Poor NVIDIA. Getting dogpiled by tech forum users. Who will come to their aid?
Lying is bad. NVIDIA lied/was incompetent, NVIDIA didn't apologize. They deserve all the criticism they get.
NVIDIA should have taken these steps:
-Update specs of Geforce.com to reflect that it has a 224-bit memory bus and 3.5GB + 0.5GB of VRAM, while sending out updated spec sheets to all major tech sites.
-Issue an apology to all 970 owners, and offer them all a refund/some credit towards a future purchase, something of that nature.
-Force all partners to put 3.5GB on the boxes from then on, and do the same to NVIDIA branded 970s being sold at Best Buy and Geforce.com. This is the what they did with the 570, and the most complete truth.
If they had done any of that or even done something as simple as offer an apology, I think many would be very willing to forget the issue. Instead they've done literally nothing. It's an insult to anyone who's purchased a 970. They simply made no effort to make things right with their customers, and that's the real problem. They offloaded all the responsibility to retailers and partners, some of whom stepped up to the plate and compensated 970 owners for a mistake that wasn't even theirs. That's kind of pathetic on NV's part, isn't it? Letting other companies take the hit for your mistake?