Gamers push back on Nvidia

Nvidia is facing a gamer backlash as customers who helped build GeForce say the company now cares more about artificial intelligence than gaming. (cnbc.com) CNBC reported on April 18 that Nvidia’s data center business now accounts for 91.5% of revenue, a sharp sign of how far the company’s center of gravity has shifted away from consumer graphics cards. The same report said gamers tied shortages and high prices to Nvidia prioritizing Blackwell and Rubin chips for AI systems over GeForce products. (cnbc.com) Gaming was Nvidia’s original base: CNBC said the company was nearly bankrupt in 1999 before gamers embraced the GeForce 256, the chip Nvidia marketed as the first graphics processing unit, or GPU. That history made the current complaints more pointed, because many longtime customers see gaming as the business that kept Nvidia alive before Wall Street cared about AI. (cnbc.com) Nvidia is still telling gamers that new software is coming. On March 16, the company said DLSS 5 would bring a new neural rendering model for games, and Nvidia’s GeForce site said DLSS 4.5 features including Dynamic Multi Frame Generation began rolling out on March 31 for GeForce RTX 50 Series users. (nvidianews.nvidia.com) (nvidia.com) DLSS is Nvidia’s system for using artificial intelligence to create or improve frames so games look smoother without rendering every pixel the old way. Nvidia said last month that DLSS now appears in more than 750 games and apps, showing the company is still investing in gaming technology even as AI servers dominate its finances. (nvidia.com) The tension comes from the same supply chain Nvidia uses for both worlds. CNBC reported in December that the AI infrastructure boom was tightening supplies of advanced components, including memory, and pushing up costs for electronics that depend on similar parts. (cnbc.com) Investors have rewarded the pivot. CNBC’s market page showed Nvidia closed at $201.68 on April 17, and CNBC reported earlier this month that the stock had risen 18% over a 10-day winning streak as demand for AI chips stayed strong. (cnbc.com 1) (cnbc.com 2) That leaves Nvidia trying to hold together two identities at once: the GeForce brand that won over players, and the AI supplier now driving most of the company’s money. For gamers waiting for cheaper cards and steadier supply, new DLSS features may not settle the larger complaint that Nvidia’s priorities have changed. (cnbc.com)