TWO GREAT MAGAZINES FOR COLLECTORS AND USERS OF RETRO COMPUTERS …
Eight Bit Magazine celebrate early eight-bit microcomputers from the 1970s to the early ’90s while Retro Format covers both consoles and computers from 8-bits to 32-bit systems. With other retro publications covering only the gaming aspect of such computers we want to cover all aspects of owning and using such computers.
You will get a professionally printed magazine full of great articles written by people with a wealth of knowledge and passion for those computers. Expect programming, technical and gaming articles for the Atari 8-bit range, Apple II, Commodore, Amstrad CPC, Sinclair Spectrum and more! What will be covered? Everything 8-bit from games to programming to hardware projects to enhance your enjoyment of those 8-bit wonders. The goal of the magazine is to create the excitement of computer magazines of the ’80s and early 90s, both gaming and otherwise. A part of the excitement is holding a proper magazine in your hand unlike reading online where something is lost. We have a number of people involved in this Kickstarter project and the plan is to get more onboard for future issues. We want to create a community of 8-bit enthusiasts writing for the magazine coming up with articles we haven’t even thought of yet.
Retro Format Issue Zero is the prelaunch issue for you to get a feel for the magazine before the launching of Issue 1 Kickstarter near the end of the year. The magazine is larger in size than Eight Bit magazine, almost A4 size, and covers a wider range of hardware, from the electro-mechanical arcades of the 1960s to the Sega Dreamcast, PS2 and original XBOX of the early 2000s. We will also cover PCs, from MS-DOS to early Microsoft Windows computers, which sadly doesn’t get much mention in current retro mags.
As well as computers and consoles, the mag will also cover cult / classic cinema and TV. We may also include other retro stuff, depending on how the magazine evolves.
We already have many writers on-board, all of which are active and knowledgeable in their chosen retro computers and/or consoles. What will be covered in Retro Format Issue Zero?
NOTE: If you already backed our ‘Secret Project’ on our website, eightbitmagazine.com then you have already backed this project and will receive your copy of Retro Format Zero at the end of the Kickstarter.
You can view a free sample issue at https://issuu.com/eightbitmagazine/docs/sample_20issue_201
You can see my previous Kickstarter projects here, including 8-bit Annual 2018 which I was a part of:
https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/8bitmagazine/created
I previously worked on a fanzine called CPC Oxygen covering the 8-bit computers from Amstrad. You can view old issues of CPC Oxygen here: http://eightbitmagazine.com/cpcoxygen/index.html You can download the CPC Oxygen Yearbook 2004 for free from here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/cpc-oxygen-team/the-cpc-oxygen-yearbook-amstrad-cpc/ebook/product-17484274.html
I was involved in getting the rights from Future Publishing to scan and put online issues of Amstrad Action. With the help of a number of people in the Amstrad community, all 117 issues were online in a matter of weeks.
I also wrote a number of retro articles for Micro Mart magazine in the early 2000s.
There’s no risk involved, especially if you liked previous issues. When the project reaches its funding goal it will be professionally printed and posted to each and every person who funded the project.
The magazine is in full colour containing articles about eight-bit computers, written by enthusiasts of eight-bit computers. Issue 1 to 7 was successfully funded and received positive feedback, and we will continue the same high quality in future issues.
Issue Zero of Retro Format is an A4 sized magazine covering not just 8-bit computers but consoles and computers up to the early 21st century. It will also cover classic movies and tv shows as well as other retro stuff of interest.