Asking for help! Trying to get a Beta key from digital UK PC Gamer

[LZachariah]

So, I just learned that my brother didn't get the message to buy a US PC Gamer back in February/March. So, as I continue fruitlessly to try and find a physical copy of the UK PC Gamer in a store somewhere in the US (i'm SURE i used to read issues of that magazine at Borders bookstore before they closed!) I'm trying to find out

1. How to buy a digital copy of the E-Zine.

and

2. How does this lead me to getting a beta key for my brother?

Any help would be deeply appreciated as I work to get my brother into Beta :-)


Thanks so much,

~Zachariah

[noxious]

Digital copies do not include a beta key. You must obtain a physical copy of the magazine.

[LZachariah]

Ugh. Good to know. Thank you so much, Noxious. Does anyone know of any US companies that stock it? So, far, I have "not" found it at Wal-Mart, Wegmans, Gamestop, or Barnes and Noble

~Zachariah

[Goku]

Highly doubt you are going to find them anywhere in store. Best luck is searching sites like Ebay or Amazon and potentially magazine stores. Maybe a few UK stores that ship to the US also.

[bjorntju1]

You can actually buy the UK digital edition, and send an e-mail to get your key!

Hi guys,

To re-introduce myself: I'm Chris, I'm PCG's video editor, staff writer, and - most relevant to this - the guy who looks after the giftageddon mailbox. I'm currently doing my best to stay on top of hundreds of e-mails every day. This has been our most popular giveaway by a substantial factor, and I'm doing my best to make sure everyone gets their code: but as I'm only one person it does take time.

First up, Funkosapien - thanks for bringing that reply from the US store to my attention, as it explains why some people are concerned. Digital editions of the US mag traditionally have not included giveaways, but the UK edition does. If you've contacted the US store and received this response, please disregard it.

Second - XceL. I'm sorry that you haven't heard from us - I recognise your e-mail address, and thought I'd responded. Codes were sent out to iOS users earlier in the week, if you didn't get one please e-mail me directly at [email protected].

To stress: if you've purchased the magazine, we'll do our best to get you a code: but we're dealing with issues manually and this takes time. Some people have expressed the concern to me that they're 'first come, first served', and that getting your code registered early will increase your chance of early access. As far as we are aware, this is not the case: you just need to submit it before beta begins.

Once again, the PS2 beta isn't due to start for months. As long as you get a code within the next few weeks, your chances of taking part aren't affected. And you will get a code.

This giveaway has really highlighted the things we need to change and clarify about how we present codes, particularly with regard to digital editions of the magazine. Believe me, I'm very keen that we improve this, and all your feedback is being taken on board.

Thank you for your patience. Please pass this message on to anyone you know who is concerned about this.

Cheers,

Chris

http://www.pcgamer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=204019&postcount=22

As in how to get them: http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/content/lp/pcgamer/?ns_campaign=DirectM_pcgamerads&ns_mchannel=hb&ns_source=pcgamer&ns_linkname=topright&ns_fee=0

[Littleman]

Wait... why mention missing the US PCGamer, then wonder about where to find the UK PCGamer magazine? I is confused @_@

P.S. I'm very easy to confuse.

[Pyreal]

Wait... why mention missing the US PCGamer, then wonder about where to find the UK PCGamer magazine? I is confused @_@

P.S. I'm very easy to confuse.

The boat was missed. A European charted vessel is now the only option.

[Littleman]

The boat was missed. A European charted vessel is now the only option.

Y'mean they're not taking the US keys anymore? 'Cause I got a copy I don't think I used...

[Maniox]

Hmm, i know a local shop here that sells PC gamer UK editions.
The one that's for sale now, is that the one with the beta keys?
July issue?

I live in Norway.

[Trignite]

Just do what i did and make a few twitter accounts and send messages to the twitter guys with generic memes and other stuff that gets there attention. Also insult there faction or something.

I made a twitter account for each faction and changed the wall and pic to represent that faction and used all three at the same time so i wasn't just spamming from one account.

Also if there haven't been and tweets for awhile don't bother just wait till someone gets on.

EDIT: Took me about an hour after someone got on to get a key just check your direct message inbox when you get a reply. The Public giveaways are hard unless you make sure you use tweet deck and stay logged in at the beta key entry page.

[WiteBeam]

I may have an extra key for you that my bud won't be able to use. I'll let you know.

[LZachariah]

Witebeam, that is deeply generous of you :-) For your offer, thank you so, so much.

I followed the link that was given up a few posts back, to the Zinio site, wherein you could buy digital copies of the magazine. I was TRYING to only buy the magazine-image that was shown, the July 2012 issue (with Elder Scrolls Online posted on the front). When I clicked "continue" however, after putting in my credit card info, it signed me up for a damn 13-issue subscription and instantly charged me $40! UGH. So, I was instantly sent the digital edition of issue 241, which is good; thank you for posting the email by Chris, I've Emailed him and inquired as to how the key will arrive to me. However, now I have to call Zinio's customer service tomorrow and have them refund me/cancel my subscription for all those other 12 damn issues that I don't want.


Ugh. In the end, God willing, it will all return to normal; I'll have the one issue I want, I'll get the key, and I'll get the money back for issues I have yet to receive. But.. bleh. Too weird o.O

Thanks everyone, for all your help. And thank you again for your offer, WiteBeam :-)

~Zachariah

[LZachariah]

(as a side note- is it disconcerting that Chris Thursten, helpful though he is, seems to think that beta "won't be starting for months"? is that accurate? o.O )

[Littleman]

About as accurate as anything we can come up with.

SOE's word is the word of God as far as I'm concerned, and we've been graced with the knowledge they'll deliver more of those words this week.

[Jikkan]

Hmm, i know a local shop here that sells PC gamer UK editions.
The one that's for sale now, is that the one with the beta keys?
July issue?

I live in Norway.

Yes. I just bought my Pc gamer UK magazine with a beta key a few days ago. I live in Norway too. It's Issue 241.

[Notturno]

Hi! Hopefully I can help you with your quest. I actually went through the exact same process you are seeking to use.

Let me dispel a few misconceptions I have seen, both within this thread and just in general...
PC Gamer keys are top tier priority from what we understand. They are understood to be on the same tier as PS1 veteran invites, as well as SOE Fan Faire 2011 keys. Whether that means all keys have the same chance of being invited in the first wave, or if they are all in the same pool for random invites, is unknown.
PC Gamer keys are of the same priority, regardless of being from the US or UK. They all go through SOE, region should not matter.
PC Gamer keys can be used regardless of your region. US residents may use UK magazine keys, and vice versa.
PC Gamer digital copies are entitled to the key giveaway.

Everyone is referencing this post from Chris Thursten (http://www.pcgamer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=203209#post203209) as evidence that PC Gamer digital magazines are eligible for PlanetSide 2 beta keys. As someone who ordered a digital magazine and received a key, I can confirm this to be true.

What you want to do is order this magazine (http://www.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp?prnt=cat1960014&productId=500608931&categoryId=cat1960060). Make sure you disable continuous service and only order that particular issue. It should come out to a total of $4.99 for the single copy. When your order is confirmed, you should receive a receipt from this particular merchant. What you want to do is send an e-mail to pcgamer.giftageddon (at) futurenet (dot) com. In the e-mail, explain that you would like to opt-in to their PlanetSide 2 beta key giveaway, and include a copy of your receipt. Once that e-mail is sent, it will likely take a few days for your request to be processed. They should still have plenty of keys available, and send you a key when they respond.

Hopefully this helps!

[Source (http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/uyr1b/confirmation_from_pc_gamer_that_you_get_a_key/)]

[Maniox]

Yeah, i got my key 1 AM yesterday, thank you Tolmek :D