The gaming industry keeps failing miserably at selling its most important products

Why is it so hard to place an order for a next-gen console or new Nvidia graphics card?

Why, in the year 2020, are companies as large, experienced, and well-funded as Microsoft, Sony, and Nvidia still failing at preorders? It’s an especially puzzling question when companies like Apple, Samsung, and even Facebook-owned Oculus seem to have figured out how to properly manage expectations and sell a new in-demand device without turning it into a stress-inducing scramble.

CascadingStyleSheets
never wanted to spend so much money this badly

gabolton

CascadingStyleSheets
never wanted to spend so much money this badly

What he said.

adaemus

wedansti

gterry180
I don't understand marketing, but I do like transparency.

EVGA's transparency and customer interaction so far has been incredible.

I agree but it is a two edged sword.  Everyone and their mother is hammering the F5 key when EVGA says a drop is coming.

GTXJackBauer
I don't think EVGA can call the shots on pre-orders and do whatever they want to do.  Apparently it's the man with the leather jacket that calls the shots.

kougar
People won't be able to buy 3080s for months, so would delaying the launch a single month to build some inventory first have truly hurt anything? In their rationalization doing so was worse than the resulting mess we're seeing now. It's worth noting that by NVIDIA's own admission internal predictions indicated the 3000 launch would break records, but NVIDIA decided it still wasn't worth building inventory up for ahead of time. 

aka_STEVE_b
I will update my top post with a link to this new article  - also detailing how things need to change.
 
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-10-02-hardware-launches-and-pre-orders-desperately-need-a-shake-up-opinion
 
 

The way in which availability was handled has revealed massive and growing problems in how the industry handles these launches

Not only is this situation not inevitable, it's also completely avoidable

 
 

since the decision to allow scalpers to resell pre-orders at higher prices is pretty clearly an overt and deliberate policy choice. Why wouldn't Amazon decide to double-dip in that manner, knowing that most of the backlash would be focused on the manufacturers? Why would any retailer go out of their way to make the launch process more equitable and smooth, when consumer anger is going to strike at Sony, Microsoft and Nvidia in the end anyway?

Not only is this situation not inevitable, and not a mere repeat of the decades-old pattern of hardware launch sales, it's also completely avoidable. The internet has made these launches into a total disaster, a magnet for scalpers and a significant pain point for the industry's most enthusiastic and high-spending consumers. But it doesn't have to be this way, because the internet also offers us better ways of doing this.

John1019
I wonder if they decided that launching early with insufficient stock was better than competing with the consoles, Zen 3, and RDNA 2 launches. Even if they didn't sell a bunch of cards last month they got millions in free advertising building brand awareness. Every tech influencer on Youtube is releasing incessant 30 series content. They wouldn't have gotten so much coverage if people were also reviewing consoles and AMD hardware. The scarcity also adds to their perceived value in most consumers' minds. So while we may all be salty, they may have decided the short-term anger was an acceptable cost for the positives of an early launch with insufficient stock. 

aman4672
Rumor is NVIDIA intentionally tried to **** this release just to drive up prices, But compounded with bots it went further than they originally intend. I don't really ride that train but it does cause a bit of an itch on the brain.