Amazon's latest game has left some players with an irreparable, expensive problem: a black screen and a destroyed $1,500 graphics card

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Amazon's latest game has left some players with an irreparable, expensive problem: a black screen and a destroyed $1,500 graphics card
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  • Amazon has a new video game, and it's reportedly causing major issues for players.
  • The game is said to destroy an especially expensive type of graphics card, NVIDIA's RTX 3090.
  • The graphics card costs at least $1,500, and often sells for much higher on the re-sale market.
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Amazon's latest video game, "New World," has a potentially major problem: Some players say the game "bricked," or destroyed, their wildly expensive and hard-to-find graphics card.

"I just bricked a 3090 in the main menu after setting my graphics quality to medium and hitting save," a Reddit user said in a new thread on Tuesday night. "Can't believe it. Anyone else had a catastrophic failure like this?"

Many other uses had run into a similar if not identical issue.

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The thread is full of people describing the same scenario: A sudden black screen, with nothing displayed, and computer fans turning on to full speed. After resetting their computer, no video comes out of their card and further inspection reveals it has been "bricked" and must be returned to the manufacturer for replacement (the so-called "RMA" process).

Notably, the graphics card in question - NVIDIA's RTX 3090 - costs $1,500 at a minimum, and it often sells for much higher prices on the re-sale market. It's also very hard to find, and resupplies are rapidly swept up by resellers.

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Also of note: The issue appears to impact one particular version of the 3090 manufactured by EVGA.

It's unclear what, if anything, players can do to prevent the issue outside of not playing "New World" for the time being. The game is currently in a "closed beta" phase, meaning the only way to play it is by invitation or pre-order.

Representatives for Amazon and EVGA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Got a tip? Contact Insider senior correspondent Ben Gilbert via email (bgilbert@insider.com), or Twitter DM (@realbengilbert). We can keep sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to reach out. PR pitches by email only, please.

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