I very much agree. Unfortunately it leads to fragmentation but I can't say it is all bad as added features can be good. TBH I don't mind having both a nV and an AMD comp and I may do that eventually. However, it cannot be fun for someone who does not want to spend money on 2 different systems just to have good performance in GE and TWIMTBP games.
It sucks, but it's always been that way - and most people never thought of having both platforms... you just make your choice and deal with it for that generation, and eventually things work out to be less fragmented.
Before DirectX, the different GPUs and APIs were maddening, and you really had to pick your platform. Aside from a few unique hardware-level features, it hasn't been as cut-throat as it used to be. And our market has stagnated - new hardware generations are not nearly the leaps forward they could be, if the two companies put serious capital behind their next move.
Yes, such bold moves lead to fragmentation of the market and make us put up with some stupid realities, like some games not performing nearly as well, or missing half their eye-candy. But it won't last forever, and it basically means the next generation or two after that will at least bring a major leap from one of the competitors, which means we win in the end.
But that's computing and hardware in a nutshell. They has actually been a seriously stagnant market in all of computing. AMD in whole has dragged their feat and simply accepted the bottom market, instead of out-maneuvering Intel (or Nvidia). Both Intel and AMD had had unique hardware and "exclusive" features, to a certain degree they still do. Getting developers to code for those unique execution paths, or licensing tech to the competitor (both AMD and Intel license certain chip-architecture tech from each other).
The same thing is also what led to unique chipsets/controllers, like only motherboards with chipsets from Nivida could even support SLI. In time, those chipset features were boiled down to universal compatibility and got featured in the chipsets from almost everyone, including the main Intel and AMD platforms - so you can use Crossfire or SLI on the same system these days. Back when such was new, it was a pain in the ass system-building, because if you were trying to future-proof a system to handle a few upgrades, you had to lock yourself into certain manufacturers/brands.
