Nvidia Stops Promotional Game Resales by Tying Codes to Hardware

Still not sure how the interaction between GFE and Steam works.
 
Shintai said:
What do you think Nvidia pays the publisher per game?
What about those that are willing to pay 60$ but just got a good deal for 30$?

Is that a good or bad deal for the publisher?
Click to expand...

Why should I care? That deal was up to the publisher to make. If it was bad business, why did they do it? Did it ever occur to you that it might be considered a form of marketing? Hey, lets hand out a bunch of cheap codes to hardware seller, both sides benefit in getting people to pay attention to their respective products! Gets people playing their games and spreads word of mouth.

Anyway, AMD required me to send an invoice for a Dirt racing game code a year or two ago. I never cared that much to dig up the newegg invoice and send it. That is annoying but less so than forcing installation of GFE. Neither tactic win me over. But welcome to a competitive market in a bad economy. DLC nonsense and watching sales go on within weeks has dried up much sympathy I would have for game devs or publishers or hardware makers.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I guess the way I see it is that now I am paying for a game I don't want (usually, sometimes I have kept them) They might try to tell you that the cost of the "free" game is not built into the product but that would be total bull. And now I can't sell the game to recoup the cost.

I agree with the "vote with your wallet" sentiment, but the only alternative here is AMD, and at least currently they don't have any hardware that is sufficient for me.

I guess this is yet another way we would all be better off with more competitive players in the market.

I would prefer if they just sold me the GPU's with now "free" giveaways at a lower price, and let me pick the games I wanted to buy myself.
Click to expand...
I think even just a coupon for a discount on the games would be better. Then the discount offered wouldn't have to be but like 30-50% off, so that way sales-lost is avoided for the bean counters.
 
SomeoneElse said:
Problem i see with this is what if you already own one of the games (or both) and wanted to give it to a friend to play that doesn't have such hardware required to redeem? You get a copy of a game you don't need or want really. So you kind of are screwed and that is why alot of people sell the keys because either they don't like the options or they may already have whats offered.
Click to expand...
In order to bypass their system, you'll have to bring your video card over to your friends house, install that nvidia experience crap, plug in the code, then swap out your video card.

yey for jumping through hoops to get what you paid for
 
DPI said:
No good deed ever goes unpunished. It's really not a hardthink concept to see why a publisher might not appreciate the race-to-the-bottom glut of greymarket $15-$20 steam keys created by GPU bundles and circulated on ebay, forums, and third party key sellers all trying to make a quick buck - all while the game just launched and the publisher is selling it for $60 retail.

And if publishers back away from wanting to participate with their latest-greatest AAA's, then all the people complaining here will be the first ones bitching "THE GAYMES SUCK NAO".
Click to expand...

Bullshit. The developer/publisher makes the deal to get a big check. Which they get. They might also want it to generate a user base. Which they get so long as SOMEONE redeems the code.

Nvidia theoretically wants to promote their cards and make them purchased. Someone did that or there'd be no code to sell.

So I see this being as one or both of two things is happening.

1)NVIDIA is being shitty to the consumer in order to force the install of geforce experience, which sucks and is pretty invasive at this point.
2)NVIDIA is seeking to reduce their payments to developers, and has negotiated to cut a check based on the redemption rate, and is looking to minimize the redemption rate.
 
raz-0 said:
Bullshit. The developer/publisher makes the deal to get a big check. Which they get. They might also want it to generate a user base. Which they get so long as SOMEONE redeems the code.

Nvidia theoretically wants to promote their cards and make them purchased. Someone did that or there'd be no code to sell.

So I see this being as one or both of two things is happening.

1)NVIDIA is being shitty to the consumer in order to force the install of geforce experience, which sucks and is pretty invasive at this point.
2)NVIDIA is seeking to reduce their payments to developers, and has negotiated to cut a check based on the redemption rate, and is looking to minimize the redemption rate.
Click to expand...
Both.
Isn't nvidia going to sell a pro service with a annual subscription?

I have a feeling their geforce experience will play a big part in that
 
Hypergreatthing said:
More like not having a competitive product that wasn't entry level. Am i right?
Click to expand...

Well, more like having a disappointing CPU lineup virtually since the Intel Core line was introduced. And of course the graphics division is not doing so hot either.

All we can hope is that Ryzen and Vega blow us away, but I am not holding my breath.
 
One solution is to hold off on buying that new graphics card or game for 3 months to see if it will get bundled. That way you won't end up with two copies of the same game.
 
The thing that really needs to be elaborated upon is what the game gets tied to once redeemed. Is GFE doing to act as a game launcher / DRM? Does it have to be installed to maintain access to your game? If so, does that mean that switching to an AMD card, and losing the ability to install GFE, also looses you your game? Does that also then rule out Steamworks games? Origin games?

At this point, they've answered the question of what is required to redeem your voucher. Time to talk about what happens after.
 
Viper87227 said:
The thing that really needs to be elaborated upon is what the game gets tied to once redeemed. Is GFE doing to act as a game launcher / DRM? Does it have to be installed to maintain access to your game? If so, does that mean that switching to an AMD card, and losing the ability to install GFE, also looses you your game? Does that also then rule out Steamworks games? Origin games?

At this point, they've answered the question of what is required to redeem your voucher. Time to talk about what happens after.
Click to expand...
The game is NOT tied to GFE or the card once the game is activated. Read again what exactly was posted.....everything is about ACTIVATION.
 
MavericK said:
Refusing to buy AMD is not the reason why AMD is failing.
Click to expand...

Hey look, a perfect example of the point I made!

/half serious

But seriously, anyone who works on the ground level with PC repairs/building/enthusiast community knows that the culture surrounding Nvidia vs AMD goes like this:

X game has an issue with Nvidia GPUs!

"Blame the devs!"

X game has an issue with AMD GPUs!

"Blame AMD!"

My PC has a compatability issue with this Nvidia GPU!

"Replace your mainboard, CPU, AND OS to get it working, that should do it!"

My PC has a compatibility issue with this AMD GPU!

"STUPID AMD CARD TRASH"
 
This also sucks if your like me and almost always buy 2 cards. Then you are stuck with 2 copies of the same game. Just dumb..
 
thesmokingman said:
This whole the company doesn't get the money 2nd hand sale bullshit needs to stop. The coupon has already been subsidized. No one gets to double dip. It's the same fundamental for any used product, next what we can't sell anything we've already paid for or subsidized?
Click to expand...
Yes in the US it's not a physical product but a digital one you don't own it in the same ways as if it was on a physical disc.

grtitan said:
Still bad for the consumer.

It means that you will not be able to play your game if you switch to AMD or any other player that might come in the future.

Honestly, give a rebate or something and keep the game, i dont need this type of lock down.
Click to expand...
The game doesn't run and launch from GFE the redemption is though GFE meaning once the check is done you're done with GFE if you want to be.

GFE just moved the redemption page from a webpage to GFE, either way you still had to registered with nvidia in the old days to redeem keys, they just give you a key to use on steam/origin/uplay after the redemption, you can use whatever after that point.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
People don't see to get it that the game bundle doesn't affect the price of the gpu it would cost the same either way. It's not like the price of high end gpus have really fluctuated that much over the years. With or without game bundled to flagship chips.

It was pretty much 500 ish for flagship for a long time then nvidia started flagship into new flagship which bumped them up into the 600 dollar range and then the titan series which pushed the old 8800 ultra prices. FE is also one of their price bumps, the games they bundle never really had any affect on the price.
 
Last edited:
KazeoHin said:
Hey look, a perfect example of the point I made!

/half serious

But seriously, anyone who works on the ground level with PC repairs/building/enthusiast community knows that the culture surrounding Nvidia vs AMD goes like this:

X game has an issue with Nvidia GPUs!

"Blame the devs!"

X game has an issue with AMD GPUs!

"Blame AMD!"

My PC has a compatability issue with this Nvidia GPU!

"Replace your mainboard, CPU, AND OS to get it working, that should do it!"

My PC has a compatibility issue with this AMD GPU!

"STUPID AMD CARD TRASH"
Click to expand...

I honestly haven't heard any major complaints about AMD driver/game issues in awhile, at least not any moreso than nVidia. In the past, sure, AMD drivers took a beating because they objectively sucked, but nowadays I think they are okay...?
 
MavericK said:
I honestly haven't heard any major complaints about AMD driver/game issues in awhile, at least not any moreso than nVidia. In the past, sure, AMD drivers took a beating because they objectively sucked, but nowadays I think they are okay...?
Click to expand...

AMD's drivers are great, and they never were THAT bad. AMD has yet to release a driver that outright kills hardware, which Nvidia can claim to have done twice. But the amount of times a customer will buy an Nvidia card that is slower and more costly than an AMD counterpart simply due to mindshare and brand recognition is astounding. The culture of armchair technicians immediately blaming an AMD card for an ambiguous fault, yet for the same issues found on an Nvidia system they grasp at straws to find SOMETHING, ANYTHING else than the GPU to blame... its absolutely dumfounding. The "mindshare" idea is alive and well. Nvidia payed good money to have that mindshare.
 
Last edited:
Hey man, I'll buy that game for 30 bucks. Log into my steam account and activate it for me, let me know when it's done and I'll change the password back.

Thanks.

(of course that only works here on Hard where I trust most folks)
 
Just because we find these games cheap doesnt mean others do. I have countless PC gaming friends that have no idea about these promotion game bundle sales. Atop of that I didnt get the game for free, It came bundled with the card I paid for, and probably at higher cost because of it.
 
-Strelok- said:
Why read when you can shout and complain though?
Click to expand...

Uhh... what part of my post was a complaint? I just want to know where the game ends up after activating it through GFE... which, after re-reading the front page I still don't see a clarification on.
 
Viper87227 said:
I saw the part about it not being tied to the card... but not GFE. If it's not tied to GFE, then do you know what actually happens with your game? If GFE is just going to activate the voucher and spit out a Steam/Origin/Uplay game code, then I can just go sell the code after it's been activated with the GPU I purchased. Is GFE supposed to somehow interact with these other drm programs and force the game to be activated to my 3rd party launcher?
Click to expand...
This. Nvidia's clarification didn't explain anything. If it just spits out a Steam code, what's the point of all this?
 
Meeho said:
Thank you. So, just create a new account and sell the account with the game?
Click to expand...

Pretty much, or in the case of doing business here on the forums, I'd just have whoever I buy the key from log in to my uplay account with temporary credentials and redeem it for me.
 
scojer said:
I don't get it. The keys are "sold" by Nvidia and are only being redeemed once. So what if Joe schmo wants to make $30? both the publisher and Nvidia already got their money.
Click to expand...
Because Joe would have to pay $60 for the new game plus the money they got from you getting the GPU. 2 games sold for $90 vs 1 game sold to two users at $30 subsidized.
Quarterly sales numbers could increase by 25-50% at $50-60 per game. That's significant when talking about PC sales. Every bit counts.
 
Last edited:
I see this no different as a boxed game copy being sent along with my GPU purchase. I could sell my boxed copy on Craigslist or even here. That it is a digital product only means companies are trying to exert more forced control.
 
Shotglass01 said:
I see this no different as a boxed game copy being sent along with my GPU purchase. I could sell my boxed copy on Craigslist or even here. That it is a digital product only means companies are trying to exert more forced control.
Click to expand...

Publishers do not like second-hand game sales. It doesn't matter if it's a digital key, or a boxed copy. The difference is that with a digital key, they have the means to prevent you from reselling it.
 
Viper87227 said:
Publishers do not like second-hand game sales. It doesn't matter if it's a digital key, or a boxed copy. The difference is that with a digital key, they have the means to prevent you from reselling it.
Click to expand...

They're still trying to kill Gamestop. If the next consoles have enough storage for all purchases to be digital, second hand games are a thing of the past.
Some without internet will require a disc but it maybe purchased by special order or some kind of secure SD card.
 
https://www.amd4u.com/amdgamepromo/

AMD does the same in case. Funny thing isn't it?

Step 1:
To create an account or to sign into your existing account click the REDEEM YOUR GAME button to the right.

Step 2:
Download the AMD Product Verification Tool and follow the instructions to redeem your game.

As I said before, this isn't about Nvidia or AMD. Its about the publishers.
 
bottom line = Nvidia wants to PUSH more users to install Geforce Experience ?

not a problem .. you install it , activate your game .. and uninstall it .. but Nvidia just wants to track it ? and where that game code went and all your other hardware specs ?
(and possibly other data related to your config and profile )

personally i never install geforce EXP with my drivers ..but if i had to ... to get a free game .. its not that hard of a deal to install it, activate said game .. use DDU ..remove Geforce EXP

reinstall my video driver clean

and enjoy a free game

it beats the hell i had to go thru to get my Witcher 3 code from AMAZON when i bought my STRIX GTX 960 from ASUS...had the card for 3 weeks before i got my free game code

and NEW EGG ..never gave me my free game code for buying my ASUS R 9 270 X card

think that free game was alien isolation ..no biggie as i no longer buy from them
 
Last edited:
How unsurprising, nvidia treats paying customers like deadshit. Good luck playing those games in a few years time.

I can still play all the games that came with my past gpus again if I feel like it. Just another reason not to support such a fuckfaced company.

Whats next, GFE required to game full stop? Nvidia cucks and apologists; enjoy your awesome company.
 
-=SOF=-WID99 said:
bottom line = Nvidia wants to PUSH more users to install Geforce Experience ?

not a problem .. you install it , activate your game .. and uninstall it .. but Nvidia just wants to track it ? and where that game code went and all your other hardware specs ?
(and possibly other data related to your config and profile )

personally i never install geforce EXP with my drivers ..but if i had to ... to get a free game .. its not that hard of a deal to install it, activate said game .. use DDU ..remove Geforce EXP

reinstall my video driver clean

and enjoy a free game

it beats the hell i had to go thru to get my Witcher 3 code from AMAZON when i bought my STRIX GTX 960 from ASUS...had the card for 3 weeks before i got my free game code

and NEW EGG ..never gave me my free game code for buying my ASUS R 9 270 X card

think that free game was alien isolation ..no biggie as i no longer buy from them
Click to expand...

Lol the game wasn't free if you had to buy a video card to get it. XD
 
N4CR said:
How unsurprising, nvidia treats paying customers like deadshit. Good luck playing those games in a few years time.

I can still play all the games that came with my past gpus again if I feel like it. Just another reason not to support such a fuckfaced company.

Whats next, GFE required to game full stop? Nvidia cucks and apologists; enjoy your awesome company.
Click to expand...

You must not be paying attention.

1.) AMD already does this. It has nothing to do with Nvidia. It is pretty likely this was a move forced upon them by publishers to combat the resale market.

2.) Your game will end up on Steam, Uplay, or similar... whatever DRM the game would normally have. If you lose access to your game, it's because of the games DRM, which would affect every copy in existence.
 
Viper87227 said:
Publishers do not like second-hand game sales. It doesn't matter if it's a digital key, or a boxed copy. The difference is that with a digital key, they have the means to prevent you from reselling it.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the problem with copyright law, IP EULA's and DRM. It's allowed companies to get away with this crap. If it were in my hands, the publishers could pound sand. They give away a free license with my purchase, I get to use that license even if to sell it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top