NVIDIA Ends Controversial GeForce Partner Program (GPP)

[btarunr]

NVIDIA late Friday announced that it is ending the controversial GeForce Partner Program (GPP). The "program" was a revision in the terms of sale of NVIDIA graphics processors to AIC (add in card) partners (such as EVGA, ASUS, GIGABYTE, etc.), which in regulator-baiting language, called for AIC partners to keep their gaming-centric brands (such as ASUS ROG, GIGABYTE Aorus, MSI Gaming, etc.) exclusive to NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, thereby de-listing AMD Radeon GPUs. Companies like ASUS went as far as stripping its AMD Radeon products of even the "ASUS" brand, relegating them to a new "AREZ" brand.

Apparently the blow-back was harder than expected, and NVIDIA buckled. The main forces behind NVIDIA withdrawing GPP may not be fear of government regulators, but OEMs, such as Dell and HP, refusing to sign up. AMD is known in the OEM circles for great pricing, which is what scores it design wins with giants such as Apple. That's something big OEMs would never want to let go of. Had Dell, for example, signed up for GPP, it would have meant the end of AMD Radeon GPUs in Alienware desktops.



Far from sounding apologetic, NVIDIA's announcement of "pulling the plug" on GPP reads of the company begrudgingly ending the program, defending its "benefits to gamers" to the very end. NVIDIA didn't even give the announcement the dignity of a formal press-release, but a blog post, pasted verbatim:

A lot has been said recently about our GeForce Partner Program. The rumors, conjecture and mistruths go far beyond its intent. Rather than battling misinformation, we have decided to cancel the program.

GPP had a simple goal - ensuring that gamers know what they are buying and can make a clear choice.

NVIDIA creates cutting-edge technologies for gamers. We have dedicated our lives to it. We do our work at a crazy intense level - investing billions to invent the future and ensure that amazing NVIDIA tech keeps coming. We do this work because we know gamers love it and appreciate it. Gamers want the best GPU tech. GPP was about making sure gamers who want NVIDIA tech get NVIDIA tech.

With GPP, we asked our partners to brand their products in a way that would be crystal clear. The choice of GPU greatly defines a gaming platform. So, the GPU brand should be clearly transparent - no substitute GPUs hidden behind a pile of techno-jargon.

Most partners agreed. They own their brands and GPP didn't change that. They decide how they want to convey their product promise to gamers. Still, today we are pulling the plug on GPP to avoid any distraction from the super exciting work we're doing to bring amazing advances to PC gaming.

This is a great time to be a GeForce partner and be part of the fastest growing gaming platform in the world. The GeForce gaming platform is rich with the most advanced technology. And with GeForce Experience, it is "the way it's meant to be played."

No, NVIDIA, this isn't the way it's meant to be played.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Durvelle27]

 

[Paganstomp]

"GPP had a simple goal - ensuring that gamers know what they are buying and can make a clear choice."

I guess some dumbasses fresh outta college had a meeting in some pot smoke filled room thinking that we couldn't tell the difference between a GPU from AMD or nVidia?

 

[cdawall]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Stupid freaking anti competition practices.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

No, NVIDIA, this isn't the way it's meant to be played.

Classy. Very classy.

 

[springs113]

I'm curious to see what all the fanboys that were defending this program a few threads back are going to say. They've been real quiet even on other forums.

 

[Hood]

"GPP had a simple goal - ensuring that gamers know what they are buying and can make a clear choice."

I guess some dumbasses fresh outta college had a meeting in some pot smoke filled room thinking that we couldn't tell the difference between a GPU from AMD or nVidia?

Dumbasses are everywhere, and lots of them probably can't tell the difference. Being a "gamer" doesn't make you a hardware geek, and not everyone knows or cares about brand rivalries. So NVIDIA went after that group of dumbasses, to boost their market share by a point or two. It wasn't worth it, too much negative press, hence the backpedaling.

 

[8BitZ80]

I love how they put anti-consumerism in a positive light, and at the same time insult the intelligence of their consumer base.

 

[trparky]

"GPP had a simple goal - ensuring that gamers know what they are buying and can make a clear choice."

Really? Do they really take us users for being idiots? I can't help but to feel insulted by this crap. That's USDA Grade-A Choice bullshit right there.

 

[Caring1]

Who do Nvidia think they are...Microsoft?
Can't have the consumer thinking for themselves now can we!

 

[ShurikN]

I'll believe it when I see nextgen Gaming X and Aorus Radeon cards. As for ROG... it's left to be seen, now that they went with the Arez branding.

 

[mastrdrver]

I'll believe it when I see nextgen Gaming X and Aorus Radeon cards. As for ROG... it's left to be seen, now that they went with the Arez branding.

You know it's possible that nVidia did AMD a favor and created an ROG brand just for AMD cards since ASUS is not just going to drop this investment they put in just because nVidia dropped GPP.

 

[GorbazTheDragon]

Well that didn't last long...

 

[Fatalfury]

Poor Asus, Should have waited a little bit long like msi & gigabyte.
Now they lost quite some money in create "Arez" Branding..

Well done Nvidia.

 

[Totally]

Poor Asus, Should have waited a little bit long like msi & gigabyte.
Now they lost quite some money in create "Arez" Branding..

Well done Nvidia.

Well they lost my business, ethically questionable spineless bootlicking bunch they've proven themselves to be.

 

[mtcn77]

I love how they put anti-consumerism in a positive light, and at the same time insult the intelligence of their consumer base.

That is a given.
Everone still thinks it is about the desktop form factor. It is about mobile and stopping Vega M. Had Dell and HP signed up, they would have tightened the death knell on their own Vega M laptops just as Asus, Acer and all the rest which did.

 

[Devon68]

GPP was about making sure gamers who want NVIDIA tech get NVIDIA tech

Oh this makes me angry. If I want Nvidia I will buy nvidia, and if I want amd I will by amd.

 

[Supercrit]

"GPP had a simple goal - ensuring that gamers know what they are buying and can make a clear choice."

I guess some dumbasses fresh outta college had a meeting in some pot smoke filled room thinking that we couldn't tell the difference between a GPU from AMD or nVidia?

Maybe Nvidia is not a fan of AMD motherboards naming schemes and tried to make a point preemptively.

 

[HammerON]

Warnings for cursing have been issued. Be civil and follow the guidelines please.

 

[xkm1948]

This ain't the first time they are doing this and it won't be the last time Nvidia try to pull something like this. As long as they have no real competition they will pull another GPP like scheme in the future. Except next time it probably won't be so easy to catch.

 

[evernessince]

Fuck you. Oh this makes me angry. If I want Nvidia I will buy nvidia, and if I want amd I will by amd.

Yeah, If Nvidia wanted to "clear misinformation" they could have simply released a press statement. Instead they didn't utter a word until just now.

 

[GoldenX]

They do just fine without this BS, I don't understand how those "rational capitalism thinking" suits arrive at conclusions like gpp.

 

[birdie]

A load of bullocks. This entire GPP program and all the vapid accusations in regard to it.

"AMD is an underdog in graphics, so let's hate NVIDIA because it's so cool", right? Not a single piece of reliable information has leaked in regard to GPP, yet suddenly NVIDIA is the worst offender of its market position.

I find those NVIDIA/AMD sub brands (MSI GAMING, ASUS ROG, Gigabyte AURUS, etc.) completely useless for all intends and purposes.

I don't buy GPUs because they are funnily branded. I buy GPUs based solely on their performance (cooling, oc'bility)/price/specs.

I couldn't care less about an additional moniker of the GPU in my computer.

It's a moniker. No one has ever stopped ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA, Palit, etc. from creating an additional brand for AMD GPUs. Nothing.

And don't get me started on NVIDIA trying to monopolize the GPU market. They have done nothing akin to what Intel exercised in the AMD K8 days. NVIDIA just wanted to be featured as a brand. Intel actively bribed (in one way or another) OEMs, system integrators and whole sellers, so that they didn't sell AMD CPUs.

 

[stanleyipkiss]

Poor Kyle Bennett at HardOCP. Most tech press ignored the issue until the absolute breaking point. And even then mostly just glanced over it. Not to say that nVidia pays them all, but they sure didn't want their relationship with nVidia damaged so they all kept their distance. Which is a sad state of affairs for any press -- this inter-dependence on one of the big manufacturers make them incapable of keeping objective. Imagine if the Washington Post felt like they had to skirt the White House for fear of retribution. Hell, it might even happen with some multi-billion dollar companies who own the news outlets but it really shouldn't. The tech press should know better, be better funded as to not care about nVidia's potential blacklisting and they should have better... judgement.

 

[Countryside]