SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- 3Dfx Interactive(R) Inc. (Nasdaq: TDFX) today announced new high-performance DirectX(R) drivers for Voodoo2(TM) that shatter all previous 3D graphics performance records, scoring 665 on the GameGauge metric when running in SLI configuration. The new drivers, combined with the unique 3Dfx SLI configuration of Voodoo2, offer 40 percent faster performance than the closest competitive product and are specifically optimized for the multi-texturing capabilities and other new features of DirectX 6. The performance improvements offer up to a 50 percent performance increase for multi-texturing Direct3D(TM) games over the previous drivers.
Additionally, customers will see a dramatic reduction in board pricing as a result of significant drops in memory component costs over the last six months. The Voodoo2 SLI configuration is expected to sell for less than $300 (U.S.), while an 8MB, single-board Voodoo2 is expected to sell for less than $100 (U.S.). These new prices will be a key element of 3Dfx's latest marketing campaign known as the "Power of 2," which debuts today. As part of the promotion, Guillemot will offer a pair of 12 MB Voodoo2 cards for a special "Power of 2" pricing of $229 (U.S.).
"Voodoo2 delivers performance designed to satisfy the world's most speed- thirsty game fans at a price that's attractive to every PC game consumer," said Greg Ballard, president and chief executive officer for 3Dfx Interactive. "Voodoo2 SLI breaks all the rules by pushing our award-winning Voodoo2 technology to the power of two, while keeping consumer costs firmly on the ground." Voodoo2 SLI Tops Performance Records
Voodoo2 SLI has set new game performance records in several categories, delivering the highest-ever 3D scores on GameGauge and on various time-demo benchmarks of multi-textured game tests. In tests supervised by Jon Peddie & Associates, the Voodoo2 SLI configuration scored 665 on the GameGauge metric.
"3Dfx has raised the performance standard to the next level and by doing so, has redefined benchmarking for high-resolution and multi-texture games," said Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie and Associates. "In 1995, 3Dfx legitimized the PC gaming platform when it introduced Voodoo Graphics, so it's no surprise that they continue to challenge the industry with high performance."
The new drivers offer increased performance and added functionality for all Voodoo2 solutions. Most notably, these enhancements include:
* Fully optimized DX6 driver implementation with support for full speed,
single-cycle, single-pass multi-texturing and new flexible vertex formats.
* D3D performance optimizations offer increased performance of up to 50
percent, particularly when using the Voodoo2 SLI configuration.
* AMD(TM) K6-2(R) 3DNow!(TM) support has been incorporated for enhanced
performance of up to 60 percent on optimized games running on AMD machines
equipped with the K6-2 processor over games and drivers that have not been
previously optimized.
* H3D(TM) Stereo glasses support is incorporated into the drivers, which
give add-in board makers the ability to deliver stereo-ready capabilities.
Consumers can download early versions of the new drivers at the 3Dfx website, www.3dfx.com/voodoo2. In an effort to offer customers the latest features and ultimate performance as early as possible, 3Dfx is posting candidate release drivers beginning today with final drivers scheduled for availability in November. 3Dfx Promotes "The Power of 2"
Today, 3Dfx also debuts a worldwide Voodoo2 sales and marketing campaign behind a new slogan, "The Power of 2." 3Dfx will work with leading add-in board manufacturers to leverage the popular Voodoo2 brand in promoting Voodoo2 SLI configuration through dedicated retail programs, online promotions, direct marketing campaigns and new advertisements. In support of the "Power of 2" program, Creative Labs, STB, Canopus and Guillemot all offer a Voodoo2 SLI configuration for less than $300.
"Voodoo2 continues to lead the market in 3D performance and now with the "Power of 2" campaign, Guillemot can continue to offer our customers the best product and the best value," said Alain Pakiry, vice president of sales and marketing for Guillemot. "With our special 'Power of 2' pricing, we expect that our Maxi Gamer 3D 2 will fly off the shelves this holiday season."
In addition to the retail activity, 3Dfx will be giving away the ultimate SLI gaming PC as the final component of the "Power of 2" campaign. Today through December 15, consumers can register online (www.3dfx.com) to win one of two 450 MHz computer systems, complete with a Voodoo2 SLI configuration, a Voodoo Banshee 2D/3D board, Guillemot's Race Leader Force-Feedback steering wheel & Jet Leader digital joystick, and ten of the hottest 3D accelerated titles on the market. Additionally, 3Dfx and Guillemot will be giving away five Voodoo2 SLI configurations and ten Voodoo2 boards as runners-up prizes. Voodoo2 SLI
Voodoo2 is the consumer entertainment industry's first and only chipset to support Scanline Interleave (SLI) mode, where the first chipset draws the even scanlines of a frame while the second chipset draws the odd. This reduces the amount of work per chipset by half and allows the combination to run at twice the speed. This high performance configuration results in a 384-bit memory architecture with 4.3 Gigabytes per second memory bandwidth, achieving an amazing 180 million dual-textured, bilinear-filtered, per-pixel MIP-mapped, alpha-blended, Z-buffered pixels per second. About 3Dfx Interactive
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 system and location-based entertainment. Current 3Dfx Interactive products include the Voodoo(TM) family of accelerator chipsets, Voodoo 2(TM), Voodoo Graphics(R) and Voodoo Banshee(TM). Visit the company on the Web at 3dfx.com.
3Dfx Interactive, Glide and Voodoo Graphics are registered trademarks and Voodoo, Voodoo2, Voodoo Banshee and Voodoo2 SLI are trademarks of 3Dfx Interactive. All other names may be trademarks of their respective holders.
/CONTACT: Consumer Information: info@3Dfx.com; Editorial Contacts: Michele Spring of 3Dfx Interactive, 408-935-4322, Michele@3dfx.com; or Susan Carlson of Catapult Partners, Inc., 650-524-1720, Susan@catapulinc.com/ |
