I'm leveling-up my VCF game in 2026. I started going to VCFMW back sometime in the mid-2010's with a close friend. We met as we started our first real "IT" jobs together the senior year of high school. Initially, the VCFMW event would be an interesting curiosity and a morning where we would walk through a hotel ballroom in the suburbs of Chicago, grab lunch, then head back home. In the last few years we both have had ongoing retro projects. In the mean time VCFMW grew to fill out a large expo hall in the Schaumburg Conference Center. For the first time in 2025 we made an entire weekend out of VCFMW and in 2026 I had plans to visit more events like this.
The first VCF of 2026 was in Los Angeles, just a few miles away from Disney Land. Luckily I was traveling around California and I was able to make it to VCFSoCal. It was an interesting experience and was more of an exhibition than a "swap meet." There was a small dedicated areas for vendors and consignment room. There was a good mix of different types of computers and games to see, including a Nintendo Color TV-Game Block Kuzushi from 1979 - something I've never seen before.
In the past I would walk by and only stop at the few things that looked interesting. At VCFSoCal there was enough to see without it being overly crowded. I started asking booth exhibitors "what is the most interesting thing?", "what is unique or special about this?", or "which is your favorite?" - I am going to use this approach more at future shows. I was able to learn a lot, engage with people, and felt more connected to the hobby instead of as passive observer.
I spent some time with a Pippin console unlocked and playing Quake. It was a bit jittery, but the muscle memory and the layout of the maps are all still there somewhere in my brain. I also played with a PowerBook 2400c while hearing about all the interesting details that made them unique.
I went to VCFSoCal with a wishlist. I had to keep it small enough to carry on the flight home which meant I was on the hunt for a Clamshell G3 iBook. The only opportunity would be at the consignment shop which opened an hour after the main show on Saturday. I was 4th in line, and by the time the room opened the line had stretched to span the entire hotel lobby. By the time I found the area with the few iBooks, there were only 4 left and most were for parts/as-is. As I was looking at a graphite model I noticed it was in poor shape, I realized there was an tangerine iBook with a laptop bag looking really nice right next to me. As I was putting down the graphite one, the person looking at the tangerine model picked it up and claimed it. It wasn't meant to be, so my wish-list still has an iBook on it but also now has a Pippin and a PowerBook 2400c based on my time with them on the show floor.
I'm planning on visiting VCFPNW this year and the hotel is already booked for VCFMW!
