AMD addresses Radeon RX Vega pricing, stock issues

Update: AMD has provided us with the following statement: "Radeon RX Vega64 demand continues to exceed expectations. AMD is working closely with its partners to address this demand. Our initial launch quantities included standalone Radeon RX Vega64 at SEP of $499, Radeon RX Vega64 Black Packs at SEP of $599, and Radeon RX Vega64 Aqua Packs at SEP of $699. We are working with our partners to restock all SKUs of Radeon RX Vega64 including the standalone cards and Gamer Packs over the next few weeks, and you should expect quantities of Vega to start arriving in the coming days".

Radeon Technologies Group seems to be in a world of tumbles right now, with the SEP on Radeon RX Vega stated to be $399, $499, and $599.

During AMD's recent Ryzen Tech Day in LA, the company underlined the pricing of Radeon RX Vega and the media (including TweakTown) were surprised with the strong pricing of RX Vega. Well, that has all changed after a huge $100 increase in price. Gamers Nexus is reporting that AIB partners confirmed the $499 launch pricing on Radeon RX Vega 64 was a limited time offer, with AMD reportedly offering e-tailers a $100 voucher - now that those vouchers have run out, RX Vega pricing has hit $599.

Stock availability is incredibly low, with AMD blaming day one demand for RX Vega and its incredible reception - but I don't think that's the case. I had an industry source tell me there would be less than 16,000 units available in the months post-launch, and it seems I was right. I've had another source tell me that those numbers are even lower, hovering somewhere in the 5000 region - if that's true, it would be disasterous.

Then we have the other side of the fence where miners are being blamed, except that AMD is giving miners a huge boost by providing mining performance improvement through specific drivers for Radeon RX Vega. If AMD was so anti-mining and pro-gaming, these drivers would've boosted gaming performance, and not mining.

I reached out to AMD for clarification, where they said: "Day 1 demand for RX Vega has been incredible and has resulted in out-of-stock situations in a number of outlets. We're working hard to have stock replenished in the next few days". As I said above, I don't see how demand can be so strong when reception to RX Vega was so luke warm and underwhelming. I've read so many reviews since launch, and it seems that's the case.

I don't know a single person who has purchased Radeon RX Vega 56 or RX Vega 64... that is a telling sign.

As Rob Williams from Techgage said in his recent article, the launch reviews were based on the $499 pricing - making Radeon RX Vega 64 a compelling card, if you ignored the power consumption and not-so-great performance.

If the price of RX Vega 64 had been $599 at launch, reviews would've had an entirely different tone. This is a confusing time for reviewers and consumers alike, with AMD (well, RTG more specifically) not handling it well. There's confusion about stock availability, price increases, mining specific driver improvements, and those stupid Radeon Packs.

I think AMD don't have enough stock, and HBM2 yields aren't coming back in the numbers AMD had hoped for. My source said less than 16,000 - and I think this is ringing more and more true as the days go by.

Here's a big question: do you know anyone that purchased Radeon RX Vega 56 or 64 in the last week or so since launch? If so, let us know in the comments below. Did they buy it on its own, or in a Radeon Pack? Do you know ANYONE who has purchased a Radeon Pack?