For years, the Penny Arcade Expo events — or PAX, for short — have gained a huge following with the gaming community, with each one selling out of tickets in a matter of hours and drawing thousands of folks from around the world. PAX South, making its debut in San Antonio this week, should be no exception.

Although the event won’t be as big as PAX Prime or PAX East events — they’ve been established for years, and this is just an upstart — it will be a big draw for local developers and companies alike, and provide tons of stuff for attendees to be excited about.

With that, here are what is sure to be the biggest draws at this year’s event.

The debut of the New Nintendo 3DS

Last week, Nintendo announced that its newer model 3DS (cleverly named The New Nintendo 3DS) would be arriving at retail on February 13th for $199.99. PAX South will mark the first time that users will be able to go hands-on with the device, testing out its smoothed-over 3D and playing new games like The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. In addition, the Nintendo Store is rumored to be allowing for a few pre-orders of the limited edition Zelda model, though Nintendo has yet to confirm.

In addition, several Wii U games should be on hand as well, including forthcoming games like Kirby and the Rainbow Curse and Mario Maker, among others. It’s a great opportunity for fans to check out what’s coming up.

Gearbox Software

Since Gearbox Software is a Texas-based company, its presence at PAX South should be quite immense. The team already has a huge Community Day event planned for the entire weekend of the show, with a number of panels and the opportunity to meet-and-greet with certain members of the crew, including president Randy Pitchford.

Gearbox has a lot of energy going into PAX South, with forthcoming games like Homeworld and Battleborn in development, along with the recently announced Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, which will debut on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this March with Borderlands 2 and Borderlands the Pre-Sequel in one convenient package. It’s possible that these games could be on the show floor as well, with 2K Games likely to be in attendance.

Regardless, game fans won’t want to miss what this team has up its sleeves — and they could win something for their trouble as well.

BioWare Base

Like Gearbox, BioWare has a huge following of gamers, mainly due to its highly successful Dragon Age: Inquisition, which debuted for consoles and PC late last year with flying colors. The BioWare Base will host a number of panels in its own right, along with special signings and giveaways of shirts and other goods.

In addition, educational panels regarding artwork and storytelling will also take place, and cosplay fans will be able to take part in a parade on Saturday.

Twitch.tv

Popular broadcasting channel Twitch will be on hand at the event, with a number of personalities hosting a Town Hall meeting for fans, as well as live gameplay sessions, which will of course be broadcasted over the company’s official channel. In addition, a special party on Friday night will feature plenty of playable stations for Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm, along with karaoke, dancing and giveaways.

Those who can’t attend PAX South will get to take part in the fun as well, as Twitch will line up a number of giveaways for folks watching at home. So, it’s almost as good as being at the event. Almost.

Independent Games Aplenty

As with any PAX-related events, South will be a huge spot for emerging independent game developers. Devolver Digital already has a number of promising projects lined up for its booth on the show floor, including Enter the Gungeon and Magnetic; and other small-group developers will be showing off their wares for PC and consoles, including Hive Jump, Titan Souls (pictured above), Sportsball, Moonrise, Stellar, Rebel Galaxy and others.

Plus, the way that the booths are set up, fans will be able to discuss these projects with developers while they play, gaining insight that will help them get better. It’s a great way to get to know the people behind the games.