While I appreciate that your message is that inflation exists...let me provide the context.
At an average rate of inflation of 4% a year...because we might as well be reasonable... you've got 1.04^3 as your generational gap between generations. 1.04^4 = 1.1699 -> a 17% price hike could realistically be reasonable when you estimate inflation high and want to pretend there's actually 3 whole years. If that was reasonable, your milk would cost $0.58, and the xx80 cards, assuming the 3080 as your base, would be as follows:
2019 - 3080 - MSRP $699
2022 - 4080 - MSRP $786.28 (1199 actual)
2025 - 5080 - MSRP $884.46 (999 actual)
That's assuming a very high rate of inflation, rising costs rather than relatively decreasing ones with no node investment change, and we are still $114.54 off of inflation, or 12.95% above the value if we assumed that the inflationary value is our base. What exactly justifies that level of pricing premium from MSRP...when the primary distinction between the products is that the software they want you to run is basically within spitting distance of each other without the assistance of frame generation? I think that the 4xxx series as a whole was highway robbery, but pretending that Nvidia isn't charging a premium above and beyond that justified by inflation is...just silly. I get the expectation that some pricing will be going up by virtue of base inflation, despite the decrease in the cost of computing due to miniaturization and optimizations, but pretending they aren't pricing themselves as a premium brand is missing the forest for all those pesky trees.
Before you ask...I actually support Nvidia doing this. It's the same garbage as you'd expect from so many other things. Xerox had the printer market locked up, until they lost the monopoly and have been relegated to third class actors. Craftsman was an amazing tool until they cut quality. Harley Davidson was an amazing bike, until they relocated overseas and pursued profitability per unit over selling a good product. The common thread amongst all of these entities is that they were the best, and charged for it, until the day they weren't. The second that rug is pulled from Nvidia we'll see how much their brand matters, because believe it or not they are not Apple. Their brand is not inherently flashy, or inherently valuable, so if they continue pricing themselves as a premium brand they're going to have to get better...and their current strategy is not that. Their current strategy is to fabricate better results from AI tech...which will not be viable if AMD and Nvidia can release a high volume mover at a reasonable price point. Spending $2000 for a gaming computer is not something most people want to do...especially when people balked at the new Playstation pricing. My gamble is that Nvidia will one day soon lose the gaming market below halo products because they price themselves out of it...and they won't have a regret until they need gamers again. It's at that moment Nvidia will decide whether they are Apple, or whether they are GE.
