PC Format
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| PC Format | |
|---|---|
| Editor | Adam Ifans |
| Categories | Computer magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First Issue | 1991 |
| Company | Future Publishing |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.pcformat.co.uk |
| ISSN | 0963-5521 |
PC Format is a computer magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and licensed to other publishers in countries around the world. In publication since 1991, it is part of Future Publishing's Format series of magazines that include articles about games, entertainment and how to get the most out of the platform. Despite the occasional mention of alternatives, PC Format takes the term 'PC' to mean a Microsoft Windows-based computer.
Aimed at a reader with an age of around 30, PCF is far more irreverent and opinionated than its competition, edging it towards being a lifestyle magazine as well as a computing one. In its earlier days, it promoted itself as a PC entertainment magazine - meaning it was not aimed at the business market, and it was not aimed at solely games. This included content such as video editing, animation, web design, and others - many of which were not very common on the PC at the time.
PC Format has included a cover disk or cover CD, as many other computer magazines. Initially these were in 5 1/4" and 3 1/2" inch floppy disk formats; this standard progressed to CD-ROM and DVD-ROM as technology advanced. Now however, the CD version does not exist, and only the DVD version remains. You cannot buy the magazine on its own without a disk.
PC Format has prided itself on being unbiased with its reviews, and has frequently given low scores to blockbuster, but poor quality, games. It uses the full range of 0-100% for its game reviews, rather than having 50% for a bad game and 100% for a great game. The magazine rarely award anything between 30% and 50%, only showing radical scores for games. Scores over 90% are very rarely granted. If a game scores above 90% it recieves a PCF Gold award. Before the magazine was redesigned in Janurary 2007, the magazine also awarded 80% plus scores with a high score or top gear award. Since the redesign, the magazine has focused on games and performance hardware, instead of the greater blend avaliable previously.
Immediately prior to PC Format's launch, the Format series encompassed three platforms - Commodore Format, ST Format and Amiga Format. The magazines in the 'Format' series today are MacFormat (launched 1993), Linux Format (launched 2000), and PC Format.
PC Format is easily recognisable because the front cover of almost every issue has a female cover model - it was the first magazine of its genre to do this.
The main content of the magazine includes previews and reviews of the latest games, software and hardware reviews, computing news, a wide range of tutorials and a technical help section. It also includes left-field and investigative features on wider computing culture.
PC Format is currently edited by Adam Ifans. Past editors include Bob Wade, Mark Higham, Adam Oxford, James Binns and Richard Longhurst.
PCFormat's website will be absorbed into Future Publishing's new Tech.co.uk portal.
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