zyzzle wrote on 2022-01-28, 02:04:
rmay635703 wrote on 2022-01-27, 14:28:
So basically in these modern times it’s like
we are back to playing Quake on 386sx25’s w/ 387 because that is what we own.
The very reasonable alternative is to *give up* modern gaming because it's no longer a "fun" hobby, but has now become too expensive, and a 'chore' to justify the outrageous expense. And just because you have a subjectively deficient video card for modern gaming doesen't mean that there aren't still thousands of older games which will work -- outstandingly fast -- on your card. I got to this point long ago, and am very happy there. It really is pretty stupid to spend crazy amounts of cash (that you probably can't afford) on mere video cards. When -- if ever -- prices drop to something more reasonable, not as egregrious, then spend your money more wisely and not enable scalpers, scammers, and artificial price inflations as are so much in vogue at the current moment.
Its not that they are in vogue its that the worlds supply chains are fucked six ways from Sunday due to a certain virus, you only have to look at the monumentally massive backlog of ships trying to enter/leave load/unload at Chinese ports to understand just how bad its become, the prices are a response to this. do you really think Sony likes not being able to supply PS5's ? or that nVidia likes not having product to send to market ? they dont, its bad for business. All that aside its the retailers setting the stupid prices they could just add their costs to the MRSP but they dont they add a 200% mark-up because people WILL and do pay it. Fabricators cannot enforce the MRSP and if you buy direct from say AMD you do actually pay MRSP so its clearly not the FABs setting retail prices.
Consumers are also partly to blame here if they refused to pay the stupid mark-ups the retailers would be forced to lower them back to reasonable levels just to move stock but guess what . .consumers are stupid pack animals and will buy things they dont need at prices they wouldn't normally pay because FOMO .. just look at black Friday sales to get a good example of stupid pack animal behaviour.
There isn't an easy road out of this and honestly its getting worse, even super markets here in Australia are unable to get stock and there are a lot of empty shelves, so all we can really do is sit back and wait, things will eventually return to normal but as with all things retail prices likely wont go back to pre pandemic levels.
I agree with what you are saying, its a shit situation to be in.