NVIDIA's Supremacy Wanes: The RTX 4080 Signals a New Era
NVIDIA, a dominant force in the graphics card market for many years, is currently facing a wave of negative public opinion from the gaming community and the broader media. The head of NVIDIA, Jensen Huang, is at the centre of this criticism.
The release of NVIDIA's RTX 4080 and 4090 graphics cards has not been met with the usual enthusiasm. Many gamers are deterred by the high cost of these new cards, a criticism that has been levelled against NVIDIA for consistently charging more money for each new generation of cards.
The market has been flooded with inexpensive graphics cards due to Ethereum switching from proof-of-work mining to proof-of-stake, eliminating the need for mining equipment. This has put pressure on NVIDIA's prices, as gamers now have more affordable options.
The RTX 50-series, successors to the 40-series, have also faced criticism for underwhelming performance improvements and worsened availability. Despite being available since early 2025, adoption remains modest. The flagship model, the RTX 5090, holds only about 0.19% of the PC gaming GPU market share in June 2025. Mid-range cards like the RTX 5070 perform better with nearly 1% share.
Pricing remains a contentious issue. High-end models in the RTX 50-series are expensive and hard to find at MSRP, while alternatives like AMD’s RX 9070 and RX 9060 XT offer competitive or better value in various segments, including budget and mid-range.
The RTX 5060 8GB and similar cards receive mixed reception. They are only recommended for casual or lower-resolution gaming due to limited VRAM, and cheaper options from competitors (e.g., Intel and AMD) are considered better value.
Despite NVIDIA's continued dominance in the market, the momentum appears to be challenged. EVGA, a well-known manufacturer of NVIDIA graphics cards, has announced immediate plans to stop producing NVIDIA graphics cards, with the company's CEO, EVGA, stating that they feel NVIDIA is an evil company.
The performance of AMD's new cards is uncertain in comparison to NVIDIA's RTX 4080 and 4090. However, AMD could provide much-needed competition in the graphics card market, potentially marking the beginning of the end for NVIDIA's stranglehold on the market.
In broader media and investment circles, Jensen Huang and NVIDIA are often praised for their dominance, particularly in AI markets. However, within gaming circles, there is notable frustration over the recent generation of GPUs perceived as catering more to shareholder interests and less to gamers’ needs.
In conclusion, while NVIDIA still commands a dominant market share, the gaming community's sentiment is increasingly mixed to negative around the RTX 4080/4090 and RTX 50-series launch. The company faces criticism for high prices, modest performance improvements, and supply issues, leading to a sense of ‘stagnation’ rather than bold innovation. CEO Jensen Huang continues to be respected broadly for corporate leadership but faces gamer backlash tied to perceived prioritization of profits over product value and innovation.
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- The ongoing criticism towards NVIDIA's RTX 4080 and 4090, along with the RTX 50-series, by gamers and the media is rooted in concerns over high prices, modest performance improvements, and availability issues, contributing to a growing sentiment of market stagnation in the gaming community.
- The introduction of AMD's new line of graphics cards could potentially provide much-needed competition in the market, challenging NVIDIA's dominance and possibly signifying a shift away from the current stranglehold on the market, influenced by their perceived focus on shareholder interests over gamer needs.
