So I've gone to PAX East the last 3 years since I live in New Jersey (and have family in Massachusetts). I'll soon be moving to Arizona though, so PAX South will be the closest to me. I'm wondering though how it compares to East. Honestly I spend the most time roaming around interacting with people, I go to maybe 1 panel the whole weekend if I go to any at all, and I won't wait in line for more than 10 minutes for anything in the expo hall. So I'm not concerned with demoing new unreleased stuff. There is so much released stuff I have never tried in the console/tabletop freeplay areas. So would South be just as enjoyable if I'm mostly looking for large crowds to interact with, finding lots of games in freeplay, and generally trying to avoid lines, or is it so much smaller in scale that people watching and interacting with cosplayers and such won't be nearly as fun as the much bigger East? And not that I plan on going to Prime (if I fly to one it will be where friends/family are) but how does that compare?
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Trade me pins, yo: https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/Lazorz
The only downside with San Antonio is that the city practically closes down at midnight so if you are looking to pick up some late snacks you better plan ahead. Can't beat the weather in January though.
Besides that:
East
+ The BCEC is still the gold standard for PAX venues. It's not even close. It's huge, and relatively simple to navigate. South isn't anywhere near the nightmare that Prime is for navigation, but it's still not as good as East.
+ Size. It's weird to to think of any PAX as "small", but South definitely felt kinda small in comparison. Whether this is good or bad is subjective, but for me, I still love the sheer number of people of PAX East.
+ Handheld lounge. Again, not that the lounge at South is "bad" per say, but I'd definitely give East the nod.
South
+ Tabletop. Until this year's East, I probably would have given them a tie on this as they both have phenomenal tabletop areas, but with the size changes at East, I think I'd give South the slight edge.
+ Area. The riverwalk is beautiful, and has tons of places to get good food. On top of that, the hotel situation is much better as there are tons of close options for relatively cheap.
Keep in mind that the South layout will change with the expansion.
Pins!
It's still very much is a PAX regardless!
https://pinnypals.com/pals/flashe
To reiterate what other people are saying, South really feels like East Lite, and that can be both a good thing and a bad thing.
Depending on how it's built, it could be partially ready in time if they can open the finished areas for use.
Everything I've heard has said it's been on time and under budget. Theres an update available here.
Honestly, San Antonio has always impressed me with getting its projects done when they say they will.
East is great, don't get me wrong, and I expect it'll still be the number one PAX for many years to come, especially if the expansion happens and they can get the hotels built that they need to. What East lacks, though, is local stuff. As horribly cramped and small as Hynes was the first East, at least it was local to great food, a Green Line subway stop, and basically the whole city of Boston plus Cambridge in easy walking or T distance. When East moved to the BCEC, which is clearly the best facility PAX has ever been housed in (though admittedly I don't really know what PAX Australia is like), it also basically left Boston. It's not near a T stop, it's not near many restaurants, and it's a long distance away from everything else you might want to do or see in Boston. Since that second PAX East, things have improved in the South Boston Waterfront area, but when you go to PAX East, you're basically just going to PAX East, not Boston.
What's fantastic about PAX South is San Antonio. San Antonio, as I quickly learned, is a truly wonderful city. What's more, the convention center there is right near everything. It's a short walk from the Alamo, all the great restaurants along the incredible Riverwalk, and there's lots to do and see all over. PAX South, the convention proper, is still in its infancy, of course, and it's not as big a show by any means, but I had a blast at South anyway, and it had its own unique offerings that I really enjoyed. I expect, as the years go by, PAX South will get just as big as PAX Prime or PAX East. When it does, it will truly be something, because it's right there in the heart of a fantastic city, with fantastic food, great sights, and very friendly people.
Should you go to PAX South right away? Well, I think it's worth it. It's more intimate, much like Prime was when it first moved to WSCC, with less crowds and not as many booths as you're used to from East. That said, it's still thousands upon thousands of people, I'm sure it's going to be bigger this next year, and it will continue to grow quickly. Especially if you're going to be more local, you should absolutely go to the next South you can, and I'm sure you'll find it's the same PAX experience you've known elsewhere, pretty much.
(You just say the letters)