NEW YORK — Microsoft just threw an epic geek party in New York City to celebrate its latest hardware launch. The event wasn’t announced ahead of time and was only open to select Microsoft super fans. But GeekWire was able to get in and witness the festivities, complete with custom 3D printed Halo figurines, video game tournaments, HoloLens demonstrations and — of course — an open bar.
We first heard about the party when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella tweeted a photo of himself with the DJ.
Amazing party in NYC tonight with Windows fans & @ThaviusBeck mixing on @Surface Book #Windows10devices pic.twitter.com/rS5B1J7ROU
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) October 7, 2015
We raced over, but Nadella and other Microsoft executives were gone by the time we showed up. But the disappointment didn’t last long.
The whole party — which was held in New York’s Moynihan Station where Microsoft unveiled a slew of new devices just hours earlier — was an absolute techie playground.
All the company’s new devices, including Microsoft’s first ever laptop, were on hand and open for people to play with. They even had a virtual driving range setup to test the golf app on the new Microsoft Band.
The gaming area was setup in one corner, giving the fans a chance to play Halo 5 and feel the yet-to-be-released Xbox Elite Wireless Controller in their hands.
In another corner I found a Surface Hub setup, where one of the fans was busy writing math equations as dance music pumped in the background.
There was a discrete door off to the side labeled “HoloLens Demo Check-in,” but I was told I needed a ticket when I tried to get into that room. There was a headset still on display from the press event early in the day, but it was pretty closely guarded. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for better luck next time.
Instead, I jumped on a stationary bike with a blender attached to make myself a margarita before heading over to the photo booth to forever commemorate the occasion.
My last stop was to the “Create your own spartan” station, where I designed a custom character to be 3D printed sometime later. I’m expecting my “Geeks Rule” figurine to show up in the mail any day now.
Last call came a little before midnight and that’s about when things started to slow down. I followed the crowd out the doors and onto the streets of New York City, officially closing out the biggest day Microsoft has seen in quite a while.