From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia bit-tech
bit-tech
bit-tech.net Smalley announced that he would be taking over as Edi-
URL bit-tech.net tor with immediate effect. After Tim had successfully in-
tegrated the site into the Dennis Publishing technology
Commercial? Yes
portfolio, he stood down as Editor in April 2010[7] after
Type of site online magazine launching a new consumer technology website at Dennis,
Expert Reviews, at the start of the year. Alex Watson took
Registration No
over as bit-tech’s Editor with immediate effect and was
Owner Dennis Publishing replaced by James Gorbold in December 2010.
Created by bit-tech staff
Current status online Hardware Reviews
bit-tech is known for reviewing computer components in
bit-tech.net (often abbreviated to bit-tech, bit or BT) is a less than traditional manner, where it chooses to fo-
an online magazine for computer hardware enthusiasts, cus on real-world benefits in real applications instead of
gamers and case modders, based in the UK. It was found- small (or theoretical) advances in performance. In some
ed in 2000, became a fully professional online publication cases, this resulted in apples-to-oranges comparisons -
in 2005,[1][2] and announced its acquisition by Dennis something that has split the enthusiast’s community on
Publishing in October 2008.[3] Dennis Publishing then many occasions.[8][9][10][11]
partnered the site with existing monthly publication bit-tech continues to expand its hardware content in
Custom PC magazine, making bit-tech the online version 2009, whilst remaining committed to its enthusiast style
of the magazine. The two editorial teams have been total- in conjunction with its sister title Custom PC magazine.
ly integrated.
The website caters specifically for the computer
hardware enthusiast market, providing reviews and arti- Modding Content
cles on higher end hardware and games. Bit-tech is also bit-tech first became widely known for its community of
prominent in the custom case modding scene, providing PC case modders who would re-shape and decorate PC
a focus point for professional and amateur case modders. hardware into a variety of more creative forms. Although
Much of the site’s content and writing style revolve the site has since expanded to include hardware and
around this particular reader-base, and its regular read- games reviews it still runs regular modding coverage in-
ers have been responsible for some of the most well cluding a Mod of the Month competition and regular pro-
known case mods, such as Orac3 and the Blackmesa HL2 ject logs.
mod. bit-tech has been host to some of the most popular
and striking mods on the Internet, including the Black-
History Mesa Mod[12] (currently on show at Valve), Anemone
Mod,[13] Macro Black[14] and Lian-Li GOO Mod.[15]
Originally bit-tech.net was designed to be a small site
where people who were interested in case modding could
see new ideas from the team and discuss them in the fo- Games Reviews
rums, due to the relatively small presence of modding at bit-tech uses an arguably more in-depth review model
the time. than many other review sites and has a strong focus on
It has since diversified and, along with the trend-set- PC titles, though console and handheld reviews are in-
ting case mods, bit-tech now also features detailed re- creasingly common. Video game reviews do not just pro-
views of computer hardware and video games, industry vide a commentary of gameplay but also include graphi-
news and editorials. There is now increased coverage of cal analysis and a breakdown of how the game will look
console games, though PC games are still the major focus. on different hardware. This review model means that
Wil Harris was Editor-in-Chief of bit-tech for almost video game reviews are typically much longer than re-
six years and in February 2007, he announced that he views from other sites, though console reviews are a
was stepping down[4][5] the end of March 2007 to move more traditional length.
onto a fresh challenge. At the time, Wil’s successor was bit-tech employs a percentage scoring system with
not announced and it was not until April 2007[6] that Tim ’Approved’ and ’Premium’ awards. Unlike many review
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia bit-tech
sites, bit-tech uses the full range of this scale and scores
poor games harshly, with 50% used to represent average
External links
games. While the writing style of the site often leans • bit-tech.net
towards New Games Journalism, this has mostly been
downplayed since the site was bought by Dennis Pub-
lishing and the current writing style is similar to that of
References
partnered magazine, Custom PC Magazine as the site and [1] Harris, Wil. bit-tech takes a giant leap, bit-tech.net,
magazine are written by the same editorial team. 3rd June 2005
Recently the site has moved to embrace the indie [2] Emeran, Riyad TrustedReviews and bit-tech Get It
games community and has run several features exploring Together, TrustedReviews, 1st June 2005
and supporting this side of the PC industry. Several [3] Tim Smalley [1], bit-tech.net, 20th October 2008
prominent independent developers, including Introver- [4] Harris, Wil. Changing times at bit-tech, bit-
sion Software and writers from Free Radical Design have tech.net, 9th February 2007
written columns for the site which explore a number of [5] Bit-tech supremo steps down, shocka, The Inquirer,
issues in and around the games industry. 8th February 2007
As of 2011 bit-tech’s games section has been rebrand- [6] Smalley, Tim. Bit-tech: The Next Generation, bit-
ed as bit-gamer and has begun to be spun off into a sepa- tech.net, 6th April 2007
rate games website. [7] And It’s Goodbye From Me, Tim Smalley, bit-
tech.net 8th April 2010
[8] Bennett, Kyle. Benchmarking Future, HardOCP,
Staff June 2003
• Publisher - Paul Rayner [9] Apples vs. Oranges, Beyond3D Forums, October
• Group Editor - James Gorbold 2004.
• Deputy Editor - Clive Webster [10] Harris, Wil. An open letter to the graphics
• Games Editor - Joe Martin ecosystem, bit-tech.net, October 2005
• Senior Staff Writer - Anthony Leather [11] Chester, Edward. The Trials of Testing,
• Staff Writer - Harry Butler TrustedReviews, March 2007
• Staff Writer - Paul Goodhead [12] BlackMesa Mod
[13] Anemone Mod
[14] Macro Black
[15] GOO
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