Official PlayStation Mag dead, demo disc the killer?
by Christopher Grant 
{ Nov 14th 2006 at 5:40PM }
Just as Ziff-Davis and Microsoft's trembling lips meet for the long, slow kiss that is Games for Windows: The Official Magazine, Ziff and Sony are, like, totally breaking up. They say it's mutual, that all relationships must end ... but we all know who's really to blame. It's that ne'er-do-well demo disc, that's who!With the steady erosion of print readership and the growth of online outlets (like Sony's own ThreeSpeech project who, curiously, keep cribbing from OPM) it's no wonder they've reconsidered their commitment to the world of dead-tree gaming journalism. Coupled with their (about to launch) PlayStation Network, capable of delivering videos and demos -- the very same videos and demos that used to come bundled on DVD with every issue of OPM -- the gimmick has dried up.
Increasingly, print magazines rely on these gimmicks to provide extra incentive to read all the gaming news you already read online 3 weeks ago. Game Informer has that infinitely valuable shelf space at the nation's largest gaming retailer while Computer Gaming World had to reevaluate and become Games For Windows. What's curious is why Microsoft not only doesn't see Xbox Live as the final nail in Official Xbox Magazine's proverbial coffin, but they use the magazine to distribute exclusive demos, weeks before they hit Live (see: Rainbow Six Vegas). Maybe, with a 60% attach rate for Xbox Live, they realize there's still plenty of offline 360 gamers who can't get their demos from Live.
[Update: The fine folks at Ziff contacted us to "clarify that the 1UP Network -- 1UP.com, GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com, the 1UP Show, our podcasts, etc. -- and EGM will cover the PS3, PS2, and PSP in depth with integrated print, video, podcast, and web features through the holiday season, 2007, and beyond." So, there you have it. Don't think Ziff is axing the Sony coverage, they're just axing the magazine.]
Read -- Sony's press release
Read -- Ziff Davis' press release
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
JodyAnthony @ Nov 14th 2006 5:44PM
sometimes its cool to have the magazines, though.
i loves me some Nintendo Power and Edge
Todd @ Nov 14th 2006 5:49PM
Damn, now what will I read in the bathroom. I guess it's just Nintendo Power and Play! now.
Lion @ Nov 14th 2006 5:50PM
I really enjoy having the magazines. OXM provides the demo disk with some exclusive demos (TimeSplitters, for example) gamerpics, BC updates, etc. Nobody else does that, and I would imagine that OXM's subscribership is actually climbing. But, even with out all the goodies on the demo disc, it should be noted that print magazines still offer an information advantage over Xbox Live and the Internet. Prime example: Game Informer's coverage of Dark Sector. It would take me some time to look for that information on the Internet, but its right there in this months Game Informer with large full-color pictures. I read the Internet for news, troll the forums, read magazines, and check Xbox Live. I still don't know everything there is to know about the upcoming games, so I don't see why readership of magazines would be falling off unless the magazines in question simply aren't marketing themselves right and coming through with good content.
Jason @ Nov 14th 2006 5:54PM
Oh well, I only ever bought 1 OPM anyway when the GH2 demo came with it. The mag sucked.
porkepik @ Nov 14th 2006 5:54PM
Damn it what does happen with my subscription, will I be refunded, will ZD send me another magazine? Guess I'll have to phone them, I renewed it last month. grrr, what will I read on my lunch breaks, company does not allow access to gaming news sites (exceptthis blog, crack in their filter i suppose)
DG @ Nov 14th 2006 5:55PM
My new EGM came in the mail today (courtesy of a joystiq article way back) and it has a new look but the same bad writing.
Anyway, they managed to get the first shots of Halo 3. In the Internet age, these exclusives are doubly impressive.
Steve @ Nov 14th 2006 8:58PM
The main reason I buy Nintendo Power is because I've been subscribing since the beginning and have a low subscriber number. It is fun to read a physical magazine, and for an official magazine it's been really good since the redesign of a couple years back. I do understand the problems with the magazines though, you really do end up reading about the things you found out about 3 weeks earlier. Also, official magazines tend to provide less information than unofficial ones. A perfect example of that was how the first photo I saw of then new Enterprise for Star Trek: Enterprise was in TV Guide but not the official Star Trek magazine (I don't get them anymore but feel so ashamed for having subscriptions to those fluff entertainment magazines in recent years)
Also, this is one of those situations where part of me misses the inferior "old days" when the annoucement of a new console, hardware upgrade, or game came as a surprise. You'd see it in the magazine a few weeks before release or maybe you'd even discover it on the shelf. Nowadays you know about things years in advance.
steve @ Nov 14th 2006 5:56PM
"Increasingly, print magazines rely on these gimmicks to provide extra incentive to read all the gaming news you already read online 3 weeks ago."
As opposed to blogs, which rely almost exclusively on others producing content to link to or make snarky comments about.
NoBullet @ Nov 14th 2006 6:04PM
Yeah magazines always have old news. So how about those Halo 3 scans?...oh wait. Yeah, magazines still get exclusives. Sometimes better than online sites. Go figure.
ts8lemonade @ Nov 14th 2006 5:59PM
Psh, I love reading Nintendo Power while taking a dump.
Sgt Payback @ Nov 16th 2006 3:03PM
I think that is a big mistake. I like having a normal mag for reading on the throne. What I didn't like was that they all started coming with those demo disks which in turn made the mag cost $10 bucks and beyond. What about the kids that are browsing the mags in the store while mom shops? Dumb move my Sony if you ask me.
Brian @ Nov 14th 2006 6:10PM
Oh great, now I'm going to have to stick to reading EGM.
spoo @ Nov 14th 2006 6:14PM
I am going to read between the lines and state the real reason is because of PS3 and the mandatory PS3 games on Blu-ray. Stay with me here, to have PS3 demos the media will need to change form cheap DVD to not so cheap BD. Will they need to change the price from the not so cheap $10 price tag to even more expensive $14 or $15 per OPM?
Joe SMith @ Nov 14th 2006 6:19PM
Microsoft has nothing to do with the content of the OXM magazine or Demo disc. All the "Official" part means is that OXM pays a fee to Xbox to use the name. The exclusivity of demos on the disc vs. Marketplace is up the the publishers of the demos and the deals they make with the magazine. I am sure MS would prefer not to see demos go to OXM first, but if Ubi or EA or Activision decide to go that route, there's not much MS could do about it.
bouchert @ Nov 14th 2006 6:29PM
This is just another symptom of Sony's plan to kill the present to bring us a future that's not yet ready. This new focus on the PS3-only Playstation Network is the final nail in the coffin for the venerable PS2, while the PS3 is nowhere near ready to fill its shoes. With this decision comes the admission that the only system currently worth owning that Sony makes is finished.
Xel @ Nov 14th 2006 6:33PM
A man that really sucks, The only Mags I subscribe to is Official Xbox Mag, OPM, and PC gamer. That really pisses me off, I like to have a mix of reading. The Internet is a good place for news, but I enjoy reading a mag any where anytime, and Laptops are as user friendly as mags. Guess I will have to get EGM again or something.
Babylonian @ Nov 14th 2006 6:40PM
If I had to make a wager, I think the stream of anti-Sony blaspheme coming from them lately might've contributed to it. Honestly, they've ran articles that bashed the PSP, pointed out the failure of UMD movies, and pointed out the severe lack of titles. They even did a DS vs PSP article, and ended on this quote, which I now love:
"Nintendo wants to sell games to non-gamers. Sony wants to sell non-games to gamers."
Seriously, OPM was spectacular, and was easily the most unbiased of the console-specific gaming mags. It will be missed.
:'[
Dracula Jones @ Nov 14th 2006 6:37PM
I blame that OPM editor who said she was getting a 360 instead of a PS3, which, while not as jarring as OPM closing its doors, also caused a rift in the space-time continuum.
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=7344653&publicUserId=5380375
Jeramy @ Nov 14th 2006 6:47PM
yeah oxm is not a very good magazine. i used to be a diehard fan of odcm back in the day and when i got an xbox i converted magazines. horrible choice. demos were cool but the mag has such paltry content. odcm was stuffed with wit and clever humor as well as enthralling articles. oxm has nothing. especially since they "upgraded" the mag for 360, it's just become so unreliable. especially the reviews--i can't even read them anymore. oh well, more money for me.
Ben Furfie @ Nov 14th 2006 7:28PM
We all know what the real reason is...
http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2006/08/14/official-playstation-magazine-editor-sees-no-reason-to-buy-a-ps3/
The PS3's digital distrubution network will envitably have no more of a reach than Xbox Live, if that meaning that many will be deprived of these demos...
RetroJunkie @ Nov 14th 2006 6:46PM
Without sony paying them off now...
can we expect Good 360 game scores...
LOL FLAEM BAIET
Techtrip @ Nov 14th 2006 6:50PM
Ok I can see this happening if everyone was going to go out and get a PS3, but what about the people that are not planning on buying a PS3 but still enjoy reading about it? I can't justify the price tag on the PS3 but I still like to keep up with the games that are coming out for it and reading the articles from the readers of the magazine. Why not keep the magazine without the demo disc. I would subscribe to it. Oh well I guess that's it for everyone not fortunate enough to have the finacial resources to buy a PS3. The internet is not a very good resource to get all the information that the magizine had in it all in one place.
Sam @ Nov 14th 2006 6:51PM
YEah some magazines are good. Game Informer gets all the exclusives even before they hit the internet. They broke Resident Evil 5, God of War, Chonicles of Riddick... A lot of em.
C. Grant @ Nov 14th 2006 6:55PM
steve: brilliant description of the blog space! Because Bungie is dying to give a blog access to exclusive interviews and screenshots. Why do you think blogs like ours exist? Stick with your mags, let us know how that works out for you.
Kelvin @ Nov 14th 2006 7:00PM
Is Sony freakin' DOSing 1UP.com, or what's the deal here? Haven't been able to connect to it from my office all day.
I have the issue that #17 was quoting (it came free with me giving all my personal info to PlayStation Underground). You can tell that these guys seriously wanted Sony to succeed and felt that giving honest advice was the best way of doing so.
It's funny though, these guys speculating (in the issue I have) that the PS3 would come out in Spring 2007. They obviously had no extra connections and felt no loyalty to Sony.
Karen @ Nov 14th 2006 7:12PM
I wonder if the Blu-Ray demo disk drove up the cost of the demo so high that Ziff just gave up. It's not like the OXM demo disk (DVD) where they are able to put Xbox and Xbox 360 games on the same disk. Not to many of their subscribers are going to have PS3 to take advatage of the Blu-Ray disks.
I always hated the demo disks in the magazines because I hardly use what's on it and it drives up the costs of buying the magazine in the stores or even getting a subscription.
I bought a copy of OPM just last week at $12.99 Canadian. Very expensive considering I can pick up a copy a greatests hits PS2 title for $19.99 at Best Buy.
I do have a subscription to Nintendo Power ($27.99 and a free guide) and would probably get OXM,EGM or OPM if the prices were as high to Canadian subscribers.
Lord_Satorious @ Nov 14th 2006 7:43PM
I second "Edge", which isn't even an American publication, it's British. It's actually written for the mature crowd, like 20-30+ demographic. I subscribe to about half a dozen video and PC gaming magazines, and the only one worth reading cover to cover is "Edge". Well worth the $75 subscription fee.
DiRT @ Nov 14th 2006 7:43PM
A.) The mag was always poorly written and worthless if it wasn't for the disc. Why did they have to do movie review that gave good score to horrible movies (political zombie schlock?!) that have nothing to do with gaming? To that end, I will not miss it.
b.) Does this mean that Sony is forcing the end of PS2 development? I remember the PS1 having plenty of support even after the PS2 launch, and with prices and supply being what they are, I would think that the PS2 still has some teeth left.
c.) And this comes only after the first attempt at PSP demo disc distribution with the mag. For shame.
mesocool @ Nov 14th 2006 7:44PM
Heck I still get Magazines in the mail and buy some at stores. I dont want to be stuck at a computer everytime I read. I want to have something to read in the doctors office, dentist, waiting to pick up my niece from school. Waiting on friends when I get to volleyball early. And ESPECIALLY when going to the BARBER! DOH! I usually take three and have to keep the kids away! lol. But anyway there are a lot that dont have online. 30% of people don't even have it availible yet in the USA. At least not in the specs you need for gaming.
dsub @ Nov 14th 2006 9:42PM
I still am a huge fan of print gaming journalism. I am a subscriber to EGM, Game Informer, and Edge. While the internet is good for all the latest buzz, the print magazines still offer stories on games that I haven't heard of, and great editorials on various subjects. (no offense to joystiq)
I love this site, but it has one major flaw. I can't read it on the crapper.
I gotta have my magazines for the crapper.
Dam That River @ Nov 14th 2006 8:56PM
Meh. The last magazine from my sub (which came from a free offer online) just came in the mail. My plans for next gen are to go with the Xbox 360 and Wii, so I have no interest in reading about the PS3 anywhere outside the internet. As for the demo discs, it's hard to get excited about them when you see Bionicle Heroes or The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy on the front cover.
Roddykat @ Nov 14th 2006 9:17PM
Well I, for one, will miss it. I guess I better check on my subscription. It was a good mag, and despite what people are saying, didn't seem biased. The demos were a lot of the times the determining factor in my gaming purchases. Because goodness knows Sony really has gone above and beyond filling their site with every demo imaginable for the PSP. That's where I've always gone for the good stuff....
B1gC72 @ Nov 15th 2006 5:11PM
i started buying these this summer on account of the demo disc. i could really care less about the mag itself since ive already heard all the "news" they put in it on the internet. magazines as a whole are definately on their way out with the internet constantly getting stronger by the day. with downloadable demos already on the PS3, i would much rather put my $10 for the magazine towards something else.
K_G @ Nov 14th 2006 11:44PM
Given that the installed US base of the PS3 in 2007 is
likely to only
be 5-10% of the installed PS2 base, saying the the Playstation
network (which only supports the PS3) would make the magazine moot is
a bit premature...that's a lot of PS2 users that are being thrown out
in the cold demo wise. The magazine wasn't the greatest but the
demos had some value...and the feature stories were usually well
done, albeit a bit breathless at times.
Doug Kaplan @ Nov 16th 2006 10:55AM
All subscribers to the Official Playstation Magazine will be transferred over to Electronic Gaming Monthly. If you already have a subscription to EGM, you're subscription will be extended. It is up to the subscriber to contact Ziff (a 1-800 number will be included with the next issue of OPM) to request a refund if you don't want your sub to be transferred to EGM.