Game players looking forward to next month's annual fair have another reason to get excited - they will be able to preview Windows 10, Microsoft's latest operating system, days ahead of its global launch. It will be one of the highlights of the Ani-Com & Games Hong Kong, one of the biggest comic and game shows in Asia, between July 24 and 28. There will be a record 288 exhibitors at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, about 15 more than last year. Tickets cost HK$35. A range of games, collectables and software will be unleashed at the show, now in its 17th year, with gaming giants such as Sony Computer Entertainment and Microsoft crossing swords. Gamers will be able to test Sony's Project Morpheus, a virtual reality headset to be functional with the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita game systems. It is expected to be released in the first half of 2016. Microsoft's general manager in Hong Kong, Horace Chow Chok-kee, played down the competitive element among rival firms, saying: "We only want to bring happiness and fun to the people." Windows 10 is due for launch on July 29. Toy figures are always popular and Hot Toys, a Hong Kong-based production house that designs collectible merchandise, is working with Disney this year to present a Star Wars showcase, including the Millennium Falcon spacecraft and more than 50 Stormtroopers. An exhibition of Minecraft, the immersive "open world" video game, will allow adults to join in the fun with their children. Creative Paradise 02 returns for the second year on July 25 and 26 - with almost double the number of exhibitors - to promote doujinsh , the Japanese term for hand-made works such as magazines, manga and novels. The event is free to anyone with tickets for the main show. And cosplayers will have their own 45,000 sq ft space in which to dress up and show off as their favourite comic book characters.
