Windows Nvidia's bundled game codes can no longer be sold or given away

This is a shame as I have picked up many a bargain from the MP and elsewhere.

http://www.pcgamer.com/nvidias-bund...source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer_pcgamerfb

http://www.techspot.com/news/68011-nvidia-makes-virtually-impossible-give-trade-or-sell.html

 

I don't understand why they have decided to do/enforce this.

People should be able to do what they want with what they have purchased.

It's not like NVidia loses out, in fact it most likely helps them sell graphics cards.

Also what happens if I buy a new card and don't activate the game and then sell on the card with the voucher when I next upgrade, can the buyer then use it if they wish?

 

Honest question:

Is there any other reason than pure greed by the companies involved just why I am not allowed to sell a key bundled to a graphics card? It's not like I am sharing a game on piracy sites or anything, I just sell a game I don't like that happened to be bundled to a graphics card.

This is not aimed at bit-tech or their policies, just a general question.

Two years ago I got some pots and pans as extra when I bought a kitchen, they were "bundled". I sold them. This is the same really.

 

Hmm, so are they somehow going to make it so that you can only redeem the code with the necessary hardware? not sure how that would work, given you could maybe redeem the Steam code and just sell that.

I've bought a few of these over the past couple of years and the sellers are usually lazy and left the entire registration/get the key from Nvidia down to me. However at the end it's always generated a Steam code or what not so not sure how they could check from there without going to some pretty extreme aggro?

Edit. OK just done some more reading. Seems like they are going to tie launching the game into Geforce Experience maybe? Must say the last time I needed a driver from Nvidia I found it all rather intrusive.

 

I think this will reduce sales for such bundles because being able to sell the games and recover some of the cost was an incentive to buy the more expensive versions of a gfx card. I can see this push coming from some game publishers who cry about loss of sales at the drop of a hat.

 

I'd imagine they'll force you to register the serial number of the card to your Nvidia Experience account and grant you the key to the game in exchange.

This will not keep you from selling the key, but you might loose your warranty coverage.

 

I don't mind this if NVidia offered more choice, more like buy a graphics card plus a game of your choice. For example if I was about to buy a new graphics card today and can choose Dishonored 2 or BF1 (games I'm interested in), then there's no reason to try to sell the games, publishers get more money from me (compared to Steam sales 3 year later). But neither For Honor or Ghost Recon: Wildlands are of any value to me, then logic dictates selling it.

It's pure greed, nothing else. Game publishers doesn't see as large sales increase as they hoped, so they press for this T&C to be enforced by hardware locking your purchase.

 

Absolutely. If it's just Current Ubisoft Game like it usually is, there's going to be a lot of wasted game codes going in the bin.

 

Is it "greed" or is it "making money" - which 99% of the time is the entire point of a companies existence?

 

The answer will come down to money, although I'm not sure if a software publisher wanting fair reimbursement from their IP is 'pure greed' or just common sense?

There's no way Nvidia pays a standard trade price for the game, the contract and costs will be tied up with marking and assistance in creating this or other titles. It's be complicated.

I bet the publishers don't like the current situation where Nvidia gets the games 'for cheap' and then a noticeable percentage of recipients sell the key on to someone one. Someone else who is A) Obviously prepared to pay for the game. and B) Buying the game in a way that means there's less profit for the publisher and their partners.

 

But isn't it the publisher's choice to sell games that way? If they weren't making profit from it then they wouldn't do it, no? Publishers just loathe second hand sales.

 

I don't know if it applies to modern consoles but when I first bought a PS1 part of the fun was the buying and selling of games once played. Nowadays once you have a game for the PC not only can you not sell it but do you actually own it anyway?

 

Would they though? Most of the people buying for £20 on a forum would wait for a sale or get a key from a grey market site rather than pay full whack I think.

Modern consoles are much the same as PCs: digital content is tied to the account and cannot be sold on, but you can sell physical boxed copies used. Although they usually come with codes that are obviously tied to your account once activated.

 

So you buy new GPU with code, play for a few months and switch to another GPU. Does the game still work?

 

Yes it will. It seems it only requires the gpu to be installed when registering the game with said game service.

Still, appaling system.

Sent from my SM-N915FY using Tapatalk

 

This from OCUK Forum.

"Will it not be a case that you will redeem code via GE which as you say, will check you have a qualifying card. Once it validates that it will give you the key to be put in to Steam/ Origin/ Uplay to redeem?

Therefore, technically once you have gotten this code from Nvidia, you can still sell this without redeeming it yourself?

Afterall, Geforce Experience isn't a platform in itself to install games and I don't believe it links to your Steam/ Uplay/ Origin accounts!"

 

Exactly, just redeem with nvidia to get the Steam code, then sell the Steam code without mentioning you got it from nvidia and no one will ever know what you did.