With PS5, Xbox Series X, graphics cards and processors, 2020 actually offered plenty of highlights in new gaming hardware. MeinMMO author Benedikt Schlotmann is nonetheless disappointed with 2020. There are various reasons for this.
This is what 2020 looked like: The year 2020 is coming to an end, and one could claim, at least from the perspective of a hardware fan: 2020 was a good year. Because there were plenty of exciting things that are especially interesting for gamers. Here are the most important releases at a glance:
- Intel released its 10th generation gaming processors in the summer, including the Intel i9 10900K.
- In September, Nvidia released its RTX 3000 series, providing plenty of power for 4K gaming at fair prices.
- On November 5, AMD released its new Ryzen 5000 processors.
- In mid-November, next-gen consoles PS5 and Xbox Series X|S launched.
- At the end of November/early December, AMD launched its high-end RX 6000 series in the graphics card sector to offer competition to Nvidia.
In theory, it was quite a good year. But in practice, each release and launch was accompanied by a series of problems. By the end of 2020, few new hardware items remained that one could actually be excited about.
PS5 and Xbox Series X: Availability is the problem of 2020
In November 2020, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S hit the market. From the very beginning, it was clear that they represented an enormous leap forward technically compared to their predecessors. Extremely fast loading times, high FPS numbers, and features that console gamers could only dream of for years or envy PC gamers.
This is the problem: The pre-order of the consoles started chaotically. The PS5 went on sale much too early, and Sony later apologized for the pre-order chaos. The pre-order for Microsoft started as planned but was also completely sold out.
After the release, the situation didn’t really improve: PS5 packages from Amazon contained drugstore items instead of a console. Delivery drivers stole the highly anticipated devices on their way. MediaMarkt, Saturn, MediMax, and others take what feels like an eternity for the devices to reach the end customers or push delivery to 2021. Other sellers such as Otto cancel orders from the 3rd wave.
Parts of the inventory are also being bought up by scalpers hoping for a large profit. Scalpers are individuals who buy products in limited quantities at release to resell them at exorbitant prices to honest buyers. They are not interested in the product itself, only in the profit.
In the end, people are outraged and angry: on one hand, because sales are chaotic, and on the other, because many users do not recognize friend or foe in the sales chaos and scalpers flood various platforms with high prices.
For example, CandyAndyDE writes on MeinMMO.de:
I hope that Sony and Microsoft take action against this and that eBay deletes the listings so that people are stuck with their consoles. Such outrageous behavior should be punished.
Many wish that eBay and other platforms would curb the exorbitant prices, but the platforms see no reason to intervene as these are not everyday goods.
This silver lining exists: Despite all the problems, there are still small stories that touch. A father pressed F5 for 13 hours to get a PS5 for his son, which many people enjoy who have not received a console.
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MeinMMO-PCs mit Ryzen 9 5900X & Radeon RX 6900XT für Multitasking, 4K-Gaming mit hohen Frameraten und anspruchsvolle Anwendungen. Die Verfügbarkeit der 6900 XT ist jedoch begrenzt.
AMD vs Nvidia: The race fails due to supply shortages
Both AMD and Nvidia brought plenty of exciting hardware in the fall of 2020:
- Nvidia released its RTX 3000 series
- AMD followed a bit later with its RX 6000 series
First, Nvidia delivered plenty of performance with its 3000 series at a fair price. 4K performance for 700 euros? Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 makes it possible. The RTX 3090 offers even more performance but is hardly recommendable for gamers.
AMD followed a bit later with its RX 6000 series and showed that it can offer the same performance, just more efficiently and slightly below Nvidia’s prices.
This is the problem: Nvidia’s graphics cards sell out in moments. A few days later, the RTX graphics cards can already be found on eBay – for double the price. Bots buy the GPUs up and try to sell them for high prices.
AMD’s situation is not much better: Could AMD still rejoice over Nvidia’s delivery difficulties, they faced the same problems at the release of the RX 6000 series as the cards quickly sold out.
To make matters worse, the low inventory drives prices up. Compared to consoles, where the price is relatively fixed at 500 euros, one often pays 200 euros more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for processors and graphics cards.
This silver lining exists: Despite low inventory and high demand, there is still something positive to note: Thanks to AMD’s competition for Nvidia, the prices are lower compared to the previous generation of graphics cards. Whereas one paid over 1000 euros for 4K performance a year or two ago, AMD and Nvidia now ask “only” around 700 euros for almost double the performance compared to 2019.
Prices and availability not only apply to new hardware
If you think, “Then I’ll just stick to older hardware,” there is no reason to be happy in 2020. Because here the prices are rising sharply.
For example, the Powercolor Radeon RX 5700 XT Red Devil is worth mentioning. It was priced at around 400 euros in October, but the price has now risen by about 100 euros to 500 euros (via idealo.de). And this applies to almost all graphics cards and processors.
The prices of almost all graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia have risen sharply by the end of the year. Even relatively old graphics cards, like the RX 400 and 500 series from AMD, are seeing price increases. Various models of the RX 580 cost about 30 euros more than in September/October. Prices had remained stable for months.
This is the problem: Anyone currently looking to “only” upgrade an old PC or make it somewhat fit again will currently pay significantly more for hardware that is three to four years old. For DIY builders or upgraders, 2020 means competing with many people for a small stock of products.
The look ahead: That’s why I hope for 2021
2021 can only be better. Microsoft and Sony have stated that they will be able to supply their PS5 and Xbox Series X/S again starting in 2021, and the inventory of graphics cards should also recover. Then prices should also return to a fair range.
From the new year, I hope that hardware manufacturers get a grip on their bottlenecks so that interested parties can obtain their hardware at a fair price.
And not at the price that current scalpers and bot users are trying to demand from customers for a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Because hardware and next-gen gaming can be as strong and fantastic as it may be, if there are no products available to purchase.
If you are also interested in games besides hardware: What games can we expect in 2021 aside from hardware, you can read about that here:
