THE force will be strong in Southampton as gamers get to experience tech of the future - thanks to the Church of Jedi.

From virtual reality headsets to games which are still under development - a cosmic display of the latest technology will fill the Grand Harbour Hotel.

The second annual Southampton Games Festival, sponsored by the Church of Jediism, is set to raise hundreds for games and toys at Southampton General Hospital.

This year’s event, organised by Jedi Master and games tester Patrick Day-Childs, promises to be bigger and better than ever as 500 people are expected to flock to the city for cosplay fancy dress competitions, games tournaments and the chance to see the work of some of the south’s top computer games developers.

Patrick, 23, from Bitterne said: “Being able to unite Hampshire’s gaming is really exciting. The whole idea is that we want to promote local groups. I wanted Hampshire’s developers to become more noticed.”

The festival runs from 10am-5pm on May 22. It costs £7 on the door or £6 in advance by visiting southamptongamefest.com. Under-sevens go free.

Over the weekend tens of thousands of comic book enthusiasts descended on Southampton during the Bank Holiday Weekend for an animation extravaganza.

Fans of all ages flocked to Southampton Comic Convention as WestQuay shopping centre was transformed into a shrine to superheroes and villains from the past and present.