It has begun. The blue wheels are spinning, and thousands of fans across the globe are waiting impatiently to see if they can be one of the few to get badges for Comic-Con International: San Diego 2016.
Two major changes to this year's badges is the fact that SDCC has embraced RFID and will be shipping out badges to all U.S. residents for the first time. The RFID technology is in place to hopefully reduce scalping, as faking the chip technology is far more difficult than counterfeiting the older badges. What's more, SDCC officials can now effectively "turn off" any lost or stolen badges. Shipping badges in advance is mainly a matter of convenience. Any questions about the new technology and shipping policy can be answered at the Toucan FAQ page.
As fans sit and wait in the EPIC Registration Waiting Room, they're once again forced to stare at the spinning blue circle of doom. This year, however, programmers got a bit cheeky and tossed a few jokes into the highlighted information section.
These messages almost make the wait survivable #SDCCOR pic.twitter.com/Z31CDeyc5U
— 「Carpe Data」 (@RgWat) February 20, 2016
I just died #KyloRen #MattTheRadarTechnician #StarWars #SDCCOR pic.twitter.com/DDBk8RrdHP — Heather Lambert (@hlambert91) February 20, 2016
Waiting for my badge#SDCCOR#SDCCpic.twitter.com/CIuUMNyeiC
— 我是狸狸狸狸狸狸纸 (@CXY910925) February 20, 2016
This first badges have officially been purchased. Stay tuned as we update this post throughout the process.
@SD_Comic_Con Boom! Must have got in the first batch let in! #lucky#ComicConpic.twitter.com/173mWBvHIj
— Matt (@MattMazurk) February 20, 2016
Update, 9:24 - Preview night inventory is already running low.
Update, 9:33 - Make that preview night is officially sold out.
Update, 9:36 - There are some reports of the yellow status update bar disappearing from the waiting room.
Update, 9:38 - And there goes Saturday.
Update, 9:41 - Friday has now followed suit. Only Thursday and Sunday badges are still available.
Update, 9:44 - The depression has begun to set in. Don't lose hope out there!
Update, 9:46 - 12 minutes earlier than last year, Thursday passes are now gone.
Update, 9:49 - Or maybe not? Reports of Thursday still being available.
Update, 9:54 - There they go. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and preview night are officially gone. Sunday fun day still left!
Update, 9:56 - Thursday passes went only three minutes faster than last year.
Update, 9:57 - Worth keeping in mind that even a Sunday badge qualifies you for pre-registration next year. Think ahead.
Update, 9:58 - It's official: SDCC is completely sold out. Badges for all four days and the preview day sold out in just under an hour. Congrats to the lucky ones who made it through! Chin up to those who didn't; there are plenty of other cons in the sea.
#SDCC Badges sold out 4 minutes faster than last year, but in the same order: PN, Sat, Fri, Thur, Sun. #SDCCOR
— NERDOPHILES (@nerdophiles) February 20, 2016
Millions of Comic Con fans world wide #SDCC #SDCCOR pic.twitter.com/o7B3A6HKsf
— KitchenTableRants (@ktrpodcast) February 20, 2016