Nvidia Stops Promotional Game Resales By Tying Codes To Hardware (arstechnica.com)

Nvidia is putting a stop to the resale of bundled promotional game keys by tying them to a specific graphics card purchase, according to Ars Technica. Users will now have to redeem codes via the GeForce Experience (GFE) app, which is directly linked to third-party services like Steam and Uplay. Users must also ensure that the requisite graphics card is "installed before redemption." GFE then performs "a hardware verification step to ensure the coupon code is redeemed on the system with the qualifying GPU." From the report: Previously, retailers sent promotional game codes to customers that purchased a qualifying product. Those codes could then be redeemed on Nvidia's website, which spit out the relevant Steam, Uplay, Origin, or Microsoft Store key. Since the promotional game codes were not tied to a specific account, many users took to either gifting spare keys to friends or selling them on eBay in order to offset the cost of the graphics card purchase. [Ars Technica has updated their report with additional information:] Nvidia has confirmed that while GFE checks to ensure a user has installed a qualifying graphics card like a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080, the game itself is not permanently linked to the hardware. GFE's hardware check is based only on the wider product range, and not on a specific serial number. The company has also confirmed that the redemption process permanently adds the game to the appropriate third-party service. For example, if users redeems a promotional game key through to Steam, that game will be useable on any other device, just like normal Steam games. Users can also opt to uninstall GFE, or install a different graphics card, once the promotional code has been redeemed and still retain full ownership of the game. A full set of instructions for redeeming codes is now available on Nvidia's website.

Comments

Why do they care?

[hij]

Why do they care what they do with the supposedly "free" gift that they give me. The only reason to do this is to assert their power over me and make me do what they want. WHen someone gives me something then it no longer belongs to them and is none of their business what I do with it.

Re:Why do they care?

[Lisandro]

They didn't actually "give" you anything. Welcome to the joys of the era of clouds and downloadable content, where convenience matters more than the first sale doctrine.

Re:Why do they care?

[Luthair]

It wasn't free, it was part of the product you bought.

Re:Why do they care?

[HaZardman27]

Often the dev gives Nvidia game codes in exchange for "free" hardware for the studio. If you give n keys to Nvidia, then that's a potential n copies of the game not being sold (in actuality, less than n because not everyone who buys the new GPU would also buy your game). If some of those people go on to sell the key to someone else, that eats further into your possible sales (some people playing your game prefer AMD to Nvidia; they won't have access to a "free" code with a GPU, but now they can get one for cheap instead of buying one from you).

Why though?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why?

Seriously, nvidia, why do you even fucking care whether I redeem the game or a friend of mine redeems it, possibly because I already have it or don't fancy it?

Of all the petty, moneygrubbing, mean spirited, trivial things I've seen massive companies do lately, this has to rank up there with one of them.

How about I just don't buy anything from you in future, and go to AMD instead?

Re:Windows only!

[r1348]

Pure BS, Nvidia releases day 1 support drivers for all their products even on Linux, and AMD will have day 1 support for Vega with their free driver (yes, they finally caught up).

So now I can't upgrade my graphics card

[HalAtWork]

So if I want to keep playing my game I can't upgrade my GPU.