MineCon 2011 has been announced for 18-19th November 2011 at Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.  You can get your ticket for $US99.  Notch claimed Mojang will lose money on it, not sure why.

Included are;

• Official Minecraft launch
• Keynote speeches (including one by our very own Notch)
• Build contests
• Breakout classes with all different Minecraft topics
• Costume contests
• Exhibits by leading gaming and Minecraft related companies
• Meeting friends from around the world
• Commemorative merchandise

Naturally E3 is with us again so I’ve filtered the barrage of announcements to pick out what I see as the highlights.

Minecraft is coming to Xbox 360 and Kinect. That could be interesting. They should include a cardboard pick for realism so you can swing it around like a right loon. Naturally all the Microsoft stuff is centred around Kinect. Halo 4 is coming. Meh.

Nintendo has a new console the er… Wii U. Really. Apparently the controllers will be detachable and usable by themselves with a 6.2 in touch screen built in. There’s a stylus and cams and mikes and similar goodness. Pretty much a simple tablet. Naturally they cannot neglect their just released 3DS. It needs high profile games and it is getting them.

EVE makers CCP talk a bit about DUST 514. For those who don’t know it will be an FPS for the console as the planetary force and mesh and merge with the greater EVE universe, presumably seamlessly. They have decided to go exclusive with the PS3 which is risky IMO.

One big name game at E3 does excite me. Skyrim. I look forward to it despite the risk of sacrificing depth for accessibility. It definitely looks good and seems to be living up to the dragon centricity with powers unlocked by absorbing dragon souls. How it plays is of course an open ended question.

Sony was centred on the Playstation Vita actually drawing boos at the exclusive deal with AT&T. It seems it will cost $US 299 with the wifi only model a bit cheaper, which had a far more positive reaction. Sony is also pushing cross platform and 3D gaming which I think is a good move.

Bastion also sounds interesting but probably needs hands on play to fully grasp.

Finally the great guys at QCF Design have released the Desktop Dungeons E3 demo for play for everyone including you for the next few days. Looking good!

EB Games Expo, the largest ever to be held in Australia, have announced some of their official exhibitors which a a strong and diverse set.

This Thursday the 2nd of June tickets will be on sale online and in EB Games stores from midday Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Games, software and related exhibitors are 2K, Activision, Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Disney Interactive Studios, EA, Incomm, Konami, Mindscape, Namco Bandai Partners, Pop Cap, QVS, Sega, Square Enix, THQ, and Ubisoft.

Hardware is also covered, like Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation, Nintendo, Logitech, Bluemouth Interactive, Plantronics GameCom, Parrot AR.Drone, Razer and Turtle Beach.

Several media partners are also announced.

An enterprising fellow named Chris Worth has taken a Fallout New Vegas tour in the real life Las Vegas area.

34 locations are covered such as Goodsprings cemetary and the Hoover Dam were visited with excellent comparison shots between the game and real locations.

Worth a look if you’ve played the game.

EB Games EXPO will be held on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th October at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre (GCCEC), Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Yes, you read that right, a games EXPO on this side of the planet.

This has been three years in the making and follows EB Games’ previous internal conferences. EB Games is the leading Australian game retailer Looks like it will be the biggest games event yet in Australia spanning across 10,000 square meters.

• Cosplay (costumes) judging and prizes
• Showcasing new releases and upcoming games, some of which will be playable
• Live presentations from international game developers
• EB Arena Spectacular with Showtime FMX freestyle motorcross
• The best gamers in the country will compete for the National Championship Crown and the right to represent Australia at the World Final in Seoul in the Australian National Finals of the 2011 World Cyber Games.
• Optional VIP passes for $AU99.95

Naturally details are still sketchy including exactly who and what will be there but there are already some big names involved, such as Electronic Arts. No doubt details will improve as we draw closer to the event.  Tickets on sale from Thursday 2nd June through EB Games and online.

Great article from Fast Company on the U.S. Navy and Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) gaming trying to solve the problem of piracy on the waterways such as near Somalia.

I’m seeing more and more examples of the gaming and real worlds crossing over in cases like this.