Newegg had 60-70 Radeon RX Vega 64 packs on launch day

Probably one of the most controversial computer hardware stories of the last couple of days concerns the pricing of AMD's Radeon RX Vega 64. The company told gamers and the tech media that the cards would ship on August 14th for $499. AMD even said they deliberately delayed the launch of Vega to ensure they would have good launch volume.

However, it appears the company told retailers a completely different story. Based on multiple reports that hit the web over the last couple of days, it appears the real pricing of Radeon RX Vega 64 is $599 because it's no longer possible to buy the standalone card.

Retailers say they received a $100 rebate from AMD to make it possible to sell the cards for $499. Without the rebate, it's impossible to sell Vega 64 for $499 because everyone in the supply chain would be selling at a loss. The margins on this product are very thin. The only readily available version seems to be the $599 pack, which comes with two "free" games.

There were reportedly only a limited number of standalone cards and these were only available via select webshops. Gamers Nexus is the latest site to confirm the story and they explain it's unclear whether the $100 rebate will ever return.

The site also provides some clues about the launch volume, as they heard Newegg received just 60-70 packs, but a significantly lower number of standalone cards:

At this point, our understanding is that said initial rebates have expired – they were only available for the first wave of cards – and retailers now largely have free rein on pricing. The packs are still in-stock at some stores and, from what we’ve been told by a third, reliable source, have seen highest allocation since Vega’s launch. Our present understanding is that Newegg received 60-70 units allocated for “packs” on their store, but a significantly lower number of standalone cards. That’d explain why we saw the inventory and sell-through behavior at launch.

At the moment, it's not certain how much the Radeon RX Vega 56 will cost. The official launch price is $399 but the supply chain suggests the actual retail pricing will be $100 higher if AMD doesn't provide rebates.