PCAccelerator

**marktrade** · October 31, 2015

I was able to win issues 3, 12, 14, and 17, as well as issue 16 so I'll be able to fix that scanning error I mentioned in the first page of this thread. That means the only issue left to account for is issue 2.

**marktrade** · November 11, 2015

Can anyone explain this cover variant? On the left is a photo of the cover of PC Accelerator issue 06 with the standard name and title that I grabbed from the recent eBay auctions, nothing unusual. But on the right is the copy I scanned, something I bought in a group auction earlier this year.

I originally had no idea it was PC Accelerator. I thought it was some magazine called "PC Action" that I had never heard before, but as you can see it's identical to PC Accelerator in every respect except for the title. It even has the same barcode and UPC. The words "PC ACCELERATOR SPECIAL ISSUE" do appear in small text underneath the barcode on the right image where it does not in the left image, but I can't find anything in the issue that describes why it's special. The editor's column said they changed to a higher quality paper stock (it is nice). The "on the cover section" has the standard appearance, as you can see.

So any ideas? Maybe it was sold at a convention or something? I suppose I could ask the guy who sold it to me.

**Leathco** · November 11, 2015

I was a subscriber at the time, and remember the PC Accelerator cover, not the PC Action one. Not sure if it is a variant or perhaps alternate region?

**marktrade** · November 11, 2015

I was a subscriber at the time, and remember the PC Accelerator cover, not the PC Action one. Not sure if it is a variant or perhaps alternate region?

I thought about the region, but then why would it have the same UPC and prices only for US and Canada?

**RetroDefense** · November 11, 2015

Maybe market testing? Odd the UPC are identical though.

**Areala** · November 11, 2015

Very strange. "PC Action" is a German computer magazine, not a North American one, but maybe they were trying to do some kind of crossover licensing work and it fell through?

They both ran covers with the same model, although the German PC Action with Rynn on the cover was from July 1999, and her expression is slightly different (more of a smile).

Also, I'll just leave this here...

*huggles*
Areala

**Leathco** · November 11, 2015

I thought about the region, but then why would it have the same UPC and prices only for US and Canada?

Not sure, unless Canada had it under the other name for a month or two due to copyright worries. I don't know, just a theory.

**marktrade** · November 15, 2015

Issues 3-22 are all up, covers added, and links added to the database!

Be on the lookout for issue 2. It looks like this:

**chiavelli** · February 19, 2016

I have this issue, although it looks like the lower inch or two of the spine is a little frayed.

Thanks so much for all the PCXL scans!

Issues 3-22 are all up, covers added, and links added to the database!

Be on the lookout for issue 2. It looks like this:

**ScOULaris** · February 23, 2016

Thanks to everyone in this thread for putting in the work to preserve what was in my opinion the best PC-centric gaming magazine to ever grace US store shelves. Sure, it took a crude Maxim-esque approach that oftentimes came off as a little "tryhard," but they put together some really funny and interesting feature articles and had a style all their own. The day that the final issue with the black cover showed up at my local bookstore was a sad one indeed.

At least they had enough lead time before the end to make a proper final issue.

**Areala** · February 23, 2016

At least they had enough lead time before the end to make a proper final issue.

Agreed. At least these guys knew they were going out, and were allowed to do so gracefully.

Well, as gracefully as those guys knew how to be. We ARE talking about PC Accelerator here...

*huggles*

Areala

**marktrade** · March 8, 2016

Okay, everyone. It looks like we're finally going to complete the collection here! Chiavelli has generously offered to send me issue #2 and the 2007 reboot issue, while VGBounceHouse has made plans to scan issue #1 after he gets all settled in and finishes his current EGM scan.

**marktrade** · March 18, 2016

Issue #2 has been scanned and uploaded.

Now, so has the special issue!

index.php?app=gallery&module=images§

https://archive.org/details/PCXLSPFall2007

Since there's no place for it here on Retromags, it'll stay on archive.org for now.

**kitsunebi** · March 19, 2016

It's so nice when magazines have actual content from cover to cover, and not just a hundred pages of "previews" of upcoming games that are essentially rewordings of press release material provided by the game publishers...even if the content might be a little shallow and they were perhaps trying a little too hard to look like Stuff or one of those other Maxim-like magazines of the time. This issue strikes me as the sort of thing that would make excellent bathroom-reading material - lots of relatively short articles on a wide variety of topics.

I'm guessing this new direction never caught on because it wasn't enough about games to satisfy gamers and wasn't enough about half-naked girls to satisfy the Stuff/Maxim crowd.

**marktrade** · March 19, 2016

I don't think they ever had any intention of resurrecting PCXL or going in a new direction. The PC Gamer guys were just putting ideas together for a special issue and they thought, "hey this sounds like PCXL." So they got some of the old PCXL staff together and just did this one-off issue.

**chiavelli** · March 19, 2016

Thanks again for all of the hard work scanning!

Also, if anyone out there still has interest in the physical version of this magazine (I don't!) I have put my mega-collection up for sale:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/172139590466

I probably should have done this before the scanning community completed the collection!

**marktrade** · March 19, 2016

Thanks again for all of the hard work scanning!

Also, if anyone out there still has interest in the physical version of this magazine (I don't!) I have put my mega-collection up for sale:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172139590466

I probably should have done this before the scanning community completed the collection!

That was you?! I saw your first auction but passed because the shipping price was so high. Those look like they could fit in a $14 medium flat rate box. Then I passed on the second auction because I felt I probably wouldn't win it.

Well, don't let it go for cheap without letting me know. I'll give you a counter offer. There are still some lingering questions I have that those other issues might help me answer, like the cover variant on that one titled "PC Action" that I have, or text variants in issues that came with a disc or didn't. And of course I'd be able to get a better scan out of the second issue, which had so many pages torn at the spine, and scan the first issue without waiting for VGBounceHouse.

I'll send you an offer. You should have told me earlier!

**chiavelli** · March 19, 2016

Those look like they could fit in a $14 medium flat rate box.

Yeah... I've really been struggling trying to figure out a way to economically ship these things.

What service offers the $14 flat rate box? I'll look into it and get back to you.

**Areala** · March 20, 2016

Yeah... I've really been struggling trying to figure out a way to economically ship these things.

What service offers the $14 flat rate box? I'll look into it and get back to you.

The Medium Flate Rate Box offered by the US Postal Service's Priority Mail is $14 to ship anywhere in the US as long as it weighs under 50 pounds (and I think it's even cheaper than that if you buy the postage online...maybe $12?). For a big stack of magazines, it's a fairly economical way to move them.

You can also go with media mail rate, which will often save a ton of money off standard shipping rates, but it will take longer to get there.

*huggles*

Areala

**chiavelli** · March 20, 2016

I was looking into media mail and read that magazines do not qualify due to the advertisements. I'm sure that they don't enforce that very strictly but I didn't want to take the chance.

I will head to the USPS office on Monday and verify that they fit in the flat rate box. If so I'll go ahead and accept the offer that was made on ebay!

**kitsunebi** · March 20, 2016

You can also go with media mail rate, which will often save a ton of money off standard shipping rates, but it will take longer to get there.

Media mail is technically not allowed for magazines due to their advertising content. Although comic books are exempt for some reason, despite having more or less the exact same type of ads as game mags. So if they ask you what you're shipping via media mail...just tell them "comics" lol.

**marktrade** · March 20, 2016

Yeah... I've really been struggling trying to figure out a way to economically ship these things.

What service offers the $14 flat rate box? I'll look into it and get back to you.

You can pick up the boxes and labels for free at the Post Office. You can also order them online and have them and other items delivered for free to your door by the postal carrier. Make sure you get the 11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" medium flat rate box, which fits most US magazines almost perfectly. There's another medium flat rate box that is shaped differently. You can also just measure how high that stack of magazines is. If it's more than 5-1/2" than you'll need a bigger box if you want to ship all of them.