Headline: Games Explode into Macintosh Market; Quake 3: Arena Leads Charge of
New Mac Games Introduced at MacWorld Expo
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SAN FRANCISCO, MacWorld Expo, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Apple Computer, Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) today announced that an unprecedented number of Macintosh(R)
entertainment software titles were introduced at MacWorld Expo, including
Quake 3: Arena, the ground-breaking follow-up to Id Software's 1998
best-selling game Quake II. The games announced today coincide with Apple's
introduction of its new Power Macintosh(R) G3 line, which enhances the gaming
experience for hard-core gamers and casual players alike through the
integration of advanced technologies such as ATI's RAGE 128 graphics
accelerator and an even faster generation of PowerPC G3 processors.
"We found that over 65 percent of our customers play games on their Macs
and we want to make sure that all the best titles are available on the
Macintosh platform," said Steve Jobs, Apple's interim CEO. "With our new
Power Macintosh G3s, our customers will have the best 3D gaming hardware,
encouraging developers to make sure that even more cool titles will soon be
out there."
Some of the many entertainment software vendors announcing or shipping new
titles at MacWorld include: Activision (Battlezone, Heretic 2, SIN, Zork Grand
Inquisitor), Blizzard Entertainment (Starcraft), Bungie Software (Myth 2),
Electronic Arts/Maxis (Sim City 3000), Gathering of Developers (Railroad
Tycoon II, Fly!), GT Interactive/MacSoft (Dark Vengeance), Id Software
(Quake 3: Arena, Quake II), LogicWare (Interstate 76, Jazz Jackrabbit 2),
Microprose/MacSoft (Falcon 4, Klingon Honor Guard), Microsoft/MacSoft
(Age of Empires), Mindscape (Creatures 2, Imperialism II), Red Storm
Entertainment/MacSoft (Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six), and Sierra Software
(Quest for Glory 5).
"Quake 3: Arena will set new standards for graphics, networking and
gameplay, and the new Macs will be among the best platforms to experience it
on," said John Carmack at Id Software. "Apple is making all the right moves
on both the hardware and software sides to make the Macintosh a great platform
for games."
In addition to integrating ATI's flagship graphics card and faster
processors, the new Power Macintosh G3 line incorporates forward-looking
technologies that improve gaming performance, such as FireWire(R), Apple's
high-performance connection standard for transferring multimedia data; a
10/100BASE-T Ethernet connection for fast downloading and real-time
performance of Internet-based games; and, increased expansion options for
additional memory and add-in PCI cards. The new Power Macintosh G3
outperforms Pentium II-based machines for many 3D-intensive games such as Myth
2 and Dark Vengeance.*
Apple and Silicon Graphics today also announced OpenGL for Macintosh,
which provides software developers full access to OpenGL, the
industry-standard API for developing graphics-intensive 3D games and other
applications. A beta version of Apple's OpenGL software will be provided in
late January for developers to download at no charge from Apple's web site
(www.apple.com).
The new game titles are part of a deluge of over 1,300 new Macintosh
software titles introduced by third-party developers since iMac(TM) reignited
the industry with its debut on May 6, 1998.
Apple Computer, Inc. ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s
with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the
Macintosh. Apple is now recommitted to its original mission -- to bring the
best personal computing products and support to students, educators,
designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons and consumers in over
140 countries around the world.
Apple, the Apple logo, FireWire, Macintosh, Power Macintosh are registered
trademarks and iMac is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company
and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual
companies and are respectfully acknowledged.
* Based on available standard configurations from leading PC manufacturers
as of 12/2/98. Performance may vary, depending on application and system
configuration.
SOURCE Apple Computer, Inc.
-0- 01/05/99
/NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information, visit Apple's PR website
(www.apple.com/pr/), call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042, or Emma
Duckenfield at our PR agency, Edelman Worldwide, at (650) 968-4033,
extension 1034./
/CONTACT: Marcy Dockery, 408-974-2285, dockery@apple.com, or Russell
Brady, 408-974-6877, brady2@apple.com, both of Apple Computer, Inc./
/Company News On-Call: prnewswire.com or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 134496/
/Web site: apple.com |
