AMD slams GPP in blog post by ex-NVIDIA exec now at AMD

NVIDIA could most likely feel the voodoo doll that AMD has of them being poked and prodded overnight, with AMD coming out with a body slam against the GeForce Partner Program, or GPP.

For those who don't know the GPP is a new program that will see AMD add-in board partners who make both GeForce and Radeon graphics card need to have a very fine line between Radeon and GeForce. For the last few years we've seen AIB partners market GeForce and Radeon graphics cards in the same brands like ROG by ASUS, but now that the cat is out of the bag with AREZ, things are going to heat up.

Funnily enough, Scott Herkelman used to work for NVIDIA but is now the Corporate VP & GM of Radeon Gaming at AMD posted on the Radeon blog, where he said:

Radeon RX Graphics: A Gamer's Choice by Scott Herkelman

Our proud pastime of PC gaming has been built on the idea of freedom. Freedom to choose. How to play the game. What to do and when to do it. And specifically, what to play it on. PC gaming has a long, proud tradition of choice. Whether you build and upgrade your own PCs, or order pre-built rigs after you've customized every detail online, you know that what you're playing on is of your own making, based on your freedom to choose the components that you want. Freedom of choice is a staple of PC gaming.

Over the coming weeks, you can expect to see our add-in board partners launch new brands that carry an AMD Radeon product. AMD is pledging to reignite this freedom of choice when gamers choose an AMD Radeon RX graphics card. These brands will share the same values of openness, innovation, and inclusivity that most gamers take to heart. The freedom to tell others in the industry that they won't be boxed in to choosing proprietary solutions that come bundled with "gamer taxes" just to enjoy great experiences they should rightfully have access to. The freedom to support a brand that actively works to advance the art and science of PC gaming while expanding its reach.

The key values that brands sporting AMD Radeon products will offer are:

• A dedication to open innovation - AMD works tirelessly to advance PC gaming through close collaboration with hardware standards bodies, API and game developers, making our technologies available to all to help further the industry. Through our collaboration with JEDEC on memory standards like HBM and HBM2, Microsoft on DirectX and Khronos on Vulkan, and through the GPUOpen initiative where we provide access to a comprehensive collection of visual effects, productivity tools, and other content at no cost, we're enabling the industry to the benefit of gamers.

• A commitment to true transparency through industry standards - Through industry standards like AMD FreeSync technology, we're providing the PC ecosystem with technologies that significantly enhance gamers' experiences, enabling partners to adopt them at no cost to consumers, rather than penalizing gamers with proprietary technology "taxes" and limiting their choice in displays.

• Real partnerships with real consistency - We work closely with all our AIB partners, so that our customers are empowered with the best, high-performance, high quality gaming products and technologies available from AMD. No anti-gamer / anti-competitive strings attached.

• Expanding the PC gaming ecosystem - We create open and free game development technologies that enable the next generation of immersive gaming experiences across PC and console ecosystems. These efforts have resulted in advancements such as AMD FreeSync adoption on TVs for Xbox One S or X, integration of forward looking "Vega" architecture features and technologies into Far Cry 5 without penalizing the competition, and inclusion of open sourced AMD innovations into the Vulkan API which game developers can adopt freely.

We pledge to put premium, high-performance graphics cards in the hands of as many gamers as possible and give our partners the support they need without anti-competitive conditions. Through the support of our add-in-board partners that carry forward the AMD Radeon RX brand, we're continuing to push the industry openly, transparently and without restrictions so that gamers have access to the best immersive technologies, APIs and experiences.

We believe that freedom of choice in PC gaming isn't a privilege. It's a right.