Events
What to expect for the CONQuest Festival 2023
An invitation for a three day trip to the skies!

Last year, AcadArena took their yearly shindig to the next level as the CONQuest Festival 2022 went face-to-face. Of course, it’s safe to say that the team did not disappoint by bringing an entire community together and in full strength. The question now is how do you top 2022’s massive success? As they say, “nowhere to go but up”, and that’s exactly what the CONQuest Festival 2023 is going to do!
Prominent Guest Lineup + a Music Night!
After many months of teasing, the team behind CONQuest unveiled the full list of content creators that will be gracing the three-day convention. The headliners for this year include some of the most well-known personalities in both gaming and Esports, such as Pokimane, Valkyrae, Fuslie, and several members of the renowned content house, OfflineTV. Also, the popular VALORANT streamer-turned-one-time-pro Kyedae was announced to return for this year.
See: CONQuest 2023 guests, performers revealed
Apart from these lovely creators, some of Southeast Asia’s most popular content creators, streamers, and cosplayers will grace the convention once more. On top of this, the CONQuest Festival 2023 will also have its own Music Night with a lineup of musical acts that will surely bring the beat!
The Activity Zones
Similar to last year’s event, several zones and activities return to the main stage of CONQuest. On the gaming side of things, there are zones for freeplay and retro arcade games for you to play with friends. Also, the team will be providing a full Expo Floor dedicated to tech brands and game developers to let you in on their latest projects.
On the Esports side of things, AcadArena’s Alliance Games will once again culminate during CONQuest’s main set of activities. Apart from this, there will be opportunities for you to see your favorite streamers in Celebrity Showmatches and even visit the StreamZone.
Finally, no gaming convention is complete without the MeetZone, an avenue for everyone to see their beloved creators and interact with them face-to-face. This zone will also host some of the different panels and workshops lined up for those who are interested in taking them. Also, for those who applied and were granted the CONQuest-sponsored scholarships, these will be awarded by Rae and Leslie during their MeetZone timeslots.
See: AcadArena unveils two new scholarships for young gamers
Event Details and Accommodation Discounts
This year’s CONQuest Festival, aptly named “Sky Islands” will return to the SMX Convention Center for the main festivities. Unlike last year, the team has expanded the event to other nearby venues such as the Conrad Hotel within the SM Mall of Asia complex. Also, this year’s CONQuest will be three days (last year was just two days), running from June 2-4, 2023.
Tickets for the event are PhP 800 for each day of the festival, with a Three-Day Pass worth PhP 2,000. To attend Music Night, you will need to purchase this as an add-on for Day 2 worth PhP 5,000. If you’re after the full experience, Premium Passes are available for PhP 20,000. Each Premium Pass gives you entry for all three days and Music Night, a Merch Package, and priority in all MeetZone events.
If you fear the venue is too far from where you live, don’t worry: the team also arranged for special discounts you can avail when booking a stay in their partnered hotels. You can enjoy 15% off your stay within the Conrad Hotel or a 50% discount for Hotel 101 – Manila, which is not too far from the venue.
So better hurry and grab your passes, secure your stay, and we’ll #SeeYouInTheSkies!


The WWDC 2023 Keynote was packed with incredible new updates to iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS.
Apple announced new hardware including a 15-inch MacBook Air and M2 Max/Ultra-powered Mac Studio and Mac Pro.
But the most ambitious product they’ve ever created? The Apple Vision Pro.
Apple is clear that this isn’t just an AR Glasses. The Vision Pro is the company’s “first spatial computer”.
But how does it even look and feel IRL?
This is our first impressions of the new Apple Vision Pro — plus our YouTuber friends’ reactions.

watchOS 10 is expected to bring users a fresh approach to the way information is viewed on the Apple Watch’s apps.
Apps, including Weather, Stocks, Home, Maps, Messages, World Clock, and others, utilize more of the Apple watch display for more glanceable information.
This change, as well as a new Smart Stack for relevant widgets and more watch faces are part of significant updates on the Apple Watch that will be rolled out later in the year as a free software update.
Here’s a rundown of what’s new:
New design, navigation
With watchOS 10, redesigned apps are set to provide more information at a glance, plus new ways to navigate quickly and access content.
The Activity app on Apple Watch and the Fitness app on iPhone make tracking daily movement easier with more details and improvements to sharing, as well as a redesigned trophy case.
New Smart Stack
Ann updated Smart Stack contains widgets that display timely information, adapting to a user’s context throughout the day.
For example, Weather will show the day’s forecast, Calendar and Reminders will show upcoming meetings and tasks, and Podcasts will move up so they are readily available.
This can be revealed with a simple turn of the Digital Crown from any watch face.
New Watch Faces
Meanwhile, there will be two new artistic and joyful watch faces: Palette and Snoopy.
The Palette face depicts time in a wide variety of colors, using three distinct overlapping layers; as the time changes, so do the colors on the display.
Renowned comic strip Peanuts will also come to life on an Apple Watch, featuring Snoopy and Woodstock.
The characters interact and react to weather conditions in the area, or even get active when a user works out.
Cycling workouts optimized
Apple Watch is taking cycling workouts to an even more advanced experience with the help of watchOS 10.
When a cycling workout is started from Apple Watch, it will automatically show up as a live activity on iPhone. When tapped, it will utilize the full screen.
Workout Views such as Heart Rate Zones, Elevation, Race Route, and a new Cycling Speed view, have also been optimized to fit the display size of iPhone.
Connect with advanced trackers
Additionally, the Apple Watch can now automatically connect to Bluetooth-enabled cycling accessories too, such as power meters, speed sensors, and cadence sensors.
This allows for brand-new metrics, plus additional Workout Views (Power Zone). Bluetooth connection is supported on Indoor and Outdoor cycling, as well as GymKit.
Optimizations on various apps
Elsewhere, watchOS 10 provides users more control over various apps.
Users can conveniently log their emotions and daily moods on the Mindfulness app by just ticking multidimensional shapes to describe how they feel.
They can also now initiate the playback of a FaceTime video message and view it directly on Apple Watch.
On the Medications app, a follow-up reminder can be sent if a medication has not been logged 30 minutes after the scheduled time.
For Hiking activities, the Compass app can generate two new waypoints, while Elevation view uses altimeter data for a 3D view of saved waypoints.

iPad users are set to get more personalization and versatility with the iPadOS 17, which has significant updates on its Lock Screen, Messages, FaceTime, Safari, and more. There will also be a new Health app coming.
The iPadOS 17 is available as a developer beta for now, and will be available as a free software update later in the year. For now, here’s a preview of what to expect.
Personalized Lock Screen experience
Users can now customize the Lock Screen with their favorite images from their personal library, whether just a single photo or a set shuffled throughout the day.
They can also choose a wallpaper from the Lock Screen gallery, customize the look of the date and time with more font styles, or create their own design with emojis and different colors.
Live Activities
Live Activities will come to iPad OS, allowing users to monitor important notifications right from the Lock Screen, such as live sports scores, travel plans, or a food delivery order.
More powerful widgets
In iPadOS 17, widgets will become more interactive; for instance, users can turn on the lights, play a song, or mark a reminder as complete right from a widget.
These interactive widgets are now available on the Lock and Home screens, for easier execution of tasks. On the Lock Screen, widgets also blend seamlessly with the wallpaper.
Working with PDFs
Entering information in PDFs has been made easier too. The iPadOS 17 users machine learning to identify fields in a PDF file so users can add details or fill out forms.
Notes app users can now also organize, read, annotate, and collaborate on PDF files, as they appear in full width on the device.
Enhanced communication, interaction for Messages
Messages, meanwhile, offers users to create Live Stickers from their own photos, and add effects to them.
The app also has new features, like an expandable menu on a tap for easy access to most frequent iMessage apps.
The search tool has also been improved with filters (people, keywords, content types) to easier bring up a specific conversation.
Audio messages are transcribed automatically for a version one can read on the fly.
More ways to FaceTime
In FaceTime, users can now leave an audio or video message when someone does not pick up the call.
The video-calling app now also allows Reactions, like hearts, balloons, fireworks, rain, and more, which can be activated through simple gestures or third-party video-calling apps.
More productive on Safari
Safari has been improved for users to be more productive on the browser too. Profiles separates users’ browsing, with each profile having its own history, cookies, Tab Groups, and more.
Private Browsing now allows users to lock the window they’re viewing with Face ID or Touch ID.
New Health app
The Health app also comes to iPad, giving users new ways to see their detailed health data, including Trends, Highlights, and interactive charts.
Health and fitness developers can now use HealthKit on iPad.
Offline Maps
Users can now download maps and use them offline. This way, users can select an area, search and explore information, and get routes, all while offline.
Freeform
Lastly, Freeform offers new drawing tools, like hover, tilt, snap to shape, and the ability to add connection lines and new shapes to any object.
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