Has there ever been a busier week in the gaming industry? We certainly don’t think so.
Firstly social media was awash with unboxing videos for the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, as various journalists and streamers confirmed they’ve received their review units (you can see our PS5 unboxing and Xbox Series X unboxing for yourself). That may make it even more frustrating for those waiting for their pre-ordered console to arrive, but at least it’s a reminder we’re now just a matter of days away from release.
We also heard the unfortunate news that CyberPunk 2077 has been delayed. Fortunately it only fell back to 10 December, so we still don’t have to wait long for the promising sci-fi RPG. And if the critically acclaimed Witcher 3 is anything to be by – which was also developed by CD Projekt RED – then CyberPunk 2077 will be worth the wait.
However, there’s been even more revelations in the past seven days in the gaming industry. Who was our winner and loser? Find out by scrolling down.
Related: AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
Winner: AMD
It’s not just the consoles that are entering new generations. PC gamers will also be tempted to upgrade their hardware this year, as AMD revealed its Big Navi graphics cards as direct competitors to Nvidia’s 30-Series range.
While AMD is traditionally known for offering budget alternatives to Nvidia’s graphics cards, this time it didn’t hold back, launching the $999 RX 6900 XT card which is reportedly offering a similar performance to Nvidia’s juggernaut RTX 3090.
AMD also revealed the RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT cards, both of which are capable of 4K resolutions and offer support for DirectX RayTracing. Ray tracing is arguably still in its infancy so there are still only a handful of compatible games, but AMD confirmed both Far Cry 6 and The RiftBreaker will offer support.
While we’re reserving final judgement until we test these new graphics cards for ourselves, the early signs are looking very promising. AMD claims the RX 6900 XT is capable of hitting up to a whopping 150fps for Doom Eternal in 4k and 102fps for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. For the time ever, AMD’s Radeon cards are a genuinely good option for 4K gaming.
October has been a very successful month for AMD overall, with the company only recently showcasing its upcoming Ryzen 5000 desktop processors. While we’re again reserving judgement for the final reviews, these new chips look to be serious challengers to Intel’s offering, with AMD hoping to dominate the market for PC gaming components for the foreseeable future.
Related: Nvidia RTX 3070 Review
Loser: Nvidia
Nvidia arguably had the advantage in this graphics card contest, announcing the RTX 30 Series over a month before we got a real look at AMD’s Big Navi. The new graphics cards look ace too, as we awarded the RTX 3070 a 5-star score in our in-depth review. Nvidia had everything going in its favour, yet it still managed to slightly wrong.
There’s nothing wrong with the graphics cards themselves, but Nvidia has unfortunately encountered numerous stock issues for all the launches of its new RTX cards, making it incredibly difficult for gamers to get a hold of one.
Nvidia previously apologised for the lack of stock for the RTX 3080 launch, and pushed back the launch of the RTX 3070 to make sure the same problems wouldn’t reoccur. Sadly, these steps didn’t seem to be enough, as the RTX 3070 is now seemingly out of stock at every major retailer.
To make matters even worse, the average price of third-party RTX 3070 graphics cards looks to be way over the £469 cost of the Founder’s Edition. Having a quick scan through Overclockers, every single option cost a fair bit over £500, which doesn’t represent the fantastic value that Nvidia initially suggested.
This leaves AMD with a perfect opportunity to persuade Nvidia fans to make the transition over to the red team, especially with the competitive prices of the RX 5900 XT, RX 5800 XT and RX 5800. Of course, this all depends on whether AMD can keep its promise of avoiding similar shortcomings, but it’s still an opportunity that Nvidia will be kicking itself for handing over.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
