NVIDIA shifts into retail market
NVIDIA, the global manufacturer of graphics processing units (GPUs), has released its own-branded graphics cards in Best Buy retail stores in the US.
The firm has previously only been engaged in producing graphics chips provided for inclusion in graphics cards made by its partners, including PNY and ASUS, but now it's entering the own-branded retail market for cards. The cards appeared in US Best Buy stores in early October and could risk upsetting NVIDIA’s partners as the company will now be competing with them head-on with boxes marked as ‘built and support by NVIDIA’.
The partnership is exclusive to Best Buy and reports online suggest that NVIDIA’s actions won't be extended to Europe yet.
NVIDIA has lost some high-profile partners this year, with XFX becoming an AMD partner and BFG moving out of the graphics card market altogether. The company's move into own-branded cards could see it gaining more market share at the expense of its partners, and it suggests a desire from the firm to expand its brand name to a wider customer base and to raise its profile amidst stiff competition from rival AMD.
