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Linus Tech Tips dropped a video on Sunday explaining tariffs to gamers, particularly gamer bros. They’re expecting some blowback over “politics” (pre-responding: look, bro, these numbers don’t lie), and while they’re definitely getting some, it’s not nearly as bad as I would’ve expected.
It’s good educational content, particularly when showing how the need to maintain not just a profit margin (in absolute dollars) but a percentage markup (in percent increase over cost) causes multiplicative, not merely additive, price increases in the face of tariffs.
In other computer news, Gamer’s Nexus’s video on NZXT’s shriekingly horrific terms, margins, and abusive and sometimes outright fraudulent handling of its “rental gaming PC” business has been tearing through the space. I’ve never seen Steve so angry. TLDR: don’t rent computers for gaming. Or at all, really.
Seriously, don’t, unless you’re a business or other organisation that has specialised needs and you’ve actually worked out the numbers. That space is entirely different anyway and if you’re not already in it, you’re not in it. For my readers? Just don’t.
But even within the terrible consumer rental space, NZXT’s rental programme is special. It’s literally worse than illegal payday loan scams. Meaningfully. And GN have the numbers to prove it! I’m not sure which is my favourite part – that one, or the part where NZXT’s dumping buttloads of money to have tiktok influencers lie specifically to kids.
It’s a big ad blitz, and you know that on some level they’re putting this out there now specifically to build up mindspace in the face of big price hikes coming on PCs, thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Particularly with teenagers, who are least likely to know better.
It’s absolute fire.
Or, well, should be.
Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.
