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| 1. | Headline Tracker back in action |
| 2. | Cosmo3D dead - for now |
| 3. | Downtime |
| 1. | Anarchy Shots |
| 2. | No Escape Review |
| 3. | Gangsters 2 Screenshots |
Voodoo5 Clarifications!
Last Friday I sent over a few questions related to the upcoming Voodoo5 boards from 3dfx Interactive. Here's the exclusive answers from PR Manager EMEA, Andrew Humber:
Posted by Axel "Cosmo" Sjøstedt, 17th April 2000
Q: After what I've heard from various places on the net, the 5500 will be out at the end of april - and will cost around $300, and the 6000 will be out shortly after that at a price around $600. I assume this is U.S. dates. How about Europe and the rest of the world?
A: We hope to have first products on shelves in May - these will be the 5500 AGP and this will be pan-European.
Q: Can you say anything about games to be bundeled with the package?
A: Nothing announced as yet I'm afraid - keep your eyes on the site for launch releases.
Q: The Voodoo5 Overview on your website only mentions Windows 9x as supported platforms. Are there any plans for expanding the driver libary to support other OSes?
A: Not sure what site you were looking at - V5 will support Windows 95, 98, NT4.0, and we will have 2000 drivers.
Q: On the OS note, have you any further plans to release Macintosh-based versions of the top models? I know that the PCI versions should probably work with Mac - but I have also heard romours that a new & special model will be released.
A: Rumours rumours - evil things! We have just announced the release of the Voodoo 4 4500 PCI and Voodoo 5 5500 PCI, specifically branded for the MAC - I've enclosed the release below for your reference - again, I can't talk about unannounced products, but we are fully committed to the Mac platform so we will continue to fully support it, which will undoubtedly be through the provision of more products to cater for the varying levels of user!!
3dfx Announces First Mac-Branded Products
Voodoo4 4500 PCI and Voodoo5 5500 PCI Bring Immersive 3D and Lightning-Fast 2D to the Mac
SAN JOSE, Calif.- April 12, 2000 - 3dfx Interactive© Inc. (NASDAQ: TDFX), a global leader in developing and marketing 3D technology for personal computers, today announced that the Voodoo4(tm) 4500 PCI for Mac and Voodoo5(tm) 5500 PCI for Mac will be the first two Mac products released by the company. The boards mark 3dfx's move into the Mac market with fully supported 3dfx-branded products, tailored specifically to address the needs of Mac users. The Voodoo4 4500 PCI and Voodoo5 5500 PCI are expected to provide the fastest 2D and 3D performance for the Mac platform. Both products include both a standard CRT monitor output in addition to a DVI output, which enables support for Apple's new, all-digital flat panel displays. The new boards feature the industry's first hardware anti-aliasing solution, in addition to a compelling set of 3D features including T-Buffer digital cinematic effects and FXT1 texture compression.
The Voodoo4 4500 PCI and Voodoo5 5500 PCI for Mac are expected to be available in the company's second quarter.
"For the first time, Mac users will now be able to fully experience the incredible performance and visual quality of our products," said Dr. Alex Leupp, president and CEO of 3dfx Interactive, Inc. "We expect strong demand for our Voodoo4 4500 PCI and Voodoo5 5500 PCI for Mac products, as we turbo-charge the 2D and 3D graphics capabilities of the Mac platform."
"Users will be simply amazed by the visual experience of our new products specifically designed and optimized for the Mac platform," said Bryan Speece, director of Macintosh business development at 3dfx Interactive, Inc. "All Mac users, from pre-press professionals to hardcore gamers, will now be able to enjoy a powerful new level of graphics performance and visual quality whether they're playing the hottest new games, or working against a deadline to complete their next design project. Once users experience our 3D full-scene anti-aliasing, they will never go back."
At the heart of the new Mac products is the VSA-100 (Voodoo Scalable Architecture) processor. The architecture incorporates industry-standard 3D features including 32-bit RGBA rendering, 24-bit depth-buffer (Z and W), 8-bit stencil rendering, FXT1 texture compression support, 32-bit textures, 2048x2048 texture size support, advanced texture and color combine capabilities, and the native support of Macintosh data formats. Additional features include the world's most powerful and feature-complete 2D engine, as well as compelling video features including a 350 MHz RAMDAC for unsurpassed video quality.
The Voodoo4 4500 PCI for Mac features a single VSA-100 processor and 32 MB of graphics memory. It is the ideal choice for both pre-press professionals, and casual gamers, as well as users who want to upgrade to a board with planned OS X support, or to drive Apple's new digital flat panel monitors. For professional designers, the Voodoo4 4500 PCI also has the necessary power to deliver high visual quality with a 350MHz RAMDAC that provides rock-solid images at high refresh rates. The Voodoo4 4500 PCI for Mac, which renders two fully featured pixels per clock, will deliver up to 333 megatexels/megapixels per second fill rates and is expected to be priced below $200 in retail stores.
The Voodoo5 5500 PCI for Mac features dual VSA-100 processors and 64MB of total graphics memory. The product is targeted at both 3D Professionals and hardcore gamers, providing compelling support for 3D modeling, CAD, animation, and virtual reality applications, in addition to the fastest gaming experience on the Mac. The multi-chip capabilities of the VSA-100 allow, for the first time, 3D rendering that employs, true full-scene, hardware anti-aliasing at real-time frame rates. Additionally, the Voodoo5 5500 PCI enables advanced T-Buffer(tm) digital cinematic effects including motion blur, programmable depth-of-field, soft shadows and soft reflections. The Voodoo5 5500 PCI, which renders four fully-featured pixels per clock, will deliver up to 667 megatexels/megapixels per second fill rates and is expected to be priced at $329.99 in retail stores.
Both the Voodoo5 4500 PCI and Voodoo5 5500 PCI for Mac support all major 3D APIs including OpenGL(tm), GLIDE(tm), QuickDraw(tm) 3D Rave, providing the highest possible software compatibility. In addition both products have planned support for Apple's upcoming OS X in the future.
About 3dfx Interactive
3dfx Interactive is leading the 3D multimedia revolution in personal computers and consumer products. With its patented and award-winning graphics accelerator chips, boards and software, 3dfx provides the technology to create high-impact visual experiences. The company is recognized worldwide for its ability to bring the world's finest games, educational content, interactive entertainment and media-rich business applications to life. 3dfx products are available in retail stores worldwide, and through leading PC makers including Compaq, Dell and Gateway. 3dfx has headquarters in San Jose, Calif., with engineering and manufacturing facilities in Richardson, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. The company also operates www.3dfxgamers.com, the premier online community for Voodoo owners and enthusiasts. 3dfx Interactive is available on the Web at http://www.3dfx.com.
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