Coverdisks
Magazine-mounted floppy disks
The distribution method where Amiga and Atari ST magazines included floppy disks with demos, full games, and utilities, becoming essential for game discovery in the 16-bit era.
Overview
Coverdisks were floppy disks attached to gaming magazines, primarily for the Amiga and Atari ST. Building on the cover tape model, coverdisks could hold more content and became even more central to game discovery, with later issues including multiple disks and complete commercial games.
Fast Facts
- Era: 1987-2000
- Format: 3.5” floppy disk
- Capacity: 880KB (Amiga), 720KB (ST)
- Evolution: Single disk to multiple disks
- Peak content: Full commercial games
Advantages Over Cover Tapes
| Coverdisks | Cover Tapes |
|---|---|
| More storage | Limited capacity |
| Faster loading | Slow tape access |
| Better demos | Simpler content |
| Multiple disks possible | Single tape |
Content Progression
| Era | Content |
|---|---|
| Early | Demos, utilities |
| Middle | Budget games, large demos |
| Late | Full commercial titles |
Notable Coverdisk Content
Coverdisks distributed significant titles:
| Game | Context |
|---|---|
| Lemmings | Demo, then full game |
| Cannon Fodder | Full version |
| Speedball 2 | Re-released |
| Bitmap Brothers catalogue | Various titles |
Magazine Differentiation
Magazines competed on coverdisk quality:
| Magazine | Approach |
|---|---|
| Amiga Format | Multiple disks, comprehensive |
| Amiga Power | Curated, quality-focused |
| CU Amiga | Games-focused |
Preservation Significance
Coverdisks preserved:
- Demos otherwise lost
- Unique versions of games
- Utilities and tools
- PD software
Legacy
Coverdisks proved that free sampling drives purchases. Their content archives preserve significant software that might otherwise be lost, and the distribution model anticipated digital game trials.