NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 Launch Sparks Chaos: Japan Faces Turbulence and Global Retailers Report Scarce Stock Levels

NVIDIA’s highly anticipated GeForce RTX 5090 has launched, but not without its fair share of chaos. The excitement surrounding this new GPU has led to a scramble for limited stock, leaving many potential buyers feeling frustrated.

Enormous Demand for NVIDIA’s RTX Blackwell GPU Meets Limited Supply, Leaving Customers in a Tizzy

We previously informed our readers that NVIDIA’s new RTX Blackwell series would be released with incredibly low stock levels. Although NVIDIA did warn about this beforehand, the anticipation among consumers reached fever pitch, causing widespread "inventory chaos" at stores, particularly highlighted by occurrences in Japan. According to reports, there was quite a scene during the launch as Japanese gamers, eager to snag the RTX 5090, created a bit of havoc.

Some retailers in Japan opted for a lottery system to give everyone a fair shot at purchasing the coveted GPU, aiming to deter scalpers. Unfortunately, this method seemed to backfire as tensions rose among early birds, with some even resorting to climbing the fence of a nearby kindergarten in protest of the situation.

The situation isn’t just intense in Japan. In the US, the scenario is similarly dire. Reports suggest that big retailers like MicroCenter are receiving only a handful of these GPUs. Campsites materialized outside stores days before the official launch, making it nearly impossible for an average consumer to get their hands on a piece. This is undoubtedly a letdown for the die-hard fans hoping to snag an RTX Blackwell on its release day.

For those wondering why stocks are egregiously low, the issue boils down primarily to NVIDIA’s choice to incorporate GDDR7 memory modules, which has resulted in supply constraints. Additionally, AIB partners are facing slim profit margins with the RTX 50 series, prompting them to sell at prices above MSRP, adding to the launch day frenzy. Our advice for now? It’s probably best to wait a bit until stock levels normalize, which could take a few weeks. By then, you might also see AMD’s RX 9070 series shaking up the market.