- Mar 29, 2010
- 3,691
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[HWC]AMD Launches Never Settle Forever Game Promo
- Thread starter Jaydip
- Start date
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7218/amd-announces-never-settle-forever-bundle
With AMDs existing Never Settle Reloaded bundle set to wind-down this summer, AMD is announcing this morning that they are once again refreshing their popular Never Settle bundle program. The latest iteration of the program, being dubbed Never Settle Forever, is going live today and will immediately be replacing Level Up with Never Settle Reloaded across most products. And like previous iterations of the Never Settle program, Never Settle Forever will be coming with its own set of changes for the program.
The most significant news here, beyond the fact that AMD is renewing Never Settle, is how the redemption program works. With Never Settle Reloaded and previous editions of the bundle, AMD has been bundling offers for specific games with specific products. The most recent edition, for example, would offer Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon with a Radeon HD 7790, while a Radeon HD 7770 would come with Blood Dragon, but drop the other two titles for Far Cry 3. However with Never Settle Forever, AMD is moving away from a fixed game model to a pick-your-game model that lets buyers redeem games off of a revolving list of several games.
Alongside the pick-your-game model, with Never Settle Forever AMD is moving redemption into 3 Radeon Rewards tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, with the tiers tied to video cards of increasing value. Each tier in turn has its own list of games these lists currently being supersets of each other as you go up in tiers with buyers getting 1, 2, or 3 games off of each list respectively. Meanwhile this tier system will also serve to slightly simplify AMDs redemption system, as this will see AMD contracting the number of card/game configurations from 5 to 3 (7990 excluded).
AMD Never Settle Forever: Radeon Rewards TiersCardTierNumber of Free GamesCur. Number of Games on Tier7990N/A887900 SeriesGold397800 SeriesSilver287790/7770Bronze17
Next to the pick-your-game model and the use of tiers, the final change in the program is that AMD is now going to allow buyers to bank their redemption credit, in anticipation of future titles. As previously mentioned AMD will be using a revolving list of games, so games will be periodically added or dropped as AMD signs up new games, loses old games, or exhausts their key allocations. Buyers in turn may choose to use their redemption coupon now or in the future, with those choosing to bank their coupon betting on being able to redeem those coupons for newer/better games in the future.
However there will be a trio of catches to banking redemption credit that need to be pointed out. First and foremost, AMD will not be announcing new games ahead of time. So whatever games they add in the future and they have made it clear they will be adding games are anyones guess, as will what tiers get those games (only gold tier is a given). The second catch is that silver and gold tier coupons, good for 2 and 3 games respectively, must have all of their games redeemed all at once; the credits cant be split. So for example on a gold tier coupon its not possible to get Tomb Raider now, and then save just 2 of the credits for future use. Its all or nothing, as it were. AMD didnt go into great detail on why theyre handling the program in this manner, but judging from their current game lists its a reasonable assumption that they dont want coupon holders sniping the most valuable (read: expensive to AMD) games. Finally, redemption coupons/credits are only valid until the end of 2013, so while buyers can bank their credits they can't bank them for too long, as they'll need to spend them by the end of the year.
With all of that in mind, given AMDs current game list the banking system is a reasonable compromise considering what games are currently available on each tier. Compared to Never Settle Reloaded, Never Settle Forever is at least initially a weaker bundle; AMD has lost two of their most recent titles, Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite. The only 2013 AAA games that remain are Tomb Raider and DMC, the rest of the games being from 2012 or earlier, or in the case of Blood Dragon a budget game from the start. So despite the additional flexibility the pick-your-game model offers, buyers at the highest tier in particular (7900 series/gold) are getting a less valuable bundle at this moment. We cant guess what titles will be introduced in the future, but banking may not be a bad idea for those looking to get the most bang for their buck.
Finally, Never Settle Forever will for the time being only cover AMDs single GPU parts, as noted in the product chart above. The Radeon HD 7990 retains its existing 8 game (i.e. everything) bundle, in part a consequence of the fact that the coupons for those cards are bundled in the product box itself rather than added by the retailer, and as such cannot be changed by AMD. This also means that the 7990 will continue to have by far the most lucrative bundle, even after the recent AMD price cuts that saw the 7990 drop to as low as $649 after rebate.
Ultimately from a marketing perspective the fact that AMD is renewing the Never Settle program comes as no great surprise, as the game bundle program has been undeniably popular among Radeon buyers. It has been obvious that AMD was going to continue the program in some form considering all the good will and good press it has earned them, so we're glad to see it renewed. At the same time while the pick-your-game model is not groundbreaking (weve seen MSI do it before) this is the first time weve seen such a program done at the highest levels, and in AMDs case its a simple yet effective change that will reduce buyer concern over duplicate games. Finally with the Forever iteration of the program running until the end of the year, it will be interesting to see what games AMD adds to the program. There are a number of AAA games from AMDs typical partners due over the next couple of months, so hopefully in light of the loss of Bioshock and Crysis AMD can land some new anchor titles to further augment the program.
With AMDs existing Never Settle Reloaded bundle set to wind-down this summer, AMD is announcing this morning that they are once again refreshing their popular Never Settle bundle program. The latest iteration of the program, being dubbed Never Settle Forever, is going live today and will immediately be replacing Level Up with Never Settle Reloaded across most products. And like previous iterations of the Never Settle program, Never Settle Forever will be coming with its own set of changes for the program.
The most significant news here, beyond the fact that AMD is renewing Never Settle, is how the redemption program works. With Never Settle Reloaded and previous editions of the bundle, AMD has been bundling offers for specific games with specific products. The most recent edition, for example, would offer Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon with a Radeon HD 7790, while a Radeon HD 7770 would come with Blood Dragon, but drop the other two titles for Far Cry 3. However with Never Settle Forever, AMD is moving away from a fixed game model to a pick-your-game model that lets buyers redeem games off of a revolving list of several games.
Alongside the pick-your-game model, with Never Settle Forever AMD is moving redemption into 3 Radeon Rewards tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, with the tiers tied to video cards of increasing value. Each tier in turn has its own list of games these lists currently being supersets of each other as you go up in tiers with buyers getting 1, 2, or 3 games off of each list respectively. Meanwhile this tier system will also serve to slightly simplify AMDs redemption system, as this will see AMD contracting the number of card/game configurations from 5 to 3 (7990 excluded).
AMD Never Settle Forever: Radeon Rewards TiersCardTierNumber of Free GamesCur. Number of Games on Tier7990N/A887900 SeriesGold397800 SeriesSilver287790/7770Bronze17
Next to the pick-your-game model and the use of tiers, the final change in the program is that AMD is now going to allow buyers to bank their redemption credit, in anticipation of future titles. As previously mentioned AMD will be using a revolving list of games, so games will be periodically added or dropped as AMD signs up new games, loses old games, or exhausts their key allocations. Buyers in turn may choose to use their redemption coupon now or in the future, with those choosing to bank their coupon betting on being able to redeem those coupons for newer/better games in the future.
However there will be a trio of catches to banking redemption credit that need to be pointed out. First and foremost, AMD will not be announcing new games ahead of time. So whatever games they add in the future and they have made it clear they will be adding games are anyones guess, as will what tiers get those games (only gold tier is a given). The second catch is that silver and gold tier coupons, good for 2 and 3 games respectively, must have all of their games redeemed all at once; the credits cant be split. So for example on a gold tier coupon its not possible to get Tomb Raider now, and then save just 2 of the credits for future use. Its all or nothing, as it were. AMD didnt go into great detail on why theyre handling the program in this manner, but judging from their current game lists its a reasonable assumption that they dont want coupon holders sniping the most valuable (read: expensive to AMD) games. Finally, redemption coupons/credits are only valid until the end of 2013, so while buyers can bank their credits they can't bank them for too long, as they'll need to spend them by the end of the year.
Finally, Never Settle Forever will for the time being only cover AMDs single GPU parts, as noted in the product chart above. The Radeon HD 7990 retains its existing 8 game (i.e. everything) bundle, in part a consequence of the fact that the coupons for those cards are bundled in the product box itself rather than added by the retailer, and as such cannot be changed by AMD. This also means that the 7990 will continue to have by far the most lucrative bundle, even after the recent AMD price cuts that saw the 7990 drop to as low as $649 after rebate.
Ultimately from a marketing perspective the fact that AMD is renewing the Never Settle program comes as no great surprise, as the game bundle program has been undeniably popular among Radeon buyers. It has been obvious that AMD was going to continue the program in some form considering all the good will and good press it has earned them, so we're glad to see it renewed. At the same time while the pick-your-game model is not groundbreaking (weve seen MSI do it before) this is the first time weve seen such a program done at the highest levels, and in AMDs case its a simple yet effective change that will reduce buyer concern over duplicate games. Finally with the Forever iteration of the program running until the end of the year, it will be interesting to see what games AMD adds to the program. There are a number of AAA games from AMDs typical partners due over the next couple of months, so hopefully in light of the loss of Bioshock and Crysis AMD can land some new anchor titles to further augment the program.
That's pretty cool. If there's nothing that you want right now, but you know a soon to be released game is going to be added later on (BF4 for instance) You can just save the coupon and redeem it when there's something you like (before the end of the year).
Wow, thats a really cool idea. I knew I was going to grab me some 9970's when they came out, but this further solidified that.
Wow, this is awesome. They just upped the bar on free games, choose what you want... Hopefully they offer this on the HD 9970/9950 launch.
- Mar 29, 2010
- 3,691
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I personally believe NV has better games going forward SC,BAO,Watchdogs,GTA,COD,W3 ...
Phynaz
Lifer
- Mar 13, 2006
- 10,140
- 819
- 126
Which can't be added by AMD because?
Edit:
Nvidia just announced they jumped the gun on GTA. And Watchdogs is Ubisoft, you will never get that DRM laden crap on my PC.
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- Mar 29, 2010
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railven
Diamond Member
- Mar 25, 2010
- 6,604
- 561
- 126
So if I understand this right, if I were to buy a Radeon card now, I can pocket the "free swag" until something new is added to the list (since I pretty much got all these already as "free swag" from AMD.)
If so, cool, if not, que? Why haven't they added in the other games they are Evolving? I'd love to get me a free (or super cheap) copy of Castlevania 1 and 2
Toss in FFXIV and I think I'm good until October
If so, cool, if not, que? Why haven't they added in the other games they are Evolving? I'd love to get me a free (or super cheap) copy of Castlevania 1 and 2
Toss in FFXIV and I think I'm good until October
Phynaz
Lifer
- Mar 13, 2006
- 10,140
- 819
- 126
^ I wouldn't bet on it, but I wouldn't bet against it.
You'd have until the end of the year to decide what to get, but as was mentioned all but one is so old they might as well be listed on good old games.
How long can AMD keep this up? They lost 74 million in Q2, seems they're killing margins and earnings for small gains in market share?
You'd have until the end of the year to decide what to get, but as was mentioned all but one is so old they might as well be listed on good old games.
How long can AMD keep this up? They lost 74 million in Q2, seems they're killing margins and earnings for small gains in market share?
Raise you hand whoever thinks AMD is on the red because of bundling games....
Do I see a hand up over there? Oh, scratching your head....
Move along.... :awe:
ONT: Nice strategy, let's see what announcements are coming down the road this few months. BF4 is almost a given.
Do I see a hand up over there? Oh, scratching your head....
Move along.... :awe:
ONT: Nice strategy, let's see what announcements are coming down the road this few months. BF4 is almost a given.
Durvelle27
Diamond Member
- Jun 3, 2012
- 4,102
- 0
- 0
There was an announcement not long ago mentioning the new Never Settle bundle might include Watch Dogs and Battlefield 4
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no. PC desktop and notebook APU sales are accounted with the CPU division which is called Computing Solutions. GPU division is now called Graphics and Visual Solutions and will record revenue from discrete GPU sales and semi-custom PS4 and Xbox One APU sales.
AMD can keep this up forever. For a tiny sum per game title (less than 5 bucks), they get waaaay more than 5 or 10 dollars of added value. It's not about market share, it's about sales and being able to charge more than if they didn't have the games.
RussianSensation
Elite Member
- Sep 5, 2003
- 19,458
- 765
- 126
So let's get this straight: you are now upset AMD keeps lowering GPU prices and giving gamers choices of up to 3 free games they can bank up to December 31st? Bringing financials into it as usual. Worst case scenario, if this strategy fails, they can always release 20nm cards at $599 and you'll still complain that they are now overpriced.
The cheapest 770 2GB is $390, 4GB is $440 on Newegg.
vs. $290 for the cheapest 1Ghz 7970 with 3 free games that are bankable. Even without free games, NV's pricing right now is simply laughable above GTX760's levels.
Even GTX760 lost its spotlight as 7950 V2s can be found for $220, while 760 2GB is $250 and 4GB is $300. :hmm:
If we want cheaper prices for videocards, it's impossible to support the stunts NV is pulling right now with GPU pricing. Recommending their cards right now is akin to agreeing that we are willing to pay a lot more $ for little to no gains in performance (other than 780/Titan). NV's pricing needs to come down to Earth. :thumbsdown:
SolMiester
Diamond Member
- Dec 19, 2004
- 5,330
- 17
- 76
Considering you have the number and price/performance proposition quite tamed, which 7950 would you recommend getting right now?
My eyes point towards the HIS X2 one, the only really confirmed with 7970 ref PCB (still cant discern without S/N which MSI 7950 TF at newegg is the one with the 7970 ref board) and at $244 at egg with 3 games, its a killer deal. But probably there is another 7950 I might be missing. Gigabyte's winforce seems good with thermals and noise, but I'm not really seeing high OCs with that one, and Vapor X's are still in a higher tier regarding pricing, making them right now kinda pointless.
and they are pointing in the right direction. :thumbsup: make sure you can fit that beast of a card in your case. 311 mm long.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161429
http://www.legionhardware.com/artic...hz_edition_7950_iceq_xsup2_boost_clock,3.html
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