Razer SoftMiner Cryptocurrency Rewards Program Leads To Confusion For Gamers
Cryptocurrency has been a hot topic in 2018, and Google claims that “What is bitcoin?” was one of its top questions this year. A lot of people (and companies) jumped on the cryptocurrency train, including Razer. The company is now offering users store credit in exchange for cryptocurrency mining. But is this program too good to be true? Many argue that the Razer SoftMiner rewards program is misleading and exploitative.
How does this rather confusing program work? Users are asked to download SoftMiner, a blockchain-based app that has been integrated into Razer’s software. The software is supposed to run silently in the background and draw upon a user’s idle GPU resources. A user’s machine will then reportedly mine ether and a variety of other tokens.
According to a Razer spokesperson, “The cryptocurrency that’s being mined through this program is not touching Razer’s hands nor the user’s hands.” The cryptocurrency is instead handled by GammaNow, a gaming rewards platform. Razer will receive a fee from GammaNow for generating the cryptocurrency and users will earn Razer “Silver” or loyalty points when they successfully mine a token. The Silver can then be used to purchase products from Razer. Razer claims that gamers will be able to earn up to 500 Silver every 24 hours.
What is the catch? First, the software does not show users what they are mining or how much. The amount of Silver a user receives will reportedly depend on their graphics card and how long they run their computer. Razer recommends that users run the software on a “computer with a GPU of at least a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon RX 460”, but they have offered few other details.
Razer’s latest programs also does not take into account the wear and tear on a user’s system or the electric bills that will inevitably come in the mail. Cryptocurrency mining is a rather intensive process. Company-specific loyalty program points that expire after a year may just not be worth it to some users.
How does this rather confusing program work? Users are asked to download SoftMiner, a blockchain-based app that has been integrated into Razer’s software. The software is supposed to run silently in the background and draw upon a user’s idle GPU resources. A user’s machine will then reportedly mine ether and a variety of other tokens.
According to a Razer spokesperson, “The cryptocurrency that’s being mined through this program is not touching Razer’s hands nor the user’s hands.” The cryptocurrency is instead handled by GammaNow, a gaming rewards platform. Razer will receive a fee from GammaNow for generating the cryptocurrency and users will earn Razer “Silver” or loyalty points when they successfully mine a token. The Silver can then be used to purchase products from Razer. Razer claims that gamers will be able to earn up to 500 Silver every 24 hours.
What is the catch? First, the software does not show users what they are mining or how much. The amount of Silver a user receives will reportedly depend on their graphics card and how long they run their computer. Razer recommends that users run the software on a “computer with a GPU of at least a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 or AMD Radeon RX 460”, but they have offered few other details.
Second, some of the Silver rewards items will also be impossible to earn through the SoftMiner program alone, and Razer Silver expires after a year. Some gamers have estimated that it would take well over a year to earn the Razer Huntsman Elite keyboard that is advertised on the SoftMiner page. This assumes that your computer is constantly running during this period. Items like the keyboard therefore could not be earned merely with the SoftMiner program. There are other ways to receive Silver, but many believe that this a lot of effort for a few free items.Have a gaming rig on idle at home? Here's a new way to score Razer Silver: launch Razer SoftMiner on your PC and start racking up Silver—one step closer to the reward you want, for doing nothing at all.
— R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) December 12, 2018
Check out Razer SoftMiner now: https://t.co/PRND2BQ3xU pic.twitter.com/qrHXCdQrjC
Razer’s latest programs also does not take into account the wear and tear on a user’s system or the electric bills that will inevitably come in the mail. Cryptocurrency mining is a rather intensive process. Company-specific loyalty program points that expire after a year may just not be worth it to some users.
