WTF?! Pre-launch reviews of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 strongly suggest that consumer Blackwell is going to be another disappointing new architecture from Nvidia. But that hasn't stopped people from camping outside stores days before the cards arrive to secure one. Even in Japan, which has historically been more console-focused, there is chaos in the lines, with some buyers climbing the fence of a neighboring kindergarten to try and secure a launch day lottery ticket.
The RTX 5090's 30% increase in performance for a 25% price jump compared to the RTX 4090 has disappointed many gamers, and the RTX 5080 is even worse.
However, there are plenty of people who still want the latest and most powerful cards on the market, no matter what value they offer. And getting hold of one isn't going to be easy due to very limited supplies.
In Japan, some retailers announced a lottery system in which everyone waiting at the store is given a ticket. Numbers are then drawn, and those with the corresponding tickets are able to purchase a card.
Japan isn't traditionally known for its love of PC gaming, but reports from the country (via VideoCardz) show just how desperate people were for the chance to buy one of the new Blackwells. One of these lotteries took place at PC Koubou, which ended up with people climbing the fence of a nearby kindergarten and destroying the sign. It seems the lottery finished before many people arrived, leading to anger and frustration.
We've already seen photos of people pitching tents outside of Micro Center locations days ahead of the cards' official release today. There have also been reports of stock levels being in the double digits – or even single digits – at some locations.
A Redditor published what is claimed to be a list of stock levels (above) across all the company's US stores. If accurate, it shows only 2,393 RTX 5080 cards were allocated along with 233 RTX 5090 cards. That would be especially bad news for the many people who have been braving the elements over the last few days in the hopes of buying one.
There are similar scenes in the UK, where fans (and possibly some scalpers) were standing in freezing conditions outside of retailer Scan's depot. Meanwhile, one retailer in Sweden said they don't have any RTX 5090 cards at all.