Nvidia apologizes to Hardware Unboxed

In connection with companies such as Nvidia, AMD and Intel unveiling new products, they also usually accompany pure specifications with their own performance figures. The recommendation for such is always to take them with a pinch of salt, as it is not uncommon for the figures to give a slightly angled picture of reality. It also happens that comparative results are based on completely different conditions.

Waiting for tests from independent sources is therefore a constant prescription, but yesterday it emerged that the Youtube channel Hardware Unboxed will have a hard time with this in the future – at least when it comes to Nvidia products. The reviewer has been excluded from future access to Founders Edition copies of graphics cards, due to insufficient focus on ray tracing. Now find a more detailed explanation on the web, in the form of the complete email that Hardware Unboxed received from Nvidia.

It is the Youtube channel Linus Tech Tips that during last night’s live broadcast The WAN Show reads the message aloud. The channel’s founder and front figure, Linus Sebastian, then dissects the broadcast line by line and gives his views on the matter in strong terms. It is clear that Nvidia believes that Hardware Unboxed has the wrong focus in its tests, which is why in future they do not intend to provide the reviewer with test copies.

Ray tracing is not the only thing that Nvidia claims that Hardware Unboxed ignores in the tests, and also believes that features such as DLSS, Reflex and Studio are not given attention. Ironically, Nvidia’s official information page for DLSS is adorned with a quote signed Hardware Unboxed, in which they describe DLSS 2.0 as “Extremely impressive”. Linus Sebastian also emphasizes that the Youtube channel in a dedicated ray tracingvideo dealt with the subject in depth, in connection with the launch of the Geforce RTX 3000 cards.

Hardware Unboxed should continue to work with our add-in card partners to secure GPUs to review. Of course, you will still have access to obtain pre-released drivers and press materials. That won’t change. We are open to revisiting this in the future, should your editorial direction change. – Nvidia

After yesterday’s news of the exclusion, question marks remained over whether Hardware Unboxed, for example, is allowed to review partner cards, and the announcement from Nvidia straightens this out: Cooperation with partner manufacturers will continue to be okay, while early drivers and press material will be available to the reviewer. Between the lines, however, it is clear that the restriction of Founders Edition cards has more far-reaching consequences.

Partner models are more often released slightly later than reference variants, which is why Hardware Unboxed is forced to sit quietly in the boat while media that are assigned cards can present their results just in time for the products to be available in the trade. Linus Sebastian emphasizes that the consequences of Nvidia’s actions thus damage the Youtube channel in several ways. On the one hand, the reviewer will not be able to meet the expectations of the following, and on the other hand, the tests risk or the testers will suffer – the former if the tests are rushed through, the latter if very intensive work is needed.

By extension, Nvidia’s actions are also problematic for all technology publications. Linus Sebastian explains that the graphics card giant has now shown that they are not afraid to take the hard line against reviewers who do not share the company’s view of what is important, something that sends signals to the media and readers. This risks undermining consumers’ trust in the media: If Nvidia’s products – even on good grounds – are praised, suspicions of hooks from the manufacturer may grow.

It is very clear from your community commentary that you do not see things in the way we, gamers and the rest of the industry do. – Nvidia

Sebastian also emphasizes that Nvidia has no right whatsoever to generalize and put words in the mouths of all the world’s players and the associated industry, about which technologies and functions in graphics cards are the right ones. In computer graphics is ray tracing certainly some of the holy grail, but performance figures show that even the latest generation Geforce RTX cards are not powerful enough to properly handle a battery of ray tracing– Real-time features – Fresh Cyberpunk 2077 is proof.

Nvidia’s email does not say that anything other than experiencing differences in what is important is behind the company’s decision to cut ties, and Linus Sebastian believes that the decision feels “emotional rather than rational”. In any case, this is an overtramp and it remains to be seen whether Nvidia will present an answer or back down in the future.

Updated 2020-12-13 00:15

Previous headline: Nvidia’s email to Hardware Unboxed: “You do not share the industry’s view of ray tracing”
Previous introduction: The Youtube channel Linus Tech Tips presents Nvidia’s mailings to the excluded reviewer, which sends signals to technology media as a whole.

The attention of Nvidia’s equal foot jump into the piano has now also attracted the attention of the company, which after the justified criticism feedbacks to Hardware Unboxed with an apology. This is announced through the Twitter account of the relevant Youtube channel.

Whether more information about the incident will emerge remains to be seen. The future may also show whether Nvidia’s proposal leaves lasting damage when it comes to the trust of the two parties involved.