Editing Nvidia (section)

=== Hardware Unboxed ===
On December 10, 2020, Nvidia told [[YouTube]] tech reviewer Steven Walton of Hardware Unboxed that it would no longer supply him with GeForce Founders Edition graphics card review units.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Chris |date=December 12, 2020 |title=Nvidia Under Fire For Banning Review Site That Doesn't Focus On Nvidia Hardware Strengths {{!}} Happy Gamer |url=https://happygamer.com/nvidia-under-fire-for-banning-review-site-that-doesnt-focus-on-nvidia-hardware-strengths-97094/ |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=HappyGamer |language=en-US |archive-date=December 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217023151/https://happygamer.com/nvidia-under-fire-for-banning-review-site-that-doesnt-focus-on-nvidia-hardware-strengths-97094/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 13, 2020 |title=Hardware Unboxed VS NVIDIA: a Masterpiece of Bad Marketing |url=https://pangoly.com/en/blog/hardware-unboxed-vs-nvidia-a-masterpiece-of-bad-marketing/126 |access-date=December 17, 2020 |website=Pangoly |language=en |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123122503/https://pangoly.com/en/blog/hardware-unboxed-vs-nvidia-a-masterpiece-of-bad-marketing/126 |url-status=live}}</ref> In a Twitter message, Hardware Unboxed said, "Nvidia have officially decided to ban us from receiving GeForce Founders Edition GPU review samples. Their reasoning is that we are focusing on rasterization instead of ray tracing. They have said they will revisit this 'should your editorial direction change.'"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nvidia have officially decided to ban us from receiving GeForce Founders Edition GPU review samples |url=https://twitter.com/hardwareunboxed/status/1337246983682060289 |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=Twitter |language=en |archive-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224024257/https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed/status/1337246983682060289 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In emails that were disclosed by Walton from Nvidia Senior PR Manager Bryan Del Rizzo, Nvidia had said:<blockquote>...your GPU reviews and recommendations have continued to focus singularly on rasterization performance, and you have largely discounted all of the other technologies we offer gamers. It is very clear from your community commentary that you do not see things the same way that we, gamers, and the rest of the industry do.<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>TechSpot, partner site of Hardware Unboxed, said, "this and other related incidents raise serious questions around journalistic independence and what they are expecting of reviewers when they are sent products for an unbiased opinion."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Lal |first1=Arjun Krishna |last2=Franco |first2=Julio |date=December 12, 2020 |title=The ugly side of Nvidia: A rollercoaster ride that shows when Big Tech doesn't get it |url=https://www.techspot.com/news/87946-ugly-side-nvidia-rollercoaster-ride-shows-when-big.html |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=TechSpot |language=en-US |archive-date=January 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105184243/https://www.techspot.com/news/87946-ugly-side-nvidia-rollercoaster-ride-shows-when-big.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

A number of technology reviewers came out strongly against Nvidia's move.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Nvidia puts pressure on the hardware press |url=https://www.hardwareheaven.com/nvidia-puts-pressure-on-the-hardware-press/ |access-date=December 15, 2020 |website=HardwareHeaven.com |language=en-US |archive-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214115601/https://www.hardwareheaven.com/nvidia-puts-pressure-on-the-hardware-press/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Linus Sebastian]], of [[Linus Tech Tips]], titled the episode of his weekly WAN Show, "NVIDIA might ACTUALLY be EVIL..."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kokhanyuk |first=Stanislav |title=I believe in ray tracing, but I do not believe in Nvidia's RTX 3000-series GPUs |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/I-believe-in-ray-tracing-but-I-do-not-believe-in-Nvidia-s-RTX-3000-series-GPUs.509180.0.html |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=Notebookcheck |date=December 13, 2020 |language=en |archive-date=December 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229095954/https://www.notebookcheck.net/I-believe-in-ray-tracing-but-I-do-not-believe-in-Nvidia-s-RTX-3000-series-GPUs.509180.0.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and was highly critical of the company's move to dictate specific outcomes of technology reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2020 |title=NVIDIA might ACTUALLY be EVIL... – WAN Show December 11, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXn9O-Rzb_M  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/iXn9O-Rzb_M| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live |website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The review site Gamers Nexus said it was, "Nvidia's latest decision to shoot both its feet: They've now made it so that any reviewers covering RT will become subject to scrutiny from untrusting viewers who will suspect subversion by the company. Shortsighted self-own from NVIDIA."<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2020 |title=I have something else to say about NVIDIA's latest decision to shoot both its feet: They've now made it so that any reviewers covering RT will become subject to scrutiny from untrusting viewers who will suspect subversion by the company. Shortsighted self-own from NVIDIA. |url=https://twitter.com/gamersnexus/status/1337300582785282049 |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=Twitter |language=en |archive-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221025356/https://twitter.com/GamersNexus/status/1337300582785282049 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Two days later, Nvidia reversed their stance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farrell |first=Nick |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Nvidia retreats from PR disaster |url=https://fudzilla.com/news/52042-nvidia-retreats-from-pr-disaster |access-date=December 14, 2020 |website=fudzilla.com |language=en-gb |archive-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214112414/https://www.fudzilla.com/news/52042-nvidia-retreats-from-pr-disaster |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2020 |title=Nvidia issues an Apology for Backlisting Hardware Unboxed as their Reviewer |url=https://appuals.com/nvidia-issues-an-apology-for-backlisting-hardware-unboxed-as-their-reviewer/ |access-date=December 16, 2020 |website=Appuals.com |language=en-US |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215194427/https://appuals.com/nvidia-issues-an-apology-for-backlisting-hardware-unboxed-as-their-reviewer/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Hardware Unboxed sent out a Twitter message, "I just received an email from Nvidia apologizing for the previous email & they've now walked everything back."<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2020 |title=I just received an email from Nvidia apologizing for the previous email & they've now walked everything back. |url=https://twitter.com/hardwareunboxed/status/1337885741389471745 |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=Twitter |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113023143/https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed/status/1337885741389471745 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Alderson |first=Alex |title=NVIDIA u-turns on its decision to block Hardware Unboxed from receiving GPU review units |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-u-turns-on-its-decision-to-block-Hardware-Unboxed-from-receiving-GPU-review-units.509177.0.html |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=Notebookcheck |date=December 13, 2020 |language=en |archive-date=December 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214233828/https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-u-turns-on-its-decision-to-block-Hardware-Unboxed-from-receiving-GPU-review-units.509177.0.html |url-status=live}}</ref> On December 14, Hardware Unboxed released a video explaining the controversy from their viewpoint.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardware Unboxed |title=Nvidia Bans Hardware Unboxed, Then Backpedals: Our Thoughts |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdAMcQgR92k  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/wdAMcQgR92k| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=December 14, 2020 |website=YouTube|date=December 14, 2020 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Via Twitter, they also shared a second apology sent by Nvidia's Del Rizzo that said "to withhold samples because I didn't agree with your commentary is simply inexcusable and crossed the line."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardware Unboxed |date=December 14, 2020 |title=Twitter: Bryan Del Rizzo from Nvidia has reached out a second time to apologize and asked us to share this with you. |url=https://twitter.com/hardwareunboxed/status/1338709463721672705 |access-date=December 22, 2020 |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215045635/https://twitter.com/HardwareUnboxed/status/1338709463721672705 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stanley |first=Donny |date=December 15, 2020 |title=NVIDIA Apologizes For Email Blacklisting Reviewer, Retracts Original Statements |url=https://adoredtv.com/nvidia-apologizes-for-email-blacklisting-reviewer-retracts-original-statements/ |access-date=December 22, 2020 |website=AdoredTV |language=en-US |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215095411/https://adoredtv.com/nvidia-apologizes-for-email-blacklisting-reviewer-retracts-original-statements/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>