Classic Gaming Expo is a large mecca for classic gaming. There are coin-ops on free play to enjoy, a gigantic hardware museum filled with many rare one-of-a-kind items of electronic gaming history, and several great keynote speakers like the Intellivision "Blue Sky Rangers" programming team, the founders and programmers of Activision, and even The Woz himself. If you needed a piece for your collection -- or wanted an entirely new collection -- one of the vendors at CGExpo could hook you up.
2004 marked the first time that Classic Gaming Expo was not in Las Vegas, but was transported instead to the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California. The show floor was larger, and the hardware museum was much larger. Being in California, there were more keynote speakers from those in the early days of the industry. 8-bit Weapon played several sets throughout the show, but unlike last year there were up to three simultaneous live performers playing a host of traditional and non-traditional instruments. Probably the biggest change was the media coverage: There were TV crews from a local LA TV station, TBS, G4TechTV, and other media outlets covering the show from start to end. One special treat was Computer Space, the very first coin-op ever, restored and in working order for everyone to play. (In case you haven't had the pleasure, it plays like a crude early version of Asteroids.)
But if you missed it, don't worry; MobyGames comes to the rescue with a video retrospective of the show. And since it embodies the spirit of the show -- appreciation of the old -- we set the entire video to the retro stylings of 8-bit Weapon. Enjoy.