August 12th, 2002 (12:00am) - Industry leaders in computer and digital entertainment technology are joining forces with id Software to make QuakeCon 2002, the World’s ultimate LAN party, convention and video game tournament, Aug. 15 -18 in Mesquite, Texas.
id Software, ATI Technologies, VIA, AMD, Linksys, ASPYR and Activision are providing financial support, exhibiting new products and donating product for giveaways.
"The seventh annual QuakeCon will be the definitive, most competitive and eventful to date, thanks to the unbelievable lineup of our generous sponsors," Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software, said. "You’ll regret it if you stay home this year."
ATI Technologies Title sponsor of the tournaments, ATI is contributing $60,000 in prize money to ATI’s Return to Castle Wolfenstein Team Tournament and $40,000 to ATI’s QUAKE III Arena Championship. The company will display and outfit tournament machines with the recently announced RADEON 9700 PRO graphics cards. The new card will power the DOOM III Theater and many vendor booths.
RADEON 9700 PRO boards will also be used as prizes and giveaways throughout the event. ATI’s exhibit area will be a lounge complete with couches to relax and watch action movies. Plus, gamers can stop by for massages and BAWLS energy drinks. The company will also conduct a workshop dedicated to the RADEON 9700 PRO; the fastest gaming graphics card available.
VIA will be the life of the party at this year’s QuakeCon. The company is title sponsor for both the Quake-ify Your Ride/Bod contest and free BBQ lunch as well as the Saturday night party featuring one of Dallas’ hottest alternative bands and the Mr. Sinus Theater Comedy Group, not to mention food for all attendees. VIA will showcase their latest hardware in the exhibit area, including the blisteringly fast new VIA P4PB 400 motherboard, and host the latest craze sweeping gaming - "Q3A Trick Jumping" exhibitions, classes and competitions. The exhibit area will also include an audio immersion room offering a true 24-bit surround sound demo of their high-end VIA Envy24 audio controller. The company will donate hardware for giveaways in addition to financial support for the event.
Activision will rattle fans’ nerves with id Software’s DOOM III demo, a mind-searing mixture of cutting-edge graphics, design and revolutionary Dolby Digital 5.1 sound in the DOOM III Theater. Activision’s monstrous exhibition area will also display Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, RTCW Return to Castle Wolfenstein for the PlayStation (R)2 computer entertainment system and Xbox (TM) video game system from Microsoft, DOOM II GBA for the Nintendo Game Boy (R) Advance and Star Trek (R) Elite Force II demo stations.
Four-time QuakeCon sponsor, AMD, will provide 80 tournament PCs with desktop systems based on AMD Athlon (TM) XP processors and server systems based on AMD Athlon MP processors to power all of the Bring Your Own Computer (BYOC) and tournament games. AMD plans to also sponsor a hardware giveaway for gamers whose non-AMD based PC systems are unable to support today’s 3D games.
Aspyr Media, Inc. is a game publisher and a leader in the Macintosh market. Aspyr is showcasing over 40 of the latest Macintosh systems for attendees to participate in open play, via the BYOC servers, or in Aspyr tournaments on Friday and Saturday. The company will also contribute iMac wireless systems to handle the entire QuakeCon 2002 registration process.
Linksys, manufacturer of broadband and wireless networking products, is sponsoring the event for the fourth year in a row. The company will be providing more than 100 Ethernet switches to build the BYOC and tournament networks, which will accommodate about 2500 QuakeCon players simultaneously. This year’s QuakeCon tournament network will be the largest yet, and as in past years, will be built in less than 24 hours.
Additional sponsors pitching in to make QuakeCon a rich experience, include Speakeasy.net, BAWLS, TSN, OGL, CaseAce, RATPADZ and Everglide. Speakeasy.net will provide QuakeCon Internet service, servers and bandwidth. BAWLS will quench gamers’ thirst with four palettes of BAWLS Guarana energy drink and fuel players through the four grueling tournament days. TSN will shoutcast the tournaments on the Internet. The OGL managed the Return to Castle Wolfenstein qualifying tournament. RATPADZ will provide mousing surfaces for all BYOC attendees. CaseAce will give PCTotes and Everglide will hand out PCTotes, mousing surfaces and mouse bungees.
