GameStop Expo Headed To Las Vegas On August 28

What could be better than having a chance to play the PS4 and Xbox One before they go on sale, check out plenty of other video games and have a chance to win great prizes, all on the Vegas Strip?

If the first answer that popped into your head was “nothing,” you owe it to yourself to check out the GameStop Expo. Though the retailer’s own convention made its debut last year in San Antonio, it moves to the Sands Expo and Convention Center for 2013. And while it’s just a one-day affair, taking place on August 28, the retail chain is packing a lot into that day.

Along with the aforementioned public hands-on time with the PS4 and Xbox One, the GameStop Expo will feature a number of drawings for prizes like gift cards, smart phones, tablets and flat screen TVs, celebrity appearances and autograph signings, costume contests and dozens of corporate and vendor booths.

VIP attendees will have early access to the show floor and the chance to attend several panels with developers and video game industry execs, but those tickets are already sold out. Regular tickets are $35 until August 11 ($45 after that date), and are on sale now at the GameStop website.

Not that a valid excuse is ever needed for a Vegas trip, but the Expo gives you one anyway. It’s not E3, PAX or Comic-Con, but for one day in August, it sounds like it could be the next best thing.