What just happened? Nvidia has announced a new initiative to provide fans with a chance to purchase the highly coveted and very scarce RTX 5090 and 5080 Founders Edition graphics cards. The program, dubbed "Verified Priority Access," offers a select group of enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire these elusive two-slot, small-form-factor-friendly GPUs by filling out an online form. This latest iteration of the Verified Priority Access program differs from its predecessor, which was used for the RTX 4090 release, as the previous version was invitation-only and based on pre-selection.To be eligible for consideration, applicants must have an existing Nvidia account created before January 30. The application process includes specifying a preference between the RTX 5090 and 5080 models. Nvidia will then employ an algorithm to assess the authenticity of each applicant's gamer status, likely by analyzing their usage patterns of Nvidia applications and GeForce Experience.The company has stated that invitations will begin to be distributed next week. However, Nvidia has not disclosed the number of graphics cards allocated to this program, making it difficult to gauge its effectiveness in getting these components into the hands of genuine gaming enthusiasts rather than scalpers.Successful applicants will be limited to purchasing only one graphics card through this channel.While this program represents a novel approach to graphics card distribution, its impact on the wider availability issues plaguing the high-end GPU market remains to be seen.The launch of Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards has been marred by severe scarcity, leaving many enthusiasts frustrated and empty-handed. This shortage, which began on the release date, has persisted for weeks, with retailers struggling to maintain stock and prices soaring well above MSRP. // Related StoriesBest Buy, a primary seller of Founders Edition cards, saw its entire stock of RTX 5090 FE cards sell out within minutes of launch. Similarly, Newegg's inventory of RTX 5080 AIB cards was depleted within seconds, leaving customers staring at "out of stock" notifications almost immediately after the cards went live.The situation wasn't much better in other regions. In the UK, retailer Overclockers reported having only "single digits" of RTX 5090 cards in stock, with RTX 5080 units numbering in the "few hundreds." This scarcity led to extreme measures in some markets, including Japan, where a retailer resorted to selling lottery tickets for the chance to purchase an RTX 5080 or 5090 on launch day.Several factors have contributed to this shortage. Nvidia itself warned of "significant demand" for these cards prior to launch, anticipating potential stock-outs. The company cited manufacturing challenges, including delays related to the Lunar New Year, which coincided with the launch period.Another contributing factor is the cards' appeal beyond the gaming market. The RTX 5090, in particular, has garnered interest from smaller AI companies for use in training large language models, further straining the already limited supply.The scarcity has led to a thriving scalper market, with some offering "guaranteed" slots for RTX 5090 GPUs at prices more than triple the MSRP. This has made it even more challenging for genuine enthusiasts to acquire the cards at reasonable prices.