Creative's New 16MB 3D Blaster Banshee Delivers Dazzling 2D and 3D Voodoo2 Graphics at a Breakthrough Price
biz.yahoo.com
Monday September 21, 7:01 am Eastern Time
Stunning 3D Game Play and Outstanding 2D Graphics for $99.99 After US Rebate
MILPITAS, Calif., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF - news), the world's leading provider of multimedia products for the PC, today announced that it has added an extraordinary new 16MB 2D/3D graphics card to its award-winning 3D Blaster(TM) line of graphics accelerators. Available at a breakthrough price of US$129.99 (US$99.99 after US$30 manufacturers mail-in rebate for the US and Canada only), 3D Blaster Banshee combines the best of both worlds -- exceptional 3D game play and outstanding 2D performance -- all on a single card.
Based on 3Dfx Interactive's (Nasdaq: TDFX - news) exciting new Voodoo Banshee(TM) chip, the 3D Blaster Banshee combines an entirely new state-of-the-art 128-bit 2D engine, 128-bit VGA and video support with the 3D rendering power of its powerful Voodoo2(TM) technology. This power-packed combination accelerates virtually any application designed for Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT. Moreover, with 3Dfx Interactive's extensive developer support, PCs equipped with Voodoo Banshee can run more than 250 of the most popular 3D games that have been specifically enhanced for Voodoo2 and Voodoo Graphics(R).
''With Creative's ability to provide top notch products and reliable support, and our leading edge Voodoo Banshee technology, 3D Blaster Banshee is sure to be a hit among PC users looking for the highest in graphics and entertainment,'' said Greg Ballard, president and CEO of 3Dfx Interactive. ''Creative Labs continues to demonstrate its role as a major player in the graphics card market.''
''With its exceptional price point and outstanding 2D capabilities, mainstream PC consumers can enjoy the same high-quality game play previously only experienced by hardcore PC gamers,'' said Hock Leow, vice president of Creative's multimedia division. ''3D Blaster Banshee is the perfect addition to our award-winning 3D Blaster line.''
With 16MB of high speed SDRAM, 3D Blaster Banshee provides plenty of memory for frame buffer, z-buffer and texture cache resulting in high frame rates, incredible resolutions and stunning visuals. 3D Blaster Banshee also includes support for Glide(TM) and Direct3D. From its custom hardware design to the proprietary, high-performance drivers, the 3D Blaster Banshee has been built to meet Creative's high standards in performance, reliability and ease-of-use. Combined with its fantastic price, broad compatibility and easy installation, PC users will find the 3D Blaster Banshee to be an ideal single card solution for all their graphics needs, whether they are playing games, surfing the Internet or just balancing their checkbooks.
3D Blaster Banshee comes bundled with Colorific(R) and 3Deep(TM), two key software packages from Sonnetech, Ltd. designed to insure that every game and critical desktop application runs with perfect color calibration. Colorific provides a quick and easy way for customers to improve color matching between their monitor and printer by creating a color characterization of the monitor. The 3Deep gamma correction software provides the first consistent, high-quality solution for improving the lighting and shading effects in 3D games. These software applications combined with the 16MB of memory included in 3D Blaster Banshee allow the most discriminating users to print and run applications at the highest resolutions and the deepest color depths.
The 3D Blaster Banshee will be available in AGP and PCI configurations by the end of September for an estimated street price of US$129.99 through Creative's extensive distribution network.
3Dfx Interactive develops high-performance, cost-effective 3D media processors, software and related technology that are designed to enable a highly immersive, interactive and realistic 3D experience across interactive electronic entertainment platforms -- personal computers, coin-operated arcade systems and location-based entertainment. Current 3Dfx Interactive products include the Voodoo(TM) family of accelerator chip sets, Voodoo2, Voodoo Graphics(R) and Voodoo Banshee. Visit the company on the Web at 3dfx.com
Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufactures and markets a wide array of advanced multimedia solutions for the PC, entertainment, education, music and productivity tools markets. Creative's products are marketed through the OEM, systems integrator and retail channels under a variety of trademarks, including the ''Blaster'' family name. With the new Sound Blaster(R) PCI standard, Creative has produced a solution that utilizes a combination of hardware and software for near-perfect compatibility with existing DOS and Windows titles. Creative's corporate headquarters and primary manufacturing are based in Singapore, with sales, distribution and research and development being carried out through an extensive, global network of subsidiaries located in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Sound Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks and 3D Blaster, Graphics Blaster and Exxtreme are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. 3Dfx Interactive and Voodoo Graphics are registered trademarks and Voodoo, Voodoo2, Voodoo Banshee and Glide are trademarks of 3Dfx Interactive. All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby recognized as such. |
