Portland Expo News



Sega Genesis NHL 94 Hockey Mini-Tourney

Sega Genesis ControllerAre you a Sega Genesis sports game fanatic? Watch for a special NHL 94 Hockey tournament in the Freeplay room officiated by Mike a.k.a VW on Atari Age. The winner of this mini-tournament will win a brand new copy of NHL 11 courtesy of EA Sports!

Details on the location and time will be announced at the show.



Calling All Volunteers...Join the PRGE Team

Volunteer for PRGE!Do you have a passion for classic video games? Would you like to hang out with hundreds of like-minded gaming fans? Would you like to touch real-live video game nerds? Well we've got a deal for you.

We are in need of volunteers to help out with the show. If you will be in the Portland, OR area on September 17-19 we can use your help. Each volunteer gets free admission, a PRGE t-shirt and early access to the show floor. We appreciate any amount of time you can give, but volunteers who arrive early or stay late wiill have a special place in our hearts. Volunteers are critical to help ensure a successful Expo and are greatly appreciated.

What kind of jobs are we talking about here?

The type of jobs that volunteers can help with are load-in and load out of systems and other equipment, admissions, entrance ushers, crowd management, game system set-up and tear-down and tournament administration. We will do our best to match you with a job of your choice. It is possible that all available slots for a particular job will fill up before we can place all volunteers.

To volunteer or if you have questions, please contact us at volunteer@retrogamingexpo.com. There will be a volunteer orientation on Sunday, September 12 at 10:30 AM at Video Game Wizards in SE Portland. Attendance at this meeting is not required to volunteer, but it is encouraged.



Party Like It's 1983...

Ground Kontrol Classic ArcadeSince the first show in 2006, Portland's own Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade has been part of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo and this year is no exception. In addition to their presence at the Expo, Ground Kontrol will be host to several days of Expo-related events.

Ground Kontrol is the West Coast’s premier classic arcade, preserving and celebrating video gaming’s “golden age” by operating over 60 classic video games and 27 pinball machines.

On Thursday September 16, Ground Kontrol will host their famous freeplay night. One price gets you in the door and all of the arcade machines are set to FREE PLAY. PRGE staff will be in attendance with giveaways including free Expo passes and PRGE t-shirts.

On Friday the 17th is the official PRGE pre-party at Ground Kontrol. Will you be in town for the Expo? Come on down! Ground Kontrol is located conveniently on the Max light rail line and is in the fareless square so it's a free ride from the Crowne Plaza. (The nearest Max stop to the Crowne Plaza is the Convention Center stop.)

After the PRGE auction on Saturday night, everyone is invited to head over to GK for one last night of classic gaming celebration. Join us for more giveaways - be sure to bring your PRGE badge or wristband for special deals!

Ground Kontrol is a 21-and-up venue after 5:00 PM.

Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade
511 NW Couch St.
Portland, OR
Phone: (503)796-9364
Get a Map

Go to the GroundKontrol.com »



Pre-buy Tickets Online, Get in 1 Hour Early!

Buy NowPre-registering for the Portland Retro Gaming Expo before September 10 gives you access to the vendor show hall 1 hour early. If you choose to buy a weekend pass which will give you access to the show both Saturday and Sunday, you will receive a souvenir badge and neck lanyard. Visit the Admission page to find out more.

Buying your pass online is quick and easy. You can pay via PayPal or credit card and we'll have your badge waiing for you at the admissions desk on the day of the show.



It's On Like Donkey Kong

Atari 2600 and Nintendo 64Classic game tournaments have always been one of the most popular aspects of the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. The competition is fierce and everyone has a great time!

This year there will be two separate classic game tournaments - one for each day of the show. The Nintendo 64 competition is on Saturday and the Atari 2600 competition is on Sunday. Registration starts just before the tournaments and is limited to the first 50 players each day. There is no cost for tournament entry other than the standard Expo admission.

Do it for the excitement. Do it for the glory. Do it for the fabulous prizes!

Find out more »



PRGE Welcomes Commodore Computer Club

Commodore 64At this years 2010 Portland Retro Gaming Expo we'll have a new edition to the typical retro, classic and vintage console line up ... Commodore computers represented by the Commodore Computer Club of Vancouver, WA.

When the video game crash of 1983 happened, consumers stopped buying home video game consoles such as the Atari 2600, Intellivision and Colecovision. Because of it's usefulness as a home computer, many continued to purchase games and software for the Commodore 64. Not only was the Commodore 64 a great retro gaming machine, but you could do word processing, run educational programs and use business applications. The C64 was multi-purpose system that both parents and children could use and enjoy on a daily basis and continued to be sold until the early 1990's.

The Commodore Computer Club will be showing off working Commodore 64's (SX-64) and Commodore Vic-20 computers at the Expo. They'll also be selling various C64 and Vic-20 game cartridges, Commodore disk software, vintage Commodore magazines and of course Commodore hardware.

As an added bonus, the Commodore Computer Club will be selling a limited edition PRGE 2010 run of the video game Berzerk. This homebrew version of Berzerk for the C64 is exactly like the arcade version. The game will be a limited and numbered run so be sure to pick up a copy at the Commodore Computer Club table.


Join Our Mailing List

Get the latest classic video gaming news by joining our email mailing list. We send out information on our show as well as other events in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We generally send emails every month or so and more frequently as we get closer to the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in September.

Signing up is easy - just visit enter your email address in the form below. We will never share your address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Win PRGE Passes at Geek Trivia Night

Join the Portland Retro Gaming Expo team at Portland's Vendetta (4306 N. Williams Ave) for Geek Trivia Night. Organized by Portland-based comic book store, Things From Another World, Geek Trivia Night is all about answering the most trivia questions on comics, video games and science fiction and even hard science.

PRGE will be hanging with our buddies from Ground Kontrol at every Geek Trivia Night leading up to the show. Those nights are July 27, August 10, August 24, and September 7. The winning team might just go home with a pair of weekend passes to the 2010 Portland Retro Gaming Expo!

And as if all that wasn't enough, TFAW will be bringing Geek Trivia Night to the Retro Gaming Expo in the form of the Geek Trivia Contest - Video Game Edition. Team up with your friends from 11:00 to 1:00 on Sunday at the Expo to show off your gaming trivia knowledge and win some great prizes.


PRGE Unveils New Logo

PRGE logoWe've been working on logo ideas for some time, but we finally locked in our favorite design. Ladies and gentemen, we give you the new Portland Retro Gaming Expo logo!

Shirts with the new logo will be available for sale at our show as well as CGE 2010 in Las Vegas.



Bill Carlton To Speak At PRGE 2010

Bill Carlton playing Missile CommandBill Carlton has agreed to speak at the 2010 Portland Retro Gaming expo. Bill is one of the country's top arcade game players and the subject of the 2006 documentary film High Score in whch he attempts to break the world record for Missile Command.

Bill will discuss he experiences filming the movie, show off some of his arcade game skills and share his plans for Missile Command world domination. Please join us in welcoming Bill to the show!



Cowlitz Gamers Show Raises $1,100 for CJAC

The 2010 Cowlitz Gamers for Kids classic video game show in Kelso, WA wrapped up this past Saturday. Over $1,100 was raised to support Kelso's Childrens Justice and Advocacy Center.

While smaller than the annual Portland show, there were gamers in attendance from as far as Seattle and Portland. Some even arrived hours before the doors opened and camped out to be first in line!

The freeplay area was extensive, ranging from older systems like the Atari 2600 to newer platforms like the Sega Dreamcast. Vendors filled the rest of the 2-room venue and there were plenty of great deals made.

Thanks to all of the volunteers, vendors and attendees who made the show a great success!

Posted: 05-17-2010



Robin Mihara To Give Keynote At PRGE 2010

The Portland Retro Gaming Expo is proud to announce that 1990 NWC participant Robin Mihara to give the keynote presentation at the 2010 show.

In 1990 Nintendo traveled across the United States promoting their Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) through a series of video game competitions, culminating in the Nintendo World Championships. Robin was the third place winner of those Championships in 1990.

Robin will recount his experiences during the 1990 Championships and share his latest project - a documentary film highlighting his quest for the world's top Tetris player. The film, tentatively titled The Ecstasy of Order, will follow several expert Tetris players as they compete for the top prize. More information on Robin and the 1990 NWC:





5th Annual PRGE is Announced!

I think it's safe to say that Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2009 exceeded everyone's expectations! We broke new records for attendance, quantity of freeplay systems and number of vendors. Our new downtown location and various public transportation options were well received.

We're ready to do it again in 2010.

Once again we have secured the Portland Crowne Plaza Hotel for our event, with the following changes:

  • We have secured a second room. The 2009 show used the 5,600 square foot Belmont ballroom. This year we will have that room plus the 2,700 square foot Windsor room for a total of almost 8,500 square feet of classic video game goodness. In addition to these ballrooms, we will have access to two large foyer areas outside of each ballroom as well as the same outdoor plaza we used last year.

  • We have opted for a two-day event. The 2010 Expo will operate Saturday and Sunday, September 18-19, 2010.

  • Service and hospitality improvements. The PRGE staff were extremely happy with the level of service provided to our guests by the Crowne Plaza in 2009, but we did agree on a few ways they can help us advance the Expo in 2010. They have committed to fully stocking the snack bar for the duration of the show and to provide meals/sandwiches for purchase connveniently near the exhibition area. Additionally, they will ensure the onsite ATM machine remains stocked with cash throughout the weekend.

It's safe to say that the 5th Portland Retro Gaming Expo is already shaping up to the biggest and best ever. Even at this early date we have begun to line up consoles and arcade machines for our extensive freeplay room. The number of freeplay consoles alone will likely be double last year's amount.

Please check back here often. We expect to have the admissions and vendor rates worked out and on the site by sometime in January.


Video Game Controllers