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To: jttmab who wrote (8998)11/16/1998 11:54:00 AM
From: James Sinclair  Respond to of 16960
 
Official Announcement

LAS VEGAS, COMDEX, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- 3Dfx Interactive(R) Inc.
(NASDAQ:TDFX) today announced its Voodoo3(TM) product family, a range of
integrated single chips that expand on the award-winning Voodoo2(TM) and
Voodoo Banshee(TM) architecture to deliver the world's fastest 3D and 2D
performance and support ultra high-definition displays. The first members of
the product family, which are expected to be available commercially the second
quarter of 1999, include the pin-compatible Voodoo3 2000 for the PC-OEM market
and the Voodoo3 3000 for the retail add-in-board market.
"3D is one of the fastest growing segments in computing and Voodoo3's
unprecedented 3D and 2D performance will enable our enthusiast gamers as well
as mainstream consumers to experience the next generation of highly complex 3D
interactive entertainment," said Greg Ballard, president and chief executive
officer for 3Dfx Interactive. "Voodoo3 answers the exploding demand for
realistic graphics and no-compromise performance." World's Fastest 3D & 2D
With its dual, 32-bit rendering pipelines, Voodoo3 can generate greater
than 7 million triangles per second utilizing its 100-billion operations per
second 3D architecture. Voodoo3 delivers more than twice the triangle
performance of two Voodoo2 boards in the Scan Line Interleave (SLI) format --
currently the industry's fastest 3D graphics configuration. The Voodoo3
family utilizes the 3Dfx patented full-speed, single-cycle, single-pass multi-
texturing, which enables critical features such as hardware accelerated bump-
mapping and trilinear mip-mapping at 60 frames per second for today's most
demanding entertainment titles.
Voodoo3 integrates the world's fastest 2D core from Voodoo Banshee, the
Ziff-Davis Business Graphics Winbench(R) 99 leader, which includes a dedicated
high speed 128-bit interface and an internal 256-bit datapath for optimized
memory utilization. Additionally, Voodoo3 features the industry's most
complete hardware acceleration of the Microsoft Windows Graphics Driver
Interface (GDI). Optimized for PC-OEM & Retail
The Voodoo3 product family will debut with two new products, the Voodoo3
2000 and the Voodoo3 3000. Targeted at the mainstream PC-OEM motherboard and
add-in-board markets, the Voodoo3 2000 is capable of achieving a maximum fill
rate of 250-megatexels per second, while the enthusiast-targeted Voodoo3 3000
is capable of delivering greater than 366-megatexels per second fill rate
performance.
The pin-compatible AGP 2X Voodoo3 2000 and 3000 are optimized for Intel's
440 LX/BX AGP chipset. In the first half of 1999, an AGP 4X version will be
available for shipment with Intel's new AGP 4X chipsets to meet PC-OEM
production requirements. The Voodoo3 2000 and 3000 support both SGRAM and
SDRAM memory, as well as the Windows 95/98/2000, MAC OS, Unix, and Linux
operating systems. Ultra High-Resolution Display
Voodoo3 supports ultra high-resolution display on PC monitors, LCD flat
panels and high definition television sets (HDTV). With the world's fastest
integrated RAMDAC at 350MHz, Voodoo3 achieves resolutions of up to 2048 x 1536
at a full 75Hz screen refresh rate, making it the only graphics chip able to
support new proposed high-resolution display specifications from the VESA
committee.
Voodoo3 also connects directly to 3Dfx's LCDfx(TM) chip to support high-
resolution LCD flat panel displays. LCDfx features unique sub-pixel image
scaling technology that provides significant image quality improvement over
conventional two-tap scaling filters. MPEG2/DVD Video Acceleration
Additionally, Voodoo3 provides hardware DVD acceleration support to ensure
30 frames per second playback with no dropped frames. Coupled with the latest
software MPEG2 codecs, Voodoo3 off-loads up to 40 percent of CPU overhead,
enabling the CPU to do other tasks while playing DVD content.
Complete Voodoo Compatibility
Voodoo3 provides complete compatibility with the largest installed base of
enhanced 3D entertainment titles available; more than 500 entertainment titles
are expected to be available by the end of the year. Voodoo3 is optimized for
Microsoft's Direct X6 application programming interface (API), as well as
other standard API's including Glide(R) from 3Dfx and OpenGL from Silicon
Graphics. Pricing and Availability
With 8.2 million transistors and manufactured in an advanced .25 micron
CMOS process, Voodoo3 is designed for optimal performance on both Pentium II
and future CPUs from Intel, as well as the AMD-K6(R)-2 processor featuring
3DNow!(R) technology.
TheVoodoo3 products will be sampling in December and are scheduled to be
in volume production the second quarter of 1999. Pricing for the Voodoo3 2000
is expected to start at $35 in quantities of 10,000 units, while pricing for
the Voodoo3 3000 is expected to start at $45 in quantities of 10,000 units.



To: jttmab who wrote (8998)11/16/1998 11:57:00 AM
From: James Sinclair  Respond to of 16960
 
More news on OEMs

LAS VEGAS, COMDEX, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- 3Dfx Interactive(R) Inc.
(NASDAQ:TDFX) marked the opening of COMDEX today with a series of far-
reaching industry announcements led by the debut of its new Voodoo3(TM)
product family, designed to deliver the world's fastest 3D and 2D performance
and to drive ultra high-definition displays. The company also announced
several strategic PC-OEM relationships that will deliver Voodoo Banshee(TM)
graphics worldwide to consumers purchasing PCs from Tiny Computers, CyberMax,
Pionex Technologies and Quantex Microsystems.
Voodoo3: Designed for Next-Generation Content
Headlining 3Dfx Interactive's COMDEX news is the unveiling of the Voodoo3
product family, a range of integrated single chips that expand on the award-
winning Voodoo2(TM) and Voodoo Banshee architecture. The first members of the
product family, which will be commercially available the second quarter of
1999, include the pin-compatible Voodoo3 2000 for the PC-OEM market and the
Voodoo3 3000 for the retail add-in-board market. (See today's related
announcement.)
"In 1999, 3D will become a standard feature in PCs aimed at every consumer
-- and 3Dfx will deliver the technology to make it happen," said Greg
Ballard, president and chief executive officer for 3Dfx Interactive. "Today's
debut of Voodoo3 is proof positive that 3Dfx has designed the ultimate
consumer entertainment platform. And, our exciting Voodoo Banshee OEM
relationships bear out our vision to make 3Dfx the technology of choice for
mainstream 3D at every price point."
In related news, 3Dfx announced its manufacturing partner, Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), has set a record for its rapid
delivery of the first samples of Voodoo3. The highly integrated architecture
of the new .25 micron Voodoo3 chip makes TSMC's breakneck, 19-day delivery of
the first lots of silicon particularly significant. (See today's related
announcement.) Voodoo Banshee Ships in Several PC Brands
In other news today, 3Dfx Interactive announced that Voodoo Banshee, its
acclaimed high-performance integrated 3D and 2D graphics chip designed for
mass-market applications, has been chosen as the graphics technology of
several new PC models from leading manufacturers. In addition to the Gateway
OEM win unveiled last week, Voodoo Banshee, the Ziff-Davis Business Graphics
Winbench(R) 99 leader, will be featured in CyberMax, Tiny Computers, Pionex
Technologies and Quantex Microsystems.
* CyberMax announced that its first line of Internet-ready PCs, called
the Enthusiast(TM) PC line, will debut with Voodoo Banshee.
* Pionex Technologies will incorporate Voodoo Banshee into the Pionex
Elite(TM) personal computer designed to meet the needs of the power user and
multimedia enthusiast.
* Quantex Microsystems, a leader in direct channel sales and marketing
for PCs, will feature Voodoo Banshee in its Quantex SM-Series performance PCs.
* Tiny Computers, the largest PC manufacturer in the United Kingdom, will
incorporate Voodoo Banshee in their Power Gamer and Ultra Performance PCsystems.
Additionally, 3Dfx announced today that Voodoo has passed Microsoft
Corporation's(R) Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) testing and is qualified
to use the "Designed for Microsoft Windows" logo. Logo qualification means
3Dfx OEMs can more rapidly bring to market PCs based on the Voodoo Banshee
integrated chip, while assuring consumers that they meet WHQL's comprehensive
compatibility tests. (See today's related announcement.)



To: jttmab who wrote (8998)11/16/1998 12:00:00 PM
From: James Sinclair  Respond to of 16960
 
Voodoo3 Silicon Already in Sampling Production

LAS VEGAS, COMDEX, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- 3Dfx Interactive(R) Inc.
(NASDAQ:TDFX) today announced that its semiconductor partner, Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), has delivered in record time the
first samples of Voodoo3(TM), 3Dfx's new family of single integrated chips.
With a turnaround time of only 19 days including mask creation and silicon
fabrication, TSMC delivered working silicon for the next-generation Vooodoo3,
a new graphics chip unveiled today that will deliver unparalleled 3D and 2D
performance and drive high-definition displays. (See today's related
announcement.)
The highly integrated architecture of the new Voodoo3 chips makes TSMC's
breakneck delivery of the first lots of silicon particularly significant.
Close collaboration between 3Dfx and TSMC -- which has manufactured 3Dfx
chips since 1995 -- significantly streamlined the fabrication process.
"Since its inception, 3Dfx has worked intimately with TSMC on a variety of
leading-edge technologies, and our close working relationship has helped us
consistently lead the PC graphics market," said Karl Chicca, vice president of
operations for 3Dfx Interactive. "TSMC's advanced fabrication facilities and
remarkable responsiveness have enabled us to supply our OEM and retail board
partners with technology that is revolutionizing 3D graphics for
entertainment. Fabricating something as complex as our new Voodoo3 chips in
only 19 days is truly a crowning achievement."
"Our primary focus has always been lowering the barriers to entry for
leading-edge integrated circuits. The fast turnaround time achieved for
Voodoo3 is a prime example of how a fabless semiconductor company and its fab
partner can meet the compressed time-to-market requirement necessary for a
successful, profitable product launch and roll out," said Magnus Ryde,
president for TSMC, USA.
With 8.2 million transistors, Voodoo3 is manufactured in TSMC's Fab 4,
cutting-edge .25 micron, five-metal layer process. The tight integration of
3D and 2D graphics, VGA, video/DVD and flat panel support enables the single
chip Voodoo3 to surpass the performance and features of what previously
required seven individual chips and three separate boards.



To: jttmab who wrote (8998)11/16/1998 12:01:00 PM
From: James Sinclair  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 16960
 
Windows Certification No Longer an Issue

LAS VEGAS, COMDEX, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- 3Dfx Interactive(R) Inc.
(NASDAQ:TDFX) today announced that the 3Dfx Voodoo Banshee(TM) integrated
3D/2D graphics accelerator has passed Microsoft Corporation's Windows Hardware
Quality Labs (WHQL) testing and is qualified to use the "Designed for
Microsoft Windows" logo. Logo qualification means 3Dfx customers such as
Gateway, Tiny Computers, Quantex Microsystems, CyberMax, Pionex Technologies
and other PC OEMs yet to be announced -- can now more rapidly bring to market
PCs based on the Voodoo Banshee integrated chip, while assuring consumers that
they meet WHQL's comprehensive and stringent compatibility tests. In the
future, 3Dfx also will be able to certify its graphics accelerators through
self-testing, which will further reduce time-to-market for new products.
"The 'Designed for Microsoft Windows' logo ultimately eases the adoption
by PC manufacturers and raises the value of products based on Voodoo Banshee
technology," said Michael Howse, vice president of corporate marketing and
business development for 3Dfx Interactive. "This qualification is
particularly significant for our PC OEMs, for whom the process of choosing
advanced, consumer-ready, products has been dramatically simplified. The
benefits are just as great to consumers who want to know their graphics
technology is fully compatible with Windows operating systems."
"We are pleased to welcome the Voodoo Banshee as a product that has truly
been 'Designed for Microsoft Windows,'" said Kevin Bachus, product manager for
DirectX at Microsoft Corporation. "We look forward to continuing our valuable
and strategic relationship with 3Dfx to improve the performance and quality of
graphics on the Windows platform."
Passing Microsoft's WHQL tests has earned 3Dfx the right to market Voodoo
Banshee as "Designed for Microsoft Windows." Voodoo Banshee will also be
included on Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). WHQL tests are
conducted to improve Windows hardware and driver quality; increase end-user
satisfaction; reduce support costs; and increase the quality of hardware
supported by the Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows CE
operating systems.
Voodoo Banshee, which recently earned top benchmark rankings from PC
Magazine, combines an entirely new state-of-the-art 2D engine, VGA and video
support with the core of the industry's most powerful 3D-only chipset,
Voodoo2(TM). PCs equipped with Voodoo Banshee can run more than 350 enhanced
games, with another 150 expected to be available by the end of the year.