PlayStation The Official Magazine Closing

GameInformer- Future US confirmed today it will end production of PlayStation: The Official Magazine with the last issue slated for the Holiday 2012 issue.

[thorstein]

WTF! First Nintendo Power and Now PTOM. I actually like print, so I can read it while I pinch a loaf.

[JoGam]

Digital baby. That's why so many people cellphones have so many germs on them.

[thorstein]

Of course I have a cell and a nice comp setup, but I don't need to be plugged in all the time. Besides reading a print article can be much better as the latest Game Informer spent tons of space on in depth coverage of games something that isn't always translated to digital.

Oh, and I have good personal hygiene so I don't use my phone or tablet whilst I squeeze one out.

[ikkokucrisis]

That's fine, this mag had a really crappy editor anyways (in the closet Xbox fanboy).

I blame this mag's downfall all on him.

[SilentNegotiator]

I don't mind digital if I don't have to be signed in to read it. However, that's usually the case.

[knowyourstuff]

Print is dying, Newsweek is dead, print is going out the window never to return. Trees will thank the internet profusely in a few decades when print is gone and we can finally not feel guilty about not planting any trees ourselves.

[SilentNegotiator]

@knowyourstuff

Meanwhile, burning fuels will destroy our atmosphere and nuclear waste will pile high with no where to safely store it in a world of rapid population growth.

[knowyourstuff]

lol @ the turd in the punchbowl, replying to a comment I never made ^

That's right, I clearly said digital media will completely restore all of our environmental issues. Maybe he should've lived up to his username and just remained silent lmao.

[optimus]

@knowyourstuff...evidently sarcasm is unfamiliar ground to you.

[Old McGroin]

@ SilentNegotiator

That is a highly unsettling statement. True of course, and that's what makes it so unsettling.

On topic, always sad to see another mag turn it's final page, I've always preferred magazines to digital. Reading off a screen for an hour or so tends to burn my retinas!

[SilentNegotiator]

@knowyourstuff

The point is that the trees won't have anyone to thank because we'll be too busy creating more electricity to fuel those electronics. Some environmentalists don't realize that their electric cars don't run on magic.

Anyway, just saying. Sorry if I came off too accusative. But I think we'll need to plant more trees regardless.

[knowyourstuff]

@ Optimus
Evidently intelligence is unfamiliar ground to you, as he clearly stated in his third point it wasn't sarcasm.

@ Should've-stayed-silent
Destroying trees is going to have a way worse affect on our atmosphere than me talking on my cell phone or using my laptop to read rather than print media. The future I was projecting was one without any print whatsoever, completely digital, thus no more trees to destroy.

[HappyGaming]

@SilentNegotiator you have no argument I am sure online distribution is a lot more environmentally friendly then cutting down trees transporting them and chopping them and grinding them and printing on them then polishing them and posting them to every single newsagent around the country and then collecting them from bins in trucks that start and stop every 5 meters and then burying or recycling them all of which is done with petrol and electricity from non renewable resources. Not to mention all the people that have to breath in and out during the labour hours which creates carbon dioxide!

Uploading a magazine and sending a few hundred gigabytes over the net and then running some processors to play them back is a lot more efficient.

Edit: And on top I see you are complaining about having to log in to view the material, I am sure it is easier then going to a store to buy it :P Excluding the fact you only have to type it once and let your browser remember it.

[optimus]

@knowyourstuff... Evidently math is unfamiliar ground to you as well. look at the time stamp, Einstein... (and he dares to go by "knowyourstuff", oh the irony.)

[SilentNegotiator]

@knowyourstuff

I really don't know why you take such offense. I even apologized on the off-chance that my first comment was too accusative. But pollution creates bad conditions for plant life. Trees are renewable. They may grow slowly, but with proper planning and rotation, we could save a lot of pollution by going the paper route for certain types of reads (books, magazines, etc; but probably not with daily news) than by relying on using electronics for all of our reading. Now, instead of mocking a username that is ALREADY purposely ironic, why don't you have a reasonable discussion?

"And on top I see you are complaining about having to log in to view the material, I am sure it is easier then going to a store to buy it :P Excluding the fact you only have to type it once and let your browser remember it"
-
No, the difficult part is when you're not somewhere with wifi and you can't read it at ALL.

[chukamachine]

pinch it while reading it on a mobile etc:)

[Nimblest-Assassin]

"Wow, first Nintendo Power shuts down, now this? One more idea that Sony stole from Nintendo I guess, lol. Where will people get their super biased information about consoles and their games now?"

Even though future owns both PTOM and nintendo power... my guess is xbox magazine will be discontinued soon as well

Meaning GI will be running a monopoly on magazines...

[LOGICWINS]

Good riddance. I gt more up to date gaming info surfing N4G for two minutes than reading PTOM.

[FunAndGun]

I agree, If they wanted to stay relevant they should have had more exclusive news, information, and screenshots.

The issue that featured GoW: Ascension had no new information or screenshots that we haven't seen online already.

whats the point.

[DeadlyFire]

Internet has become the bleeding edge.

There is no way a magazine can come close to that anymore.

[ShinMaster]

N4G never provided me with cool posters.

[Phoenix_GenmaKen]

who needs magazine when u have the internet ?
truth hurts but thats the reason

more will close,this is just the start.
everything will be digital

books will disapear too...its a matter of time.

[UnwanteDreamz]

I hope I never see the day.

Only an idiot would see books disappearing as good. Hey Nostradumass guess what else wont be around forever? Internet, affordable food, affordable power. Peak Oil and overpopulation will have their day.

[dredgewalker]

Books will not disappear because unlike most magazines they store more relevant information that provides easier access and does not need power in order to be read. Books can last hundreds of years while I don't know if electronic data will be able to survive that long considering the lifespan of most devices like hard drives :) Please educate yourself better before spewing off more nonsense.

[dasbeer88]

SAVE THE TREES!!!

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Pinch a loaf. What exactly does that mean?

[thorstein]

Lulz.... when you are sitting on the toilet and need to "drop the kids at the pool."

[GamerElite]

As it says...Pinch a loaf WHILE YOU READ. In the bathroom taking care of business

[taquito]

taking the browns to the super bowl

[Psycho_Mantis]

Dropping your load in the ocean.

[PS-ADDICT]

Expelling Your Excremental Feces. Taking a Sh!T ,Doing Your Duty, Smearing Skid Marks, Chocolate Mud Babies, Dirty Sanchez, RockyRoad Highway, Dump, PooPing, Violent Extreme Diarriah, SplatterHouse, Anal Leakage ,Paying the Hooker, Feeding The Fishes, Rolling Stones

[LostDjinn]

Maybe he's English and into stealing bread?
Who knows?

[Sarcasm]

It's when you think a piece of bread is cute and you pinch it. Dur.

[Nodoze]

It's the test you perform at the supermarket to ascertain the freshness of said bread.

By pinching the whole loaf you are easily able to determine the moisture content. This in turn provides information on the applicable 'freshness factor' of said food product.

Indeed~!

[Dms2012]

lol way to class up the place.

[Gamer1982]

Its because of the price. People used to buy this magazine at there extortionate price because it had the latest ps1 and ps2 demos on the front over. Nowadays there is a dvd disc YES DVD! with videos of the latest games. No playable demos any more and nothing worthwhile putting on the disc really that you cannot find on youtube. Yet they still charged the same price for the magazine. Of course people stopped buying it.

[GTRrocker666]

Oddly enough, I am pinching a loaf right now... I love my Kindle Fire

True story

[ArabianKnight01]

Ditto...

[PS-ADDICT]

Tried to Pinch a Loaf at Von's when no one was looking to see if it was soft, oh it was... also squeezed the melons, and scratched the eggs, kicked the "fruit" it was a glorious day, it twaz

[Nodoze]

WAY TMI

[Monstar]

yeah we'll just cut MORE trees for your personal amusement.

Gaming Magazines are pointless in this day and age.

[ravinash]

I like getting them when I'm heading off on a plane or train trip when I might not be able to connect to the internet.
But other than that, I hardly ever buy mags anymore.

[badz149]

I quite enjoy the mag tbh and the posters are always a welcome addition! I have lots of game posters from the mag and here is where it excels imo.

but in this day and age where internet reign supreme, it's just a matter of time before everybody goes digital. I still think they should go with e-book style magazine and I think many will dig that! the same magazine, but digital, please!

[Knight_Crawler]

WTF pinch a loaf? You must Irish.

[jony_dols]

A Patriots fan, eh? Maybe say that to Tom Brady's face and see where that gets you!

[Old McGroin]

I'm Irish and I didn't know what pinching a loaf was. Jerk.

[showtimefolks]

i guess this means gameinformer is next?

i like magazines but i guess everything is going digital now

[Theangrybogan]

I pinched a loaf while reading your comment

[GuyThatPlaysGames]

The magazine sucked anyway.

[Double_O_Revan]

Thats where I keep my stack of mags. With 3 kids, the only private time I get is when I'm in there. I hang out for like 20 mins no matter what.

[cannon8800]

I also enjoy reading my magazines while I drop the kids off at the pool.

[Liefx]

As someone who loves digital, I can respect the preference of print. Separate yourself from the digi world.

[Run_bare]

tee hee, that make me smile, i do the same thing but these days i just use my samsung s3 while doing number 2.

[Megaton]

You shouldn't read while you crap. That's how you get hemorrhoids and anal fissures. Get in and get out.

[Totoro17]

Awww reminds me of when was a kid and came home from school to find my issue of EGM in the mail. I'd be so excited that I'd have to poop...which is what I did whilst reading my fantastic, brand new EGM. Kids of the future will never know that feeling and it makes me sad.

[stumpa]

solution is just read political manifesto's whilst having a poo then when youre done you can wipe your arse with them i'd call that a win, win solution save a fortune on bog roll

[Tapewurm]

It ended for these official mags when they stopped including the disc for me. I always enjoyed getting the demos, videos, and occasional DLC thrown in and was really looking forward to them doing it on bluray with the new Playstation Mag.....subscribed for the first year...no disc no renewal. And I do like having the print to read occasionally...still get the Game Informer Rag, but it never originally came with a disc...so there lol

[Trunkz]

News online is free, it's only going to get worse.

[cee773]

Thanks n4g it's partially your fault lol

[TheTwelve]

LOLOLOL Thorstein you're killing me.

Anyway, another casualty caused by the internet.

On the plus side, more trees kept alive now.

12

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Print is dying...this will not be the last magazine to go belly up. I suspect all major gaming mags will shift 100% online and ditch the printed page in the coming 2yrs or sooner.

[iamnsuperman]

I am surprised this hasn't happened sooner. It is inevitable really

[ALLWRONG]

"Print is dying" not yet for OXM and Game Informer

[Swiggins]

Considering how much Game Informer pushes it's online alternative, I'd bet money it'll be all digital by this time next year.

[SkyGamer]

Game Informer is going digital. Ask any Gamestop employee. I believe this will be the last year for print Game Informer.

[ALLWRONG]

You guys miss the "not yet" part?

[jd666]

£5.99 for stuff u can read online for free and old game demos! I stopped buying it yrs ago!

[just_looken]

its not free you half to pay for internet yes you can hijack and get free internet but they will find your ass eventually. Still though if we go 100% digital they can charge us online above our internet bills.

[Blastoise]

It was a rip-off. Like all gaming magazines these days.

But its still kinda sad in a way...

[dkgshiz]

Not surprised. Nobody reads these anymore with the internet. Plus all they had were ads with maybe 20+ pages of horribly written articles. No thanks.

[Welshy]

Huh? printed gaming journalism, always was and as long as it remains, be higher quality than internet sources (for the most part anyway).

Who would you believe? a company who invest money into researching sources and professional editing staff to keep written standards high, or some nerd who bought the www.GamesAreTehAwesumz.org URL and blows a BS hit baiting article to achieve views on his nonesense site?

As long as written journalism in games exist i will purchase it.

I listen to the podcasts these guys do too and they are all really nice guys that are easily to listen to and actually have an ounce of journalistic integrity. Despite knowing the utter BS attention grabbing headlines gets more money, they stuck by their guns and print fact over fiction, and they should be damn well praised for it.

[SaiyanFury]

I agree that while print magasines typically have better journalism, PTOM has been going downhill quality-wise for a long time. I was a longtime PSM subscriber before they changed over to PTOM and the quality didn't go downhill initially, but over time it has. In one of my last issues I had received before my subscription had run it's course (I let it expire), Greg Orlando says that Yakuza 4's complex plot actually HURTS the game. Since when does a great story HURT a game?? And that's not the only example I could cite, but since the PSM staff were gradually phased out and replaced with new staff, it's just gone downhill. I loved receiving print material (for use in the washroom, too) monthly and always wondered what was in the new issue. I just don't follow it anymore. I too, am a hygienic person and don't use my phone in the bathroom. I just get my information online these days like most other people.

[aNDROiD17_]

thank god save the trees!

[sdozzo]

Trees blow.

[xursz]

Blow trees.

;)

[FunAndGun]

without trees we all die!

Trees are magical!!

[DivineAssault]

Make it digital & put it as an app for vita

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

That would be really cool.

[silkrevolver]

RIP Print media

[ShaunCameron]

What? PS:TOM too? :(

[TooTall19]

This magazine used to be awesome during the ps2 days. I would play those demo disks all the time. It's what got me into the Dark Cloud games.

[josephayal]

Game Consoles Will Die, all of them

[sdozzo]

Online is faster. You get info well before print.

[nevin1]

@TooTall

I was a fan of this magazine during the PS1-PS2 era aswell. Its where I discovered Tony Hawk and many other games.

I think DivineAssault is on to somthing. I can see an App for gaming magazines on mobile devices.

[TheUndertaker85]

Hopefully the Vita & PS3 too. Gaming news has been kinda blank outside of trailers thanks to the loss of Qore and Pulse also.

[saf100792]

Sooo they're closing the whole operation? or just the print? Cause i have a damn subscription to the digital one which renewed like a month ago lol

[Qrphe]

All for the better. Only reason why we want to keep print around is for nostalgia. I'm buying a color e-ink portable reader as soon as they become affordable!

[bryam1982]

Fuk this i just subscribe like 2 months ago for 2 years so now what?

[Nutsack]

OPM in Europe gives good deals once in a while though.

Their most recent one was year subscription OPM + free PS All Stars game (both PS3 on disc and PSVita download) for 54 Euro.

Game in shops will cost 60 to 65 Euro. That still gets them subscribers I guess.

[e-p-ayeaH]

Magazines based on a single brand/platform of consoles are bound to disappear because of the lack of actual interesting content.

I do appreciate when magazines focus more on Indie titles and obscure games. Exploring certain games in interesting ways with articles and such because not everything in a magazine as to be informative but also entertaining but that really depends on which one we are talking about.

[ExCest]

rip in piece

[Ares84HU]

You do know that "rip" means rest in piece so what you said is "rest in piece in piece".

[ExCest]

*sigh* smh *sigh*

That's the joke. Not to mention the intentional misspelling of "peace."

[StreetsofRage]

I still have a stack of sega visions in my garage.

[Ares84HU]

I was just about to cancel. Guess that saves me the trouble. All the news are here online much, much faster. No need for printed magazines like that anymore.

[Orionsangel]

Let's face it. Paper Magazines you hold in your hands are dying. They've become irrelevant. We live in an age where we get instant news, pictures,videos, every second of the day. Where do Paper Magazines fit in?

[miDnIghtEr20C_SfF]

That's a shame.

[TheLastGuardian]

Damn, this sucks. I was a subscriber for the first few years, now I really wish I would've stayed subscribed. I could have owned every issue for another 30 or 40 bucks. I used to love this magazine. I haven't seen them on store shelves in forever though. I wish they would keep PTOM alive at least digitally. I'd like to get it on my PS Vita.

[jmac53]

Mark my words, OXM is next. Future is charging $8.99 for a digital issue which is a crime.

[Moerdigan]

I felt the editors fail to elevate the excitement for reading all things related to Playstation. I don't Subscribe to Nintendo Power but they did a better job in that aspect.

I find PTOM pretty dry. something is wrong when it's the DVD blu ray reviews that were one of the few things I eagerly wanted to read most each issue.

[PS3isKing]

It figures that the only console exclusive magazine is the Xbox's.

[kingPoS]

There's just something awesome about going to the library & seeing dozens of up to date magazines news papers lined on the wall, with hours to kill.

Thank G_d the library is a public service in the US.... at least for now.

[Silly gameAr]

Lame.

[megamanX2]

lol playstation is dead.

[Unlimax]

lol just like your username !

I <3 megaman by the way , but i don't like the way you comment !

[Relientk77]

:(

Man, PlayStation The Official Magazine was awesome

[Psycho_Mantis]

WHAT!? NO!!!!

Damn it... ive been a subscriber since the old days back when it was called: "Playstation: The unofficial playstation magazine" i think what it was called. Many of you know what im probably speaking of here. Or in this case it was just called "PSM" which would be a more familiar name back in thoes days. Ive been a subscriber since 2002. And this is sad news to me. Id rather do it the old fashioned way of getting any Playstation news. Theres just something about reading that magazine that made me feel all happy inside.... now everything is going digital.

But no matter how advance technology gets nowadays, you never know what might happen to that said information on the interwebs. It could get lost forever in the digital world. But with a magazine its different.... information that will always be with you no matter what. I still have all my issues of the old PSM and PTOM mags since 2002. Ill tell you this though... its going to be a great thing to look back on when magazines are no longer around. Sure we have always changed are ways with the times as the years go on. Saving paper to reduce video game booklets that are now paper thin as ever before. Information with a click of a button on the web whenever you need it, etc. The list goes on. And thats what we evolved to with digital information in this day and age. Which is what also makes it hard for people like me to adjust to. And which also makes me feel like im getting old.... :(
But other than that. I will surely miss PTOM...

[Gigglefist]

Understandable
The internet is killing them.

[Drainage]

next is the console

[MilkMan]

Thank God!

[kopicha]

I think they can do e-magazine publishing. Since many are moving to digital. Although many things can be found on the internet. But I do believe there are still some people that actually prefer reading all their needs from say a magazine or such. Given the popularity of tablets and smartphones. That is definitely still something viable than to publish on actual physical books. Just a thought.

[giovonni]

It's sad to see prints and paper backs floating toward this direction, but this is the signs of change, things have to evolve. Some changes are so strong, it changes the very way we live, changes corp operations, or even shuts popular business down ( anyone want to buy a Sam Goodie?) and with the push of digital media, hardware, and software improvements the next generation will see books and paper back information as primitive. Not extincted, but like the horse and carriage. Well known, but seldom used to get around.

[MadMen]

About time, this mag was weak.

[Tzuno]

What do you expect when thew people embrace new ways?

[Vip3r]

At £6 a go it's a bit expensive. Especially when you can get most of the info on the internet and more.

[optimus]

This is no surprise. However it can do what arguably was the best gaming mag of all time...Gamefan...and go online.

[TBONEJF]

What's going on here why is everyone started to close down there magazine dept for? Damn it I already miss buying the last issue of Nintendo Power I'm going to get the Last PLAYSTATION MAGAZINE and frame it for life

[KrimsonKody]

I think the problem with digital is its accessibility.
Yeah, it's cool to scroll through digital mags, but in alot of cases, you either;
Have to have an internet connection as you scroll the pages
Most don't allow you to "download" the mag into your device for offline viewing
& others just have confusing "sign up, become a member this & that" rules before you can view, which may discourage viewers who want to go digital.

Also, many people, like myself, enjoy having a physical print.
I, for one, like to collect magazine covers.

Unfortunately though, this move was inevitable. With the world "going green", reducing paper use, going digital & all.

Oh well, guess I'll start ordering & collecting back issues now, while supplies last!

[Plagasx]

So gaming mags are clearly going the way of the game manual?

It was a good run though. So much fond memories of OPM.

[Hallow]

Sucks. I like the mag, have every issue. Nothing wrong with saving trees but this is a small dent
Get rid of all those worthless tabloid mags too.

[jamstorr86]

The first place I think of when wanting to see a review if youtube, not a magazine.
I am suprised it has carried on this long, especially since many of its target audience are more comfortable being catered to through digital formats.

[Dfooster]

By the time it's printed we know what the news is anyway via the net unless its got excusivity rights like GI with GTA 5 but that will be all over the net within 5 minutes of the magazine going to print anyway.

Way of the world, get over it, move on, the journos will get jobs at ign no doubt.