver) – Oz Comic-Con 2016 had something for everyone.

Of course we spent a considerable amount of time in the gaming zone – the Spider-Man Vault Edition pinball machine in particular – but we were also sure to check out the rest of the con. We walked the floor and were thoroughly impressed with the range and quality of cosplay as well as the stunning artwork on show.

Rather than waffle on, we thought we would let our photos give you a glimpse into what was an awesome Oz Comic-Con!

We hope Mulder and Scully have their Oz Comic-Con tix!

What should we do first?

Look who we found in the gaming zone: Oz Comic-Con Content Manager Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg, Scott Kellett and Rob Caporetto)

Whoa, a surprise celebrity dropped in – Tony Stark wasn’t on the guest list!

Who you gonna call?

The cutest Marty McFly at Oz Comic-Con

Gaarrgghh! My eyes!!

Oo’er, that Marvel artwork!

LED goodness!

My spidey-senses are tingling!

The TARDIS found some time for a game

Blast those pesky aliens!

On-site movie make-up

Teenage Mutant Ninja … Turtles?

This Clone scout trooper wants you!

What posers!

I’m a very cool Batman cosplayer

Watch out for the Blue Elf Death Knight

Forget Conan, this Female Barbarian means business!

The Flower Card – beautiful!

Awesome display at Cosplay Central part 1

Awesome display at Cosplay Central part 2

Who got water on the Mogwai?

Amazing TARDIS dress made from duct tape at the I’m a Craftaholic booth

This cosplay makes my millennium

Cool retro bikes spotted outside the MCEC

We worked up a decent thirst

I spy with my little eye… great cosplay

By the power of Grayskull!

Poor C-3PO!

What’s in the box?

Na Na Na Na Naaa

Radio controlled R2-D2 – wow, nice!

Stern concentration

Gotham City Sirens

Groovy

Tabletop action

Awesome TWD cosplay

The Baseball Furies came out to play

Rebel scum!

Ms ausretrogamer completes level 1!

Ready to fight!

Amour-azing!

Steam Punk-tastic

Where’s Rick Grimes when you need him?

Game on

Wow!

We have no complaints about this awesome ‘No-Face’ cosplay

One more go before closing time

So, there you have it – we had a great time at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2016. We’re already looking forward to 2017.

Supanova Temptations

April 20, 2016 By ausretrogamer

If checking out the wonderful roster of TV stars and the awesome cosplay wasn’t enough, Supanova Pop Culture Expo (in Melbourne) hit the trifecta this past weekend by tempting its visitors with cool gear, from comics, novels, animation cels, action figures to Game Of Thrones leggings – let’s just say that there was something for everyone!

As we walked around the main hall of Supanova, we found ourselves stopping at each stall and taking a good hard look at what wares were available for purchase. The temptation was strong to buy everything in sight, but we had to be mindful of that dreaded credit card sitting in our back pocket.

There were plenty of items we would have loved to had taken home, but for now, we’ll just reminisce about them…

We stood and stared at these for hours! Well, ok, we stared for minutes!