QuakeCon is coming back in August for the 23rd time, and will be free to attend unless you want to take part in the traditional BYOC—Bring Your Own Computer—tournament. In that case you'll need to sign up for one of three entrance packages, ranging in price from $75 to $400. Also up for grabs is a QuakeCon 2018 Swag Pack, which includes the ultimate must-have accessory for the discriminating Quake fan: An inflatable rocket launcher.
The Swag Pack is $150, which is an awful lot for an inflatable toy. But it also comes with a "premium roll-over backpack," three pins, a stainless steel water bottle, a QuakeCon air freshener (we're not sure what it smells like—my guess is a sultry blend of three-day-old socks and anger, but it could also be Spring Lavender), a mouse pad, and a luggage tag. I won't say that justifies the price, because that's really a personal decision that only you can make, but I will say that an inflatable rocket launcher would look awfully sweet on the wall above the mantle.
The slight bit of bad news here is that tickets aren't actually on sale yet: Bethesda said it's in the process of putting together "a better, smoother process for registration," perhaps to accommodate the double-sized BYOC rumble, and it's taking a little longer than expected to pull everything together. Details on the when-and-how of the registration process will be revealed soon, and for now you can ponder the pricing below.
