English
Indian
العربية
Español
Deutsch
Türkçe
Русский
Français (Afrique)
How much RAM do you need for an 'ultimate gaming machine?' July in PC Gamer 10, 20, and 30 years ago
What's the name for that phenomenon when you learn about something for the first time and then start seeing it everywhere? Ah, the frequency illusion! I was frequently illused while scanning through these July 1996, 2006 and 2016 issues of PC Gamer magazine, because they just keep talking about RAM. And given our current RAMpocalypse, well, it all just seems very timely.
I guess the other explanation is that PC gamers are always talking about RAM. argolida.life
It's wild in hindsight that a photograph of a beige desktop would take priority over a review of Civilization 2 as the cover of the July 1996 issue. Was that really moving copies on the newsstand!? The 2006 and 2016 issues are a lot more striking. Pour one out for LawBreakers, which current PC Gamer US Editor-in-Chief Tyler Wilde previewed at the time and liked. "Whenever it's out, I'm confident LawBreakers can challenge all its cute and colorful competition. Not so much with blood or cursing, but with grappling hooks, afterburners, and zero-g no-look behind-the-back headshots," he wrote.
LawBreakers! Was!! Good!!! But the tone was just all wrong for the time it came out, and as we've seen from a number of failed attempts to launch a new multiplayer FPS since, it's incredibly hard to get people to latch onto a game in that more arena shooter style.
What was on the cover?
July 1996: The Ultimate Gaming Machine (US, issue #26)
Cover story: "The Ultimate Gaming Machine" by Dan Bennett
There's no magazine feature destined to age more poorly than one highlighting the very best in computer hardware at that very moment. Then again, in this era of AI-driven pricing madness, a great PC from a few years ago (at the prices of a few years ago, too) actually does look mighty compelling today. As for a $3000 PC in 1996? Well, nostalgia's got to do a bit more heavy lifting here.
For the money, the July 1996 PC Gamer cover feature was recommending a 166 MHz Pentium with 16 whole megabytes of RAM, a 1GB HDD, a Super VGA card with 2-4 MB of VRAM, the ever-reliable SoundBlaster 16, and a 17-inch CRT monitor. The screen is probably the bit we'd still get some use out of today.
The other hotness in the ultimate rig included an 8x CD-ROM drive (we weren't even talkin' burners, at this point) and a 28.8 kbps modem; I guess 56k wasn't an option just yet. "Even at 28.8k, some of the fancier web pages will take a minute or more to download," Bennett warned.
Cover hits:
- Duke Nukem 3D, Civilization 2, and Zork Nemesis reviewed
- Flight sims scrutinized
- On CD: The Pandora Directive
July 2006: 150th issue (US, #150)
Cover story: "The 150 best moments from PC Gamer history"
This tour down memory lane focuses on the US issue of the magazine, naturally, as the UK and US productions were split back in those days. It leads off with a look back at the US mag's very first cover feature, for Origin's BioForge, and goes on to mention some other key moments: The mag's 15% review of Battlecruiser 3000 A.D., Daikatana's infamous ad, a compliment from South Park co-creator (and PCG reader) Trey Parker, and some wise called shots, including this one:
"Baldur's Gate is the next step in the roleplaying revolution."
Some notable milestones: Announcing Star Wars: Dark Forces, a world-exclusive first look at Quake 2, and December 1997's 456-page issue. The Game Gods and The Next Game Gods issues get quite a bit of attention.
Cover hits: Nada
- On DVD: Auto Assault free trial, Hereos of Might & Magic 5
July 2016: Dishonored 2 (UK, issue #293)
Cover story: Dishonored 2 "Long Shadows" by Chris Thursten
Did Chris Thursten know he was playing one of the best PC games of the decade when he got his hands on an early build of Dishonored 2?
C'mon, you know he did.
"Dishonored has helped establish a new future for the immersive sim, one where it can enjoy commercial success and critical acclaim and expand the industry’s sense of who games might be for. Heir to a rich legacy, Dishonored 2 finds itself in a good position to exceed its ancestors later this year," he wrote.
It's a great feature, full of designer Harvey Smith and art director Sébastien Mitton saying smart things.
Cover hits:
- Battlefield 1, Lawbreakers, Mafia 3 previews
- Oculus Rift vs. HTC Vive VR headset verdict
- 10 games that changed PC gaming
In the news
July 1996
- A CyberAuthor Speaks: "Stephenson himself is certainly no stranger to computer games. 'The two computer games I've spent a lot of time with have been Myst and Marathon,' he says."
- "The PC is starting to invade the living room, and one of hte first of the new wave of family PCs is the Gateway Destination 2000"
- BeBox highlighted as a "new rival to the PC"
- DreamWorks Interactive, a "joint venture between Microsoft and Steven Spielberg's company" is making The Neverhood Chronicles
- Online RPG Merdian 59 launches. It's still alive today.
July 2006
- Ubisoft ditches anti-piracy tech StarForce after a class action lawsuit
- Viacom buys XFire chat program for $102 million
- The writer behind famous "EA Spouse" blog is revealed
- Cult classic Another World gets an XP-friendly re-release for its 15th anniversary
July 2016
- Respawn, Dice, and Visceral are all making new Star Wars games
- Lionhead shuttered
- Eric Barone talks Stardew Valley: "My wildest dreams have come true and I'm in this whole new world."
The hottest hardware
July 1996
In addition to the "ultimate" rig featured on the cover, in this issue's "Tim's Tech Shop" column we learn that RAM prices have "finally started dropping." Ahh... a better time, huh?
The whole feature is dedicated to the ins and outs of the memory industry and the misleading promise of programs like RAM Doubler and SoftRAM that people turned to when they couldn't afford more physical RAM. Maybe we're destined to see a repeat, there...
July 2006
Enjoying this trip down memory lane? You can still subscribe to PC Gamer to get new issues of the magazine (in print!) every month.
PC Gamer's Logan Decker reviews a desktop PC by defunct system builder Vigor Gaming, the Force Recon Axe. $3300 in 2006 got you a 78%-scoring system using thermo-electric cooling to chill an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ and dual GeForce 7900 GTX graphics cards. Plus two whole gigs of DDR RAM.
Also featured in this issue: Configuration tips for the then-new Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Bethesda itself provided tips to increasing the amount of blood or grass, upping shadow resolution, and skipping the intro cutscenes.
July 2016
Nvidia revealed the GTX 1000 series, hyping up the new GTX 1080 and 1070. The 1080, especially, would prove to be a monster hit with its 8GB GDDR5X VRAM.
Yours truly also reviewed both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR headsets, after testing both across several industry events in the two years prior. I scored the Vive higher, 85 vs. 76, for its better tracking and specialized controllers, which the Rift didn't have at launch.
This was the peak of VR excitement. While some great games have been released in the years since, the technology has never come close to supplanting our day-to-day gaming or general computer use.
Our highest and lowest review scores
July 1996
- Civilization 2 - 97% - "An immensely addictive and playable strategy game that's the rightful heir to the Civilization crown."
- Duke Nukem 3D - 93% - "There's no subtle way to put it—Duke kicks ass."
- AH-64D Longbow - 94% - "AH-64D Longbow isn't just the best chopper sim ever—it's one of the best flight sims, period."
- TacOps - 90% - "All the detail and authenticity you could ask for, plus tremendous replayability."
- Zork Nemesis - 89% - "It's pretty, it's spooky, and it's immensely entertaining."
- CrossWorld - 30% - "There's nothing new here; for crossword fanatics and cheaters only."
- Star Trek: Klingon - 35% - "Even die-hard Trekkers will find their faith tested by this sorry cash-in."
July 2006
- Tomb Raider: Legend - 90% - "Luscious to look at and a thrill to play, Tomb Raider: Legend is a welcome comeback."
- Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators - 92% - "Space Rangers 2 is an endlessly replayable, always thrilling romp through space."
- Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends - 89% - "One of the year's stand-outs in what is an increasingly crowded and competitive genre."
- RF Online - 35% - "RF Online fails as a PvE game, and its PvP gameplay isn't engaging enough to make up for that fatal flaw."
- American Conquest: Divided Nation - 40% - "Recommended only for history buffs on a budget."
July 2016
- Total War: Warhammer - 86% - "If you find real history a bit bland compared to glorious nonsense made up by British people, this is the Total War for you."
- Offworld Trading Company - 88% - "Master its complex systems and Offworld Trading Company is ruthless, immediate and thoroughly rewarding."
- The Banner Saga 2 - 86% - "A handsome and brutal strategy sequel that benefits from a range of intelligent improvements to the game."
- Democracy 3: Africa - 65% - "New setting, same old intrigues. Democracy 3: Africa is a clever simulation but plays it far too safe."
The back page
July 1996: The Fall preview with Into the Shadows and Star Trek: Generations
July 2006: Gary Whitta's Pride Parade
July 2016: Battlefield 1
Der Erfolg des S26 hält an: Samsung erhöht die Produktion um volle 50 %
Vielleicht haben Sie gehört, dass Samsungs Galaxy S26 ein phänomenaler Erfolg war und sich einfach weiter verkauft. Südkoreas ETNews berichtet nun, dass der Erfolg keine Anzeichen einer Verlangsamung zeigt, was Samsung dazu veranlasst, die Produktion um beeindruckende 50 % zu steigern.
Hinter diesem Erfolg stehen unter anderem erfolgreiche Kampagnen auf dem heimischen Markt mit attraktiven Rabatten, aber auch Bedenken, dass das Galaxy S27 aufgrund von Speichermangel deutlich teurer sein könnte. Außerdem lässt sich nicht leugnen, dass es ein sehr beeindruckendes Smartphone ist.
Matt Dinniman: «Det er ingenting som er morsommere enn å se andre bli dratt med i kaoset
Det er vanskelig å virkelig definere hva *Carl the Dungeon Crawler* egentlig handler om. Markedsføringskampanjen for dette verket – en av de raskest voksende bestselgerne i moderne litteratur – har, ifølge de siste tallene vi har fått tilgang til fra forlaget her på festivalen, solgt over 14 millioner eksemplarer over hele verden til dags dato. Helt ufattelig. Men alt skyldes muntlig omtale. Og mange av de største fansen av Carl og Prinsesse Donut har funnet veien til Avilés-auditoriet for å delta på et foredrag med forfatteren på Celsius 232-festivalen for skrekk, fantasy og science fiction. Og å dømme etter auditoriet, som var stappfullt, og den kilometerlange (og jeg overdriver ikke når jeg sier kilometerlange) køen som strakte seg i flere timer for å få en autograf, er han stjernen på årets festival.
Men, med Dinnimans egne ord, *Carl the Dungeon-Crawler* «er historien om en vanlig fyr og ekskjærestens katt som blir bortført for å delta i det dødelige favorittspillet til et utenomjordisk TV-program, der de må overleve og kjempe seg ned gjennom alle etasjene i en bygning kalt *The Dungeon*». Dessuten må han på hver etasje overleve ved å drepe alle slags udyr og stige i nivå, akkurat som i et videospill, med magi, evner og et inventar fullt av alle slags dingser… kort sagt, et fullstendig kaos.
«Kona mi og de fire barna mine har ikke lest bøkene mine. Moren min prøvde seg på en og sa: ‘Hva i all verden er det som feiler deg?’»
Selv om det virker som kaos for alle andre, er det ikke det for Matt, som fører nøye oversikt over hver minste detalj for ikke å svekke sammenhengen i universet sitt på den minste måte – et system som kan bidra til å åpne opp nye fortellingsveier eller få ham ut av vanskelige situasjoner. Han har over 240 Excel-regneark for å organisere alt han skriver, alt fra monstre til inventarlister, karakterer og NPC-er. «Noen tror at jeg ikke forbereder meg i det hele tatt når jeg skriver, og at alt er kaos, og de har rett. Men jeg fortsetter å ta notater om hver eneste detalj jeg kan, slik at jeg kan holde oversikt over alt. Jeg bare legger inn alt jeg synes er interessant. Og det er kaos.» Det er et system som bare han selv forstår, selv om han innrømmer at han ikke lenger har råd til å oppbevare all den kunnskapen utelukkende på datamaskinen sin. «Det finnes en database, så til slutt måtte jeg ansette noen til å sortere det hele, både for bordrollespillet og for den fremtidige TV-serien.» Det er synd at det ikke er så mye å si om det siste ennå, for da vi spurte ham om serien som Peacock og Seth McFarlane utvikler basert på «Dungeon Crawler Carl», sa han at arbeidet bare er i startfasen, og at alt er under strengeste hemmelighold.
«Det jeg liker best, er å sette meg ned for å skrive, og bare fortsette, og fortsette… Jeg stenger meg inne og fortsetter å skrive, og når det ser ut til at det ikke finnes noen utvei, ser jeg på Excel-regnearket og leter etter en løsning. Det er derfor Matts smarte flukter blir mer og mer vanvittige. ‘Det er den eneste måten’, og det er det som gir meg størst tilfredsstillelse som forfatter.»
Hans komplekse, trinnvise skriveprosess gjør det etter hvert vanskeligere å opprettholde spenningen rundt karakterene og øker utfordringen.
«Den femte boka var nok den vanskeligste, men etter å ha skrevet den gikk den sjette enda lenger, og så den syvende og den åttende, som nettopp er utgitt. Og nå skriver jeg den niende, som blir den siste, selv om den kanskje blir utgitt i to deler, noe som irriterer meg litt, fordi jeg ikke vet hvor jeg skal kutte den av, og dette er den vanskeligste boka jeg noensinne har skrevet.»
Hvor langt ville Matt Dinniman komme i Dungeon? «Han ville sannsynligvis dø så snart han gikk ned trappen fra første etasje, fortært av rotter. Hvis han klarte å komme seg forbi det, ville han sannsynligvis få øye på et dyr i neste etasje, rope til det for å klappe det eller noe sånt, gå bort og – pang – bli fortært. Akkurat som 99 prosent av folk, som dør i første etasje. Når jeg forteller leserne dette, blir de noen ganger sinte, men det er sannheten.»
Snart kan du se vårt eksklusive videointervju med Matt Dinniman, der vi snakker om «Dungeon Crawler Carl»... og mye mer.
Suksessen til S26 fortsetter: Samsung øker produksjonen med hele 50 %
Du har kanskje hørt at Samsungs Galaxy S26-smarttelefon har vært en fenomenal suksess, og faktum er at den bare fortsetter å selge. Det sørkoreanske nettstedet ETNews melder nå at suksessen ikke viser tegn til å avta, noe som får Samsung til å øke produksjonen med hele 50 %.
Bak denne suksessen ligger blant annet vellykkede kampanjer på hjemmemarkedet med attraktive rabatter, men også bekymringer for at Galaxy S27 vil bli betydelig dyrere på grunn av minnemangel. Videre kan man ikke benekte at det er en svært imponerende smarttelefon.