6 Months Late...ATI/Valve Conspiracy Theory

[Zyphria]

ATI has been fighting head to head with Nvidia since the arrival of the Radeon 9700 Pro. That said, what would be one way that ATI could sell more cards (and increase 2H profits)? Why they sign a deal with Valve and get little coupons for Half Life 2. You see the reason they never announced its delay till the week before hand was to keep sales of mid/high-end cards up. Then all the vague "due out during the holidays..." Yet another ploy to sell more ATI cards. So when ATI got exclusive rights to launch their latest products little vouchers for free HL2, their real intent was to raise hype and get people to upgrade early.

In retrospect it looks like it worked. People bought new cards and ATI is definitely up there. So who loses? We do. HL2 was *never* going to make it out by September 30th, it was a game they played so that ATI could make a bit more money.

I realize someone may have already postulated this but I thought I'd put it forth.

 

[hiln]

ATI has been fighting head to head with Nvidia since the arrival of the Radeon 9700 Pro. That said, what would be one way that ATI could sell more cards (and increase 2H profits)? Why they sign a deal with Valve and get little coupons for Half Life 2. You see the reason they never announced its delay till the week before hand was to keep sales of mid/high-end cards up. Then all the vague "due out during the holidays..." Yet another ploy to sell more ATI cards. So when ATI got exclusive rights to launch their latest products little vouchers for free HL2, their real intent was to raise hype and get people to upgrade early.

In retrospect it looks like it worked. People bought new cards and ATI is definitely up there. So who loses? We do. HL2 was *never* going to make it out by September 30th, it was a game they played so that ATI could make a bit more money.

I realize someone may have already postulated this but I thought I'd put it forth.

heh, most people here are blindly going to push that off with a "well, no one forced you to buy it, its not valves fault".
Well you know what, that is how marketing works, its subtle, and its sneaky, and a dishonest way to do it.
they want your easy $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
it is so easy to push someone in the right direction with subtleties like valve and ati did.

Or so I believe, I could be very wrong though.

 

[fri][ish]

... it is so easy to push someone in the right direction with subtleties like valve and ati did.

Only if you let them push you!

 

[hiln]

Only if you let them push you!

well, some fanboys aren't that smart.
well, alot of fanboys are mindless, and read Gabe Newell's speach as God's.

HE SAID HL2 WILL RUN WITH FLYING COLORS WITH ATI OVER NVDIA CARDS????????
*buys ati card*

of cource, thats taken to an extreme, you can't deny how it was used to be marketed to ignorant fans.

 

[PvtRyan]

Ooh boy, I love conspiracy theories! * puts on tin foil hat *
But how does the FBI or CIA fit into all this? Without them, this is not a real conspiracy theory you know.

 

[63]

I dont really care that I got swept up in the ATI - HL2 voucher thing, because I look at it 2 ways:

We get a better final HL2
I get a kickass Radeon 9600 Pro AiW

 

[63]

Ooh boy, I love conspiracy theories! * puts on tin foil hat *
But how does the FBI or CIA fit into all this? Without them, this is not a real conspiracy theory you know.

You forgot to put the washing machine on!!!1!1!111!!!!

 

[fri][ish]

... you can't deny how it was used to be marketed to ignorant fans.

I fully agree with you.

You have to understand though, your talking about two people here. Someone marketing, and someone being ingnorant! It's up to you how ignorant you are!

I'm not saying that I wouldn't have bought the card, had I only the money. I'm saying had I bought it, I wouldn't blame Valve or ATI for my foolishness!

 

[Top Secret]

heh, most people here are blindly going to push that off with a "well, no one forced you to buy it, its not valves fault".

Hey, you're absolutely right, NO ONE FORCED YOU TO BUY IT. It was peoples own decision. I bought my new computer, and I love it.

 

[hiln]

Hey, you're absolutely right, NO ONE FORCED YOU TO BUY IT. It was peoples own decision. I bought my new computer, and I love it.

yeah who cares if you had any influence right?
Its not really surprising.



:rolling: :rolling: drink pepsi :rolling: :rolling:

 

[The Dark Ange]

Hey, you're absolutely right, NO ONE FORCED YOU TO BUY IT. It was peoples own decision. I bought my new computer, and I love it.

The point is not that people bought the hardware, but how they advertised the hardware to us.

 

[63]

The point is not that people bought the hardware, but how they advertised the hardware to us.

what do you propose they do? not advertise their product to us? That would really push sales! If you have strong willpower, no silly ad will suck you in! (to bad I have none ;()

 

[hiln]

I LOVE VALVE ;()

dude, just forget I said anything...

 

[Sulkdodds]

Are the HL2 coupns still valid though?
Ps. Valve is the CIA, which is controlled by the church, wyho are controlled by the aliens.

 

[BigAl]

I'm happy with my 9600ProAIW and the HL2 coupon.

 

[Someone]

heh, most people here are blindly going to push that off with a "well, no one forced you to buy it, its not valves fault".
Well you know what, that is how marketing works, its subtle, and its sneaky, and a dishonest way to do it.
they want your easy $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
it is so easy to push someone in the right direction with subtleties like valve and ati did.

Or so I believe, I could be very wrong though.

But on the other hand....if he (and other game makers) said NOTHING at all about what works best, and the hardware they eventually bought didn't work *great*, people would piss and moan for months about how they were misled and lied to.

Valve (as well as other companies, but especially Valve right now) can't win with this because people will find ways of complaining.

The fact of the matter is Gabe said ATI runs better, which was backed up by numerous websites because of the DX9 issue. This is selling the product sure, BUT, also simply fact. What if he NEVER said a word? People with Nvidia would have been fuming when they bought their cards because they didn't run as well as ATI on Half Life2.

This whole argument is similar to blaming commercials because you started smoking. Or blaming sporting events on TV because they show a lot of alcohol ads during the breaks.

 

[clarky003]

lol some 'conspiracy theory'. lol, conspiracy? that sounds about right to me Zyphria I think youve pretty much nailed the truth on the head. pretty simple really, .

 

[Zyphria]

Well so long as it was bouncing around in my head alone it seemed like a conspiracy theory....

Now if only I could get someone to leak some internal documents wherein ATI knew well before it started included HL2 coupons that the game would not be available for a loooong time to come...

As it stands there is very little 'real' proof. We can't look at facts and figures to compare ATI sales had HL2 not been hyped along with ATI's cards. As it stands I love my Radeon 9800 Pro but it really ticks me off that Valve would sell out like this. Half Life sales (in conjunction with Counter-Strike etc) has kept money flowing into the company, and I was under the belief that they would not be pressured to release a premature product. It is almost as if ATI managed to slip a clause into their agreement about the game...forcing Valve to play their game.

Ah the wonders of economic backdealings...

 

[un om bun]

I like myself.
Got a cheap FX 5600 and it runs every game out there perfectly. Feels good to use your head...

 

[clarky003]

un om bun, i agree with you. ,, nice too see your using the old head, and not purchasing any of these top of the range cards, < i got the 5400, that works nice with farcry. Im doing what your doing and waiting till these games actually come out before I upgrade, and by then with any luck there will be bigger and better cards available

 

[B_MAN]

interesting theory
if i had been home, i probably would have upgraded to a new ATI card at the time as well
thats not to sayn though that i wouldnt have kept that new card up until and passed hl2's forthcoming release