Hard launches/Soft launches

[bru]

Well its new graphics cards time again, with Ati's new range upon us, and Nvidia just starting to showcase their new technology.
Seeing how Ati managed the launch of their cards and how Nvidia have started off theirs, do you think we have seen the last of proper hard launches, where the cards are shown to the public and available for sale that same day in plentiful quantities.

ATI's launch this time round was to start up the hype machine, with a big event on an aircraft carrier no less and then show off one of the features of the new range without actually telling people what they really wanted to know, then a few weeks latter release the NDA so that the press can showcase the cards, with very poor availability in store but improving after a week or so. saying that Ati decided to only show us one of their new cards holding back the other variant for another week or so.

NVIDIA's launch this time round we are yet to see, but they have started off by showcasing what certainly seems to be a potentially very powerful processor, without really telling us anything that we want to know about it.

So what are you views on this launch strategy, and what do we call it hard....medium....soft or maybe hard....semi....soft.....

Discuss.

 

[TheMorningStar]

I shall call it morning wood.

 

[Yamahahahahaha]

It's hard then goes soft.

Premature Fabrication?

 

[drunkenmaster]

ATi's was a hard launch, since release day the 23rd(because it was the 23rd in the USA and so availability 24th here) I've had the option to buy a card every single day from various stores, there has never been no stock in the UK.

They launched the 5870, it was available in stores, end of, thats a hard launch. The PRESS EVENT is just that, for decades press have been invited to see the products before the launch under NDA. I went and say the 9700 pro at a press launch in a hotel at London way back when, I was under NDA and couldn't say anything till launch. Nothing has changed in that respect, press are always sent to these events early so they can learn about the card, do some research, recieve press samples for reviewing and launch reviews on the NDA up/release of product date.


A hard launch equals cards available on day one, or realistically if you can get a card in the first week, its a hard launch.

Soft launch equal's product info release like Nvidia's press show NON NDA the other day, they did it for other reasons though ,largely the demand for ATi cards and wanting to stunt sales for the red team. That is a soft launch, info, no real reviews and no products for months.

I also couldn't give too rats ass which way either company does it.

it doesn't matter if they told us about the 5870 on the day you could buy them, or 16 years earlier, they were available to be bought on the same day regardless, how could it possibly matter when they tell you about the product.

Why has it become a problem ONLY for gpu makers with fanboys talking about soft/hard launch. We know about tft's months, hell, even a year before they become available, no ones going around saying Samsung suck and LG rule for soft/hard launches.

The caring remotely when the info is available compared to the physical cards themselves is nothing more than another stone to throw by the fanboys of either company. You really don't get LCD fanboys, but gfx cards you certainly do. IF it wasn't soft/hard launch, it would be whose packaging is prettier, failing that, whose packaging was more biodegradeable.

Even funnier is, at stores that list every card they have in stock, a certain e-tailer has 44 5870's in across all brands, they only had 36 285GTX's in stock, they have even less 275gtx's and unsurprisingly loads of 260gtx's. I see just as many 5870's, a brand new card with massive demand, in stock around the place than 285/275gtx's, which have been out for aaagggeess.

 

[niko]

It's hard then goes soft.

Premature Fabrication?

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