GamersNexus Bringing Back Written Reviews: Old Is New Again

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DPI

[H]F Junkie
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One-page, long form written hardware reviews with no ads or popups: time will tell if this is momentary novelty, or will join TheFPSReview.com and few others in trying to continue if not recapture the magic that made sites like [H]ardOCP such a fixture of the golden age of PC hardware reviews. If nothing else, being able to quickly CTRL-F to the word "overclock" without a descent into multi-page, notification and cookie prompt hell.


View: https://youtu.be/Mrdw1fiqPmI
 
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I'm all for this. I was reading their reviews back when they did both written and video content, but then they just kind of stopped the written content one day which was a bummer.

I still feel technical PC reviews with charts and graphs just don't lend themselves well to the video format.

There are some exceptions like case reviews ((and maybe RGB lighting, but I don't use that) but by and large written reviews are much better.

I hope they can figure out how to make the money make sense for written content. The dwindling website revenue model, and the fact that so many people use ad blockers is what caused many of the written sites to fold in the first place. The business model just didn't work anymore when all the ad revenue was going to video.

All of that said, thefpsreview.com is still going, and I read their reviews, but I have no idea what the business model looks like from a sustainable revenue perspective.
 
DPI said:
One-page, long form written hardware reviews with no ads or popups: time will tell if this is momentary novelty, or will join TheFPSReview.com and few others in trying to continue if not recapture the magic that made sites like [H]ardOCP such a fixture of the golden age of PC hardware reviews. If nothing else, being able to quickly CTRL-F to the word "overclock" without a descent into multi-page, notification and cookie prompt hell.


View: https://youtu.be/Mrdw1fiqPmI
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I wouldn't really call it magic. It's just text. Nothing all that different from magazines which have been around since at least the 1950s.
 
Try finding a text review that isn't 8 paragraphs of those machine-written 'talking in circles' sites to get you to keep scrolling-down past 30 advertisements......

I for one welcome our new Text overlords.

Problem with a GamersNexus written review is that you're going to wind up reading it and hearing Steve's voice in your head..... :)
 
UnknownSouljer said:
Watch everything from 1.5x-2x speed.
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Why would I waste time watching any video when, in a text review, I can scroll to what I want in seconds? Your suggestion only cuts a 30 minute video review down to 15 minutes - at best.

Maybe they need a video ad in text reviews to keep the revenue model the same? It would have to be unblockable, though.
 
HeadRusch said:
Try finding a text review that isn't 8 paragraphs of those machine-written 'talking in circles' sites to get you to keep scrolling-down past 30 advertisements......

I for one welcome our new Text overlords.

Problem with a GamersNexus written review is that you're going to wind up reading it and hearing Steve's voice in your head..... :)
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Those types of articles make me far angrier than is healthy
 
sleepeeg3 said:
Why would I waste time watching any video when, in a text review, I can scroll to what I want in seconds? Your suggestion only cuts a 30 minute video review down to 15 minutes - at best.
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I listen to tech reviews and news amongst other things while I cook breakfast and eat in the morning. All the bullet points get spelled out anyway. In a GN review you will hear the relevant positions of anything on a given chart. If I really care at that point I can pause and look at it myself.

After going through 100's of reviews at this point I can safely say I don't really want or need to know every detail about a given product. Mostly because it honestly doesn't matter that much unless I'm about to buy. General knowledge and "keeping up" relative positions of hardware is enough and I'm "watching" out of interest of the general topic. Not because I have to know every chart like it's my job.
sleepeeg3 said:
Maybe they need a video ad in text reviews to keep the revenue model the same? It would have to be unblockable, though.
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If you watched the video the reason they aren't bothering with their website is that ads on text format pages both are repulsive to them (making many sites slow, unreadable, and annoying), and doesn't generate enough revenue to be worth their time. Forcing people to watch a video ad to get to a text review would be counter to their already stated goals. And also likely not worth whatever amount of money they would make.

They would rather have you buy coasters, mod mats, and cups to support their text reviews rather than create any form of ad structure. Which again, according to the video is a much greater source of revenue than any and all ads. And they also generally prefer selling things over getting video sponsors as there are potential conflicts of interest. In previous videos discussing this, Steve has stated that he will only take sponsors and do ad reads they agree with. But even still I think Steve would prefer to never have to do an ad read in a GN video for any product that isn't theirs.
 
the problem with written reviews is that to do an in-depth review of a product it's going to take multiple pages...sometimes 10+ pages and most people aren't going to want to read through 10 pages...it's much easier to watch a video or even better one with timestamps

written reviews are a relic of the past...most people are ADD and just skip to the end for the Conclusions section of a written article or video (or just skip to the comparisons chart) so in the end it won't really move the needle one way or the other
 
polonyc2 said:
the problem with written reviews is that to do an in-depth review of a product it's going to take multiple pages...sometimes 10+ pages and most people aren't going to want to read through 10 pages...it's much easier to watch a video or even better one with timestamps

written reviews are a relic of the past...most people are ADD and just skip to the end for the Conclusions section of a written article or video (or just skip to the comparisons chart) so in the end it won't really move the needle one way or the other
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We used to make reviews 10 pages all the time and just leave 2 through 9 blank and no one ever noticed.
 
polonyc2 said:
the problem with written reviews is that to do an in-depth review of a product it's going to take multiple pages...sometimes 10+ pages and most people aren't going to want to read through 10 pages...it's much easier to watch a video or even better one with timestamps
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All of GN’s reviews will be single pages to defeat many of those problems.
polonyc2 said:
written reviews are a relic of the past...most people are ADD and just skip to the end for the Conclusions section of a written article or video (or just skip to the comparisons chart) so in the end it won't really move the needle one way or the other
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Watch the video. Steve is aware, which is why he went all in on video years ago. Written reviews for him seem to be more about the principle and also to fill a void since there aren't many written review sites left.
 
polonyc2 said:
it doesn't defeat the problem...it's catering to the people with ADD...it's like I said, a good in-depth review requires multiple pages
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Describe this “requirement” please. If I make a 100 page document one long page (Eg literally all the same information word for word), how does dividing the information more frequently change the information in any meaningful way? Divisions are arbitrary including page length. Would the articles become even better if they put 1 word per page and had 10,000 pages? Your position literally doesn't make sense.

EDIT: again for context here since it's more than apparent you haven't watched the video or looked at a single one of these new GN reviews: GN have stated that all of the content from the video will be present in the written reviews. What's more because of the format it allows for even more information to be present, such as being able to do direct image comparisons (as an example a DLSS/FSR comparison with overlays) AND every chart in the video (and some times more) will be present in the written reviews. Also, things cut for time may also be present in the written reviews if they deemed them interesting enough.
So, again, I fail to see any point you have here. Making a single long page is by design. Cutting up the same information into multiple pages does not increase the amount of information available.
 
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UnknownSouljer said:
Describe this “requirement” please. If I make a 100 page document one long page (Eg literally all the same information word for word), how does dividing the information more frequently change the information in any meaningful way? Divisions are arbitrary including page length. Would the articles become even better if they put 1 word per page and had 10,000 pages? Your position literally doesn't make sense.
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OK, I thought they were cutting down the review to make it fit on one page...if the same in-depth content is there in one long page then it's fine...even though I still think that era has passed...there's a reason Twitch, YouTube etc have taken over...I'm sure there are still some relics that prefer to read a 10 page article but you don't cater your business to the lowest common denominator...I still want my Netflix Blu-ray's by mail and HD-DVD over Blu-ray
 
polonyc2 said:
OK, I thought they were cutting down the review to make it fit on one page...if the same in-depth content is there in one long page then it's fine...even though I still think that era has passed...there's a reason Twitch, YouTube etc have taken over...I'm sure there are still some relics that prefer to read a 10 page article but you don't cater your business to the lowest common denominator...I still want my Netflix Blu-ray's by mail and HD-DVD over Blu-ray
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Watch the video before commenting.
 
UnknownSouljer said:
Watch the video before commenting.
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I don't have time to watch a 25+ minute video on the topic of switching to written format...if it was a review of the upcoming 4080 Super or in-depth review of Alan Wake 2 path tracing I would have watched it in its entirety...Gamers Nexus seems to babble on a lot and likes to hear himself talk...I much prefer the soothing baritones of Hardware Unboxed or Hardware Canucks
 
polonyc2 said:
I don't have time to watch a 25+ minute video on the topic of switching to written format...if it was a review of the upcoming 4080 Super or in-depth review of Alan Wake 2 path tracing I would have watched it in its entirety...Gamers Nexus seems to babble on a lot and likes to hear himself talk...I much prefer the soothing baritones of Hardware Unboxed or Hardware Canucks
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Great, then your comments also don't need to be here either. You've come in and spouted off about a topic you literally don't know about, given completely irrelevant opinions, and then argued about formats while not even knowing the format.

What is your goal here then? Hear yourself speak?
 
I typically have the video reviews on in the background while doing household chores like cooking, the dishes, or folding laundry, but it will be awesome to have the written articles back so I can get a better look at the charts or quickly check a conclusion.
 
polonyc2 said:
the problem with written reviews is that to do an in-depth review of a product it's going to take multiple pages...sometimes 10+ pages and most people aren't going to want to read through 10 pages...it's much easier to watch a video or even better one with timestamps

written reviews are a relic of the past...most people are ADD and just skip to the end for the Conclusions section of a written article or video (or just skip to the comparisons chart) so in the end it won't really move the needle one way or the other
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Or we can do video, with 20 minutes of "drama" and 2 minutes of content.
 
i miss Hardocp's artilces. i use to lurk for probably 10+ years before i joined the forum. i still find it hard to believe i only joined in 2015 like my avatar block says but who knows. i use to come here and maximumPC's site until it got so bloated with ads it was unusable.
 
HeadRusch said:
Try finding a text review that isn't 8 paragraphs of those machine-written 'talking in circles' sites to get you to keep scrolling-down past 30 advertisements......
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Oh god. This is one of my triggers. Have you tried googling a recipe for something in the past 5 years or so?

My Recipe for Grilled Cheese​

  1. What Grilled Cheese Means to Me​

    1. [15 pages of bullshit script- or AI-generated SEO-optimized content with approx 70% of screen space dedicated to ads and every 7th word a referral link to some etailer]
    2. Make sure to mention my mother or grandmother

  2. A Complete History of Grilled Cheese​

    1. [15 pages of bullshit script- or AI-generated SEO-optimized content with approx 70% of screen space dedicated to ads and every 7th word a referral link to some etailer]
    2. After the 2-page intro, insert 2 pages about why people like, might like, and don't like grilled cheese
    3. Next, break into subheadings for each of 3 types of grilled cheese

  3. Tools​

    1. [continue with the 70% ad coverage]
    2. 25-35 different kitchen items and tools with each one being a referral link
    3. Doesn't matter if it's as basic as a dinner plate or a fork - link it!

  4. The actual recipe​

    1. Referral links for every ingredient!
    2. Entire recipe must fit on no more than 1/4 page.
    3. Recipe is not for one of the three types described above
    4. Recipe, if not AI-generated, is clearly lifted from another source

  5. Footer with more ads​

[head explodes]
 
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Thunderdolt said:
Oh god. This is one of my triggers. Have you tried googling a recipe for something in the past 5 years or so?

My Recipe for Grilled Cheese​

  1. What Grilled Cheese Means to Me​

    1. [15 pages of bullshit script- or AI-generated SEO-optimized content with approx 70% of screen space dedicated to ads and every 7th word a referral link to some etailer]
    2. Make sure to mention my mother or grandmother

  2. A Complete History of Grilled Cheese​

    1. [15 pages of bullshit script- or AI-generated SEO-optimized content with approx 70% of screen space dedicated to ads and every 7th word a referral link to some etailer]
    2. After the 2-page intro, insert 2 pages about why people like, might like, and don't like grilled cheese
    3. Next, break into subheadings for each of 3 types of grilled cheese

  3. Tools​

    1. [continue with the 70% ad coverage]
    2. 25-35 different kitchen items and tools with each one being a referral link
    3. Doesn't matter if it's as basic as a dinner plate or a fork - link it!

  4. The actual recipe​

    1. Referral links for every ingredient!
    2. Entire recipe must fit on no more than 1/4 page.

  5. Footer with more ads​

[head explodes]
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Yep, it's awful. The dead internet... Nice portrayal by the way!
 
there are still a few popular hardware sites which stuck with print and never made the switch to video- AnandTech being the most prominent (even though most of their best reviewers left the site for greener pastures)...Tom's Hardware, TechPowerUp etc
 
sleepeeg3 said:
Why would I waste time watching any video when, in a text review, I can scroll to what I want in seconds? Your suggestion only cuts a 30 minute video review down to 15 minutes - at best.

Maybe they need a video ad in text reviews to keep the revenue model the same? It would have to be unblockable, though.
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Most youtube review videos have chapters that describe what's going on it, making it easy to skip to what you want to watch.
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The youtube UI limits you to 2X speed, but there are browser plugins that allow you to go any speed you want. I watch most videos at 3.5x, depending how fast the people talk.

Reading speed can be even faster than that of course. And it's much easier to just scroll back up and read something again than finding that spot in a video. Video does have advantages too, being able to see something in action is nice sometimes, and being able to just listen to something while you're busy doing something else. You can't really multitask while reading.

I always liked the written reviews back in the day that had some short videos along with them showing off whatever it was being reviewed in action.
 
Endgame said:
Anandtech and [H] was basically all you needed. The Anandtech bench was fantastic for being able to compare a couple SSDs, and [H] was where to go when you wanted to know “how it actually games”
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I so miss a page or two of subjective observation from people you can actually trust. I don't give a rats ass about 105.7 or 106.3 FPS. I want to know how it feels to play, and I want to know how easy it was to set up, the [H] was the best site ever for that bar none.

I also despise video reviews, I'm a Luddite that enjoys the written word.
 
Twisted Kidney said:
I so miss a page or two of subjective observation from people you can actually trust. I don't give a rats ass about 105.7 or 106.3 FPS. I want to know how it feels to play, and I want to know how easy it was to set up, the [H] was the best site ever for that bar none.

I also despise video reviews, I'm a Luddite that enjoys the written word.
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Hey, we've got this forum for that, just follow the Nvidia vs. Radeon threads. So much trustworthiness!
 
sharknice said:
Most youtube review videos have chapters that describe what's going on it, making it easy to skip to what you want to watch.
View attachment 611349

The youtube UI limits you to 2X speed, but there are browser plugins that allow you to go any speed you want. I watch most videos at 3.5x, depending how fast the people talk.

Reading speed can be even faster than that of course. And it's much easier to just scroll back up and read something again than finding that spot in a video. Video does have advantages too, being able to see something in action is nice sometimes, and being able to just listen to something while you're busy doing something else. You can't really multitask while reading.

I always liked the written reviews back in the day that had some short videos along with them showing off whatever it was being reviewed in action.
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I highly recommend adjusting the YouTube playback speed to 103% and listening to Bob Seger’s against the wind. Then go back and listen to it at 100% and tell me that Bob didn’t get the tempo wrong. If anybody does this let me know. When you’ve heard it at 103, 100 sounds wrong forever.
 
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