PC Format

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PC Format
PC Format, #191 (DVD) cover dated September 2006
Editor	Adam Oxford
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 which 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 average 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 wasn't aimed at the business market, and it wasn't 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.

PC Format has prided themselves on being unbiased with their reviews, and have frequently given low scores to blockbuster, but poor quality, games. They also use the full range of 0-100% for their game reviews, rather than having 50% for a bad game and 100% for a great game. Scores over 90% are seldom granted. The magazine has also released special editions named PCF Gold, which were a compilation (and re-ranking) of all major game reviews they had done to date.

Immediately prior to PC Format's launch, the Format series encompassed four platforms - Commodore Format, ST Format, Amiga Format and Mac Format, with the first thirteen issues of the Amiga and ST versions being published together as ST/Amiga Format. When ST/Amiga Format ceased publication, most of the staff went on to ST Format with Amiga Format essentially being a whole new magazine. The magazines in the 'Format' series today are Linux Format, Mac Format 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.