NVIDIA To Give Away The Witcher 3 To GTX Titan X Owners Who Participate in Software Beta
by Ryan Smith on May 19, 2015 6:30 PM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
- GeForce
- NVIDIA
- Game Bundles
When NVIDIA announced their most recent GeForce game bundle, notably absent was the GTX Titan X. With Titan products typically uncontested in holding the performance crown and priced as a luxury product, NVIDIA rarely has a need to offer game bundles with the flagship cards. For that reason, the latest revelation from NVIDIA has come as a bit of a surprise.
Effective immediately, NVIDIA is going to be bundling The Witcher 3 with the GTX Titan X in a roundabout manner. Furthermore this offer applies to both new and existing GTX Titan X owners, so those buyers who have picked up GTX Titan X cards in the last two months are eligible for a post-purchase freebie, making this one of the only other cases of a retroactive bundle.
So how does all of this work? Officially NVIDIA is offering copies of the game not with the purchase of a GTX Titan X, but rather as an incentive for participating in a software beta test. The software being beta tested? A new feature to redeem game codes through GeForce Experience, with The Witcher 3 being the first product to use the system.
In any case, since the beta is open up to all GTX Titan X owners, this ends up being a de facto retroactive game bundle for the card, as the promotion covers all current cards and runs for the next month, through June 19th. As for NVIDIA’s motivations, while I don’t doubt that this is in part a serious effort to beta test the new redemption system, at the same time it’s a back-door method of launching a game bundle for their $1000 flagship card without making their existing customers irate. With AMD making their own waves today, it’s certainly an interesting coincidence.
Anyhow, GTX Titan X can find the full program details over at NVIDIA’s website. The promotion page includes detailed instructions on how to collect the Witcher 3 code through the system, and activate it through GoG and NVIDIA’s redemption system.
Finally, the fact that NVIDIA is testing a new redemption system signals an interesting shift in how future game bundles may work. While NVIDIA has not commented on this bundle so far – in fact they haven’t even announced it on GeForce.com yet – I suspect what we’re looking at is a beta test for how NVIDIA intends to distribute all bundles in the future. A distribution system through GeForce Experience not only increases the user base for that software, but more importantly it smooths over some of the logistics of bundling games. Retailers would no longer need to distribute vouchers, and based on NVIDIA’s description of how the bundling system works, it looks like this could shut down the grey market for reselling bundle redemption codes as well.
Source: NVIDIA (via SH SOTN)
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chizow - Thursday, May 21, 2015 - link
Oh look Trollranger101 again, I always wanted a pet troll.Ranger101 - Friday, May 22, 2015 - link
It's my pleasure :) Rest assured I will always be there for you man, in fact I just can't wait to read your response upon the release of the 390X!elman - Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - link
Aww, I read it the other way around: test beta software related to Witcher 3 (like an upcoming patch) and win a GTX Titan X :(I'll go back to whimpering alongside of my GTX 670.
D. Lister - Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - link
Good, so their marketers are finally catching up with their accountants. Still not quite there yet, in my opinion. A luxury flagship product is expected to come with MORE goodies than its lesser brethren. Some earlier impressions regarding Nvidia's choice to leave TX customers high and dry went something like, "someone who can afford a $1K GPU can also afford to buy their own $50 game", which just didn't feel very logical. It's like saying anyone who can afford a $100K luxury sedan can also afford to buy their own leather upholstery. WHAT?!?milkod2001 - Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - link
Nvidia did not expect that sort of people who can or is willing to pay $1000 for GPU would not mind to get the same Freebies as mainstream peasant customers. The group of moaners was too big to ignore so there you go: freebies for Titan X...If you ever watch pigs eat when fed by hand you have a really good idea of why that phrase came about. Even in the typical all-you-can-eat way of feeding pigs nowadays they will often try to chase away other pigs looking to get some food from the feeder...
chizow - Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - link
I guess that is one viewpoint, Nvidia has typically held off promotions on SKUs they know will have no trouble selling, since they did the same at 970/980 launch by excluding Borderlands, then later adding the Ubisoft Pick3 promo.I guess they figure if you are going to buy a super high-end luxury car, you won't not buy it just because they didn't throw in a book of free carwashes.
That being said, I do regularly spend $1000-1200 every few years on GPUs, and I ALWAYS love to get free games. :)
DanNeely - Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - link
Ehh.The bundled games are almost never something I'm interested in. If they're going to lock down future codes to the card they're sold with, I hope they offer a cheaper bundle-less version as well. I've never sold a code; but have given several away to friends.
Hrel - Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - link
Yep, because people who can afford a THOUSAND dollar GPU need to get shit for free, otherwise they simply have to go without. /sDaroller - Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - link
What an ignorant comment. I am so sick of this shit from the internet community. $1000.00 IS NOT A LOT OF MONEY. It can "feel" like a lot of money when you're broke, but in reality is doesn't get you much. In many places that's not even enough to pay for housing for a month. I know college students that have saved up for over a year to buy the $1000.00 graphics card you ASSUME they had no trouble affording.Get over yourself.
Vayra - Friday, May 29, 2015 - link
Really? I can buy a used, but good car for less than 1000 dollars. Or pay two months of rent.