Nvidia locks game bundles behind geforce to stop trading

MadOlive · February 5, 2017

Nvidia locks game bundles behind gforce experience to stop trades

Anyone who has been using higher end graphics cards for a while is probably used to getting a few games thrown their way along with their card, regardless of wether you use AMD or NVidia.

For us that can be a nice bonus and it is a way in which GPU manufacturers try to get a small advantage over their competitors by offering well established titles for free (well... you have to buy a multi hundred dollar GPU but hey). Most of us will probably use this opportunity to install these games and play some of nice titles for free, however this is not what everyone does.

Even though it is forbidden in accordance to the terms connected to these game bundles, some choose to sell the codes for some quick cash, thus technically giving themselves a cashback discount instead of the game. Until now both AMD and NVidia have kinda turned a blind eye to this, but NVidia decided it is time to change this and they took action!

Nvidia will be changing the way of redeeming these codes in orderto severly limit where and by whom they can be claimed. Now personally I have a 2 sided feeling about this, but first let me explain exactly how Nvidia will be doing this!

If you redeemed such a code before you might remember going through the NVidia website to do so, but that is changing. With the new setup, users will have to go through GeForce Experience to redeem their codes, so installing this piece of software is a must. Why? Because of the second requirement: To redeem the coupon code, the pc used must be running an NVidia GPU that is equal or better than the card the code came with. To put that into perspective, if you get a code with a 1060, you need a 1060, 1070 or 1080 to claim it. If it came with a 1080 you can not claim it while running a 1070. And yes, they use GeForce Experience to check that, hence why they are going through this piece of software. The last requirement is that claiming takes place in the same region as the purchase. Now ofcourse after activation on say your steam or ubisoft account, you will be able to install said game on any pc of your choosing. This procces is solely for the initial claiming of the code.

The first bundle this will apply to is the "For Honor / Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands Bundle" on the 1070's and 1080's.

Spoiler

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Q: Are there additional requirements for me to redeem my coupon?

Graphics Card Requirements- Some coupons can only be redeemed on selected graphics card. These coupons are typically tied to a graphics card purchase or promotional giveaway. Please make sure your graphics card is installed before redemption.

Regional/Country Requirements- Some coupons require that they be redeemed in specific regions or countries. Please redeem the code in the appropriate region/country.

Age Requirements - Some coupons have age restrictions due to sensitive content. Please check that your NVIDIA Account meets the age requirement.

So, why does this cause mixed feelings for me? Well bit-tech stated a good point which I kind of think is a down side to this method. First off, these methods mean that if you have your gpu shipped from abroad or maybe you travel a lot and picked one up elsewhere for a good price, you will not be able to claim your games at your home. The region lock will prevent you from doing so and thus people doing this will have little to no use for the codes unless they take their entire setup and travel to wherever the card was bought from.

Second, If you purchase this card and you then wish to install the game on a different pc (maybe you bought the card for a streaming pc or maybe you have more than 1 gaming pc) you just simply can't. You would have to install GeForce Experience on the other pc with the card in it, claim it there and then install it on the other pc. Sure it works but i thought it was just an unnececary hassle.

Spoiler

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The new rules also introduce a few wrinkles for those who were never planning to sell the codes in the first place. Redemption must take place in the same region as the purchase, which could spell trouble for grey imports or frequent travellers, and anyone hoping to take the game they got with a shiny new desktop graphics card and install it on their laptop or older desktop instead will be prevented by the hardware lock - though it may still be possible for some titles to be redeemed on one device before being installed on another without hitting the hardware lock.

Now all things considered I can't say I think NVidia is making an unreasonable decission here. After all, selling these codes have never actually been legal and I can understand that NVidia want's to do something about people breaking their terms. I doubt this will effect me a lot personally, since I only own 1 high-end gaming pc and never sell the codes to begin with and although I wish there was a way to give games I already own to friends (give not sell) I understand that there is no way for Nvidia to check wether it is being sold or gifted. I expect that people who did sell these codes however will not be happy with it and some of them may start looking towards AMD so they can keep receiving theit "discounts" on the GPU's, however most of them probably won't.

How do you guys feel about this? Do you agree with me in saying this was an acceptable (or maybe even good) call from NVidia? Or do you think they are taking this matter way more seriously than they should?

Sources:

https://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2017/02/03/nvidia-locks-down-game-bundles/1

http://www.geforce.com/redeem-faq