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[marsomega]

Was reading something when I came across an old 3DFX interview and the anouncement of the first ever "GPU", the Geforce 256...

First the NVIDIA press conference...

http://www.firingsquad.com/features/geforce256trip/

Before Dawn, Nalu, Dusk, Luna etc.. there was Wanda!
The first NVIDIA girl!

Can't forget halo....

And now, the 3DFX Damage Control!

http://www.firingsquad.com/features/3dfxinterview/

The mud slinging going back and forth

Nick Triantos of Nvidia stated that "Full scene AA in any system will cost performance. If you don't believe that, you're being misled by some marketing folks. " Can you comment on that in regards to T-Buffer technology?
There is no doubt that full-scene AA is going to cost you fill-rate performance. We have never stated anything to the contrary. What we have said, however, is that with full-scene AA enabled that there is still sufficient fillrate in our next-generation products to sustain 60 fps at 1024x768 resolution with 32bpp pixel depth for many games. It makes sense that Nick would say something like that when he's got to promote a competitive part that doesn't support any anti-aliasing, supports no new T-Buffer cinematic effects, and has such limited fillrate capabilites.

About the only thing they had going.

We believe full-scene AA is going to absolutely reset the image quality standard for next generation 3D accelerators. Once people see their favorite games rendered at real-time frame rates completely anti-aliased, they are never going to be able to look at aliased rendering again (regardless of how many triangles there are in a scene!). Trust us, we've been staring at anti-aliasing algorithms for quite some time now and it's miserable looking at aliased renderings now that we've become so accustomed to the amazing visual quality improvements associated with anti-aliased rendering.

What is your opinion on the term "GPU?" (A GPU by Nvidia's definition is "a single-chip processor with integrated transform, lighting, triangle setup/clipping and rendering engines that is capable of producing a minimum of 10 million polygons per second"

Seems like everyone in this business is trying to come up with new and cool marketing name for new technology. I think nvidia's definition of a "GPU" is somewhat arbitrary and clearly slanted to GeForce's features. Certainly I don't think you'll see the term "GPU" become the de facto naming convention for on-chip geometry acceleration, however.

Scott Sellers must want to bash his head into the wall every time he comes across a modern video card.... :lol


Yes, the weather is shitty and I'm bored...and hungry...

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

I remember Wanda.

"It's all about the glasses."

 

[marsomega]

Remember this one?

:lol :lol :lol

 

[Cold-Steel]

Remember this one?

:lol :lol :lol

This is why 3DFX was waaaaayyy cooler than Nvidia.

I'm glad ATi stepped in and had enough balls to go head-to-head with them.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

I remember the day I got my Monster 3D. It made Quake look sooooo good. Threewave CTF, and Team Fortress... No other FPS will ever be as much fun.

R.I.P. 3DFX

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

worst vid card box ever

dude is embarressed to be on it

 

[mj1108]

Remember this one?

:lol :lol :lol

This needs Oli's baby picture photoshopped onto it.

 

[Borys]

Was reading something when I came across an old 3DFX interview and the anouncement of the first ever "GPU", the Geforce 256...

First the NVIDIA press conference...

http://www.firingsquad.com/features/geforce256trip/

Before Dawn, Nalu, Dusk, Luna etc.. there was Wanda!
The first NVIDIA girl!

Can't forget halo....

And now, the 3DFX Damage Control!

http://www.firingsquad.com/features/3dfxinterview/

The mud slinging going back and forth




About the only thing they had going.






Scott Sellers must want to bash his head into the wall every time he comes across a modern video card.... :lol


Yes, the weather is shitty and I'm bored...and hungry...

Got all those demos on my HDD

Anyone wants them PM me, I doubt they are still on nVidia website. Wanda is the biggest one - 46 MB.

I've got also this killer GeForce1 PORSCHE (6MB) and FIRETRUCK (8MB)!

Screens in a moment...

 

[blackadde]

I think I still have my 8mb Voodoo2. That fucker was on fire.

OpenGL Quake2, holy shit.

 

[Borys]

Porsche Boxster Screens (1024, 8xAA, 8xAF).

97 000 polygons.

Forza got nothing on this, yo. This is 1999 real-time old school!

Mad rimz detail, yo.

Firetruck monstrum:

101 000 polygons

Every detail iz 3-D modeled, yo:

 

[marsomega]

Got all those demos on my HDD

Anyone wants them PM me, I doubt they are still on nVidia website. Wanda is the biggest one - 46 MB.

I've got also this killer GeForce1 PORSCHE (6MB) and FIRETRUCK (8MB)!

Screens in a moment...

Awesome Borys! The one tech demo I came across was the tree one. What hardware was this on?

 

[XMonkey]

Damn, I remember running all of those old GF demos on my computer and being in awe. Amazing how far we've come.

 

[Borys]

Awesome Borys! The one tech demo I came across was the tree one.

This is all I have on my HDD, both install versions and already installed versions

nVidia Tech Demos

GeForce 1:
Boxster
Bubble
Firetruck
Pond
Wanda

GeForce 2:
Creature
Crystall Ball
Grass
Grove
Toy Soldiers (awesome!)
Waves

GeForce 3:
Zoltar The Magnificent

GeForce 4:
Grace (yuck)
Squid
Tidepool
Wolfman (awesome!)

GeForce 5:
Dawn
Dusk
Dusk Ultra
Gas Station
Ogre
Time Machine (awesome!)
Toys
Vulcan (awesome!)

GeForce 6:
Clear Sailing
Nalu
Timbury

GeForce 7:
Nothing yet, waiting for Mad Mike and that other demo...

ATI Tech Demos:

7500:
Ark

9800:
Caves
Chimp
Gargoyle

X800:
Far Cry: The Project
Crowd
Ruby
SubSurface
Dangerous Curves

Matrox Tech Demos:
G400
Parhelia Reef

Plus a bunch of other stuff like Dagoth Moor, all 3D Marks (from 99), ChameleonMark, Final Reality, Crytek: X-Isle (awesome!), CodeCreatures, DroneZ, Aquamark, xl-r8r, Vulpine GL Mark, Fog City, realMyst, and tons of PowerVR demos etc.

4.5 GB of eye-candy!

 

[SantaC]

My first 3D card (voodoo)

Remembering GLQuake

My Voodoo 2 card. Remembering Quake 2 and Zelda OoT

My first Nvidia cardtnt2 ultra)

Those were the days!

 

[midnightguy]

in all seriousness:

-Nvidia did not create the first GPU. what they did was introduce the first consumer / gaming graphics processor with on-chip, T&L, aka geometry processing. by Nvidia's definition of GPU, there were others well before the GeForce 256, but they weren't something you could just pick up at retail. GPUs that pre-dated GeForce were in workstations, high-end professional or semi-pro PC cards ($1000 minimum) arcade boards, etc.


I really feel that 3Dfx's failure to secure the Sega Black Belt console contract is what killed the company. sure you can blame it on a whole host of other things like spending money like there was no tomorrow, being late with new products, and horrible management, but I feel that if 3Dfx got a prominent place in the console industry, even with just SEGA, it would've helped turn the company around and perhaps avoided other future disasters post-1997 after 3Dfx lost the console contract.

 

[Tain]

Damn, I remember running all of those old GF demos on my computer and being in awe. Amazing how far we've come.

Exactly.

Oh shit. Half-Life will run so damn well.

 

[marsomega]

in all seriousness:

-Nvidia did not create the first GPU. what they did was introduce the first consumer / gaming graphics processor with on-chip, T&L, aka geometry processing. by Nvidia's definition of GPU, there were others well before the GeForce 256, but they weren't something you could just pick up at retail. GPUs that pre-dated GeForce were in workstations, high-end professional or semi-pro PC cards (not until $1000) arcade boards, etc.


I really feel that 3Dfx's failure to secure the Sega Black Belt console contract is what killed the company. sure you can blame it on a whole host of other things like spending money like there was no tomorrow, being late with new products, and horrible management, but I feel that if 3Dfx got a prominent place in the console industry, even with just SEGA, it would've helped turn the company around and perhaps avoided other future disasters post-1997 after 3Dfx lost the console contract.

That was a hard hit for 3DFX they came in full swing with lawsuits over it. yet they were very arrogant and relied solely on the voodoo architecture for way too long. They loved claiming high frame rates but the reality was they were only 10 frames ahead in certain conditions at only 16-bit color depth while the others were a little behind with 32-bit color depth.

I seriously started to think these engineers were blind saying their algorithms and 22-bit rendering achieved through post processing was competitive. No matter what, 32-bit always looked better, night and day etc... end of story. The TNT2 and TNT Ultra should of been their wake up call to start ramping up things. They were already dead in the PC market, I don't know how much the DC would of helped them. Had they survived the Geforce 2, the Geforce 3 would of likely finished them off. They had absolutely nothing against the onslaught of Geforce 2 chipsets coming in all different directions from different vendors.


Gosh, buying STB was a big "F-U in your ASS" to all the vendors carrying their chips. Talk about coming back at them hard.


Wasn't it a voodoo 3 calibur chip offered for DC? If I remember correction, the PowerVR Chipset for the DC that was also released in video card form performed just under a TNT2 Ultra no??

Anyways, I think their fates were already decided whether Sega went with 3DFX or not. They would not only have to come through with a miracle chip against the Geforce 2 Ultra, Geforce 2 MX which was a hell of a deal at the time, and the onslaught on Geforces 3 as well as a miracle hidden sack of cash to produce these chips, produce the video cards, advertise, distribute etc....

 

[marsomega]

This is all I have on my HDD, both install versions and already installed versions

nVidia Tech Demos

GeForce 1:
Boxster
Bubble (Played with this one)
Firetruck
Pond
Wanda

GeForce 2:
Creature (Loved this one)
Crystall Ball
Grass
Grove
Toy Soldiers (awesome!) (Loved this one too)
Waves

GeForce 3:
Zoltar The Magnificent (Liked this one but I preferred the Chameleon one)

GeForce 4:
Grace (yuck) (Never seen this one)
Squid (Watched this one run like crap on a geforce4 4200)
Tidepool (Yes I remember this one)
Wolfman (awesome!) (wasn't crazy about this one)

GeForce 5:
Dawn (I love this one)
Dusk
Dusk Ultra (Hate this one)
Gas Station
Ogre
Time Machine (awesome!)
Toys
Vulcan (awesome!)

GeForce 6:
Clear Sailing
Nalu
Timbury

GeForce 7:
Nothing yet, waiting for Mad Mike and that other demo...

ATI Tech Demos:

7500:
Ark

9800:
Caves
Chimp (Absolutely love this one)
Gargoyle

X800:
Far Cry: The Project
Crowd (Love this one)
Ruby (I like this one too)
SubSurface (This one runs on Geforce 6800 cards just fine w/ no mods)
Dangerous Curves

Matrox Tech Demos:
G400
Parhelia Reef (Was alright, not a big fan of it though.)
Plus a bunch of other stuff like Dagoth Moor, all 3D Marks (from 99), ChameleonMark, Final Reality, Crytek: X-Isle (awesome!), CodeCreatures, DroneZ, Aquamark, xl-r8r, Vulpine GL Mark, Fog City, realMyst, and tons of PowerVR demos etc.

4.5 GB of eye-candy!

We have to get together and talk about these, I have an awesome PowerVR one thats like Paper Mario, its about some tiger and a bunny I think. PM me please we have to compare our collections...

If you show me yours I'll show you mine. ;-)

 

[FightyF]

Thanks marsomega!

 

[PhoncipleBone]

http://www.firingsquad.com/features/geforce256trip/images/wanda.jpg

holy shit! Parker Posey was a spokesperson for Nvidia?!!!!!

 

[Lazy8s]

marsomega:

Wasn't it a voodoo 3 calibur chip offered for DC?

Voodoo2 technology, actually.

If I remember correction, the PowerVR Chipset for the DC that was also released in video card form performed just under a TNT2 Ultra no??

The DC's PVR2DC was similar to its PC cousin, the Neon 250, but had moderately better performance due to a more focused console implementation. It compared favorably to the TNT2 chips and the Voodoo3 which all released later.

They would not only have to come through with a miracle chip against the Geforce 2 Ultra, Geforce 2 MX which was a hell of a deal at the time, and the onslaught on Geforces 3

They did potentially have such hardware from their purchase of tile-accelerated deferred renderer designer Gigapixel, but the financial requirement to keep their operation competitive was too steep as mentioned.

 

[RiZ III]

nekid fairy > all other demos

 

[tenchir]

We have to get together and talk about these, I have an awesome PowerVR one thats like Paper Mario, its about some tiger and a bunny I think. PM me please we have to compare our collections...

If you show me yours I'll show you mine. ;-)

It's a story about the turtle and the rabbit.

 

[Borys]

We have to get together and talk about these, I have an awesome PowerVR one thats like Paper Mario, its about some tiger and a bunny I think. PM me please we have to compare our collections...

If you show me yours I'll show you mine. ;-)

It's Fablemark. And yes, I have it. Along with Villagemark, FortuneTeller and Temple Demo.

I doubt there's any tech demo or benchmark that I don't own, I'm a benchmark collector after all.

Here's a shot with FSAA enabled for you

 

[marsomega]

It's Fablemark. And yes, I have it. Along with Villagemark, FortuneTeller and Temple Demo.

I doubt there's any tech demo or benchmark that I don't own, I'm a benchmark collector after all.

Yay thats it. I have a bunch I collected and I'm very much interested in the stuff you have. Email me or PM, would very much like to hear about what you have.

By the way, you never did say what hardware you were running your demos on.

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

I loved 3DFX, and I hated nVidia for buying them, still do

I had Vodoo Banshee, and I ROCKED

my pc was like the BEST around, SBLIVE! + Banshee

Black and White ran like a dream on it

 

[DopeyFish]

3Dfx failed to secure 2 console contracts, not just one.

Dreamcast was one, Xbox was the other (It was gigapixel until they were bought out by 3Dfx)

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

sexy

 

[blackadde]

After the TnT it was all downhill for 'em. I jumped ship to a STB Velocity 44000 and never looked back.

Of course, STB was then bought out by 3Dfx ... which inevitably help lead to their demise (they tried to fab, distribute and promote everything themselves while cutting out all the regulars like Gainward that Nvidia and ATI still supplied with schematics).

 

[DopeyFish]

SEXIER

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

omg

now I remember the clip that plays when you start a 3d game ..

3dfx >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> nVidia

 

[Hitman]

Holy crap I remember being into all those videocard wars back then.

 

[Powdered Toastman]

> *

 

[ManaByte]

This needs Oli's baby picture photoshopped onto it.

 

[fart]

imo 3dfx made a couple of HUGE missteps..

taking too long to come up with their next-gen part. nvidia just beat them to market, over and over again.

putting too many resources into card development. they should have farmed off card development to the taiwanese manufacturers BEFORE nvidia could coerce them all into not doing business with the triple d. their continuing reluctance to let the taiwanese companies have a cut turned everyone in the industry against them

ridiculously incompetent management

the oldest and basest mistake of being outmarketed. nvidia marketing was (and is) some of the best in the computer industry.

their next gen parts WERE really promising, but their engineering program either underestimated production difficulties or was mismanaged to where it just could not get parts out in time or on time. meanwhile, nvidia is getting these taiwanese companies to flood the market with boards, and marketing like there's no tomorrow, and that was just all she wrote for the little company that could.

 

[Shogmaster]

I loved 3DFX, and I hated nVidia for buying them, still do

I had Vodoo Banshee, and I ROCKED

my pc was like the BEST around, SBLIVE! + Banshee

Black and White ran like a dream on it

3DFX Banshee nevereverEVER rocked. Not even when it was brand new.

"Nevah evah?"

Never ever.

Banshee was the beginning of the end of 3DFX'x reign by providing middling 3D performance combined within it's very first 2D/3D core when the competition was really beginning to heat up and takes things up several notches.

 

[marsomega]

:lol : lol :lol

 

[AB 101]

I had a VooDoo 3 3000.

Also had the original Diamond Monster 3D.

Had it hooked up to like a S3 Virge or some shit like that.

It was awesome for the time.

 

[Shogmaster]

I had a VooDoo 3 3000.

Also had the original Diamond Monster 3D.

Had it hooked up to like a S3 Virge or some shit like that.

It was awesome for the time.

I had 6MB Voodoo 2 along with a built in 2MB S3 Virge via a pass through cable on my 200Mhz Pentium sans MMX as well. I thought it was such hot shit at the time too. :lol

First playing GLQuake on it literally floored me.

 

[tedtropy]

Ah yeah, the ole' M3D. I believe it was the first card to support hardware acceleration in Unreal. I was torn between this and the more expensive Riva 128/ZX at the time. Wound up getting a whopping 8MB PCI STB Riva 128/ZX. Quake II never looked purdier.

 

[shantyman]

My first 3D card (voodoo)

Remembering GLQuake

My Voodoo 2 card. Remembering Quake 2 and Zelda OoT

My first Nvidia cardtnt2 ultra)

Those were the days!

I swear these are the exact 3 card I bought for my first hom built PC. Voodoo, Voodoo 2, and then after seeing the writing on the wall for 3DFX, the TNT. I even got the same manufacturer's cards! Xentor box ruled.

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

Wow, Wanda looks like a MILF from the early 90's.

I bet you could make some Wanda and the Colossus funny pictures with her.

 

[SteveMeister]

My first Photoshop. Be gentle.

 

[borghe]

Ah yeah, the ole' M3D. I believe it was the first card to support hardware acceleration in Unreal. I was torn between this and the more expensive Riva 128/ZX at the time. Wound up getting a whopping 8MB PCI STB Riva 128/ZX. Quake II never looked purdier.

actually the Monster3D was out way before Unreal. Unreal first came out in 1998. The original Voodo card came out in 1996. It was widely adopted by early 1997 (which is when GLQuake hit). By the time Unreal hit I am almost positive the Voodoo2 was on the shelves (I actually paid $500 to run SLI.. my god that was awesome).

 

[dark10x]

Damn it, I almost busted out laughing here at work. That's f*cking hilarious.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

My first Photoshop. Be gentle.

:lol Awesome!

 

[SantaC]

I swear these are the exact 3 card I bought for my first hom built PC. Voodoo, Voodoo 2, and then after seeing the writing on the wall for 3DFX, the TNT. I even got the same manufacturer's cards! Xentor box ruled.

haha yeah, back then i thought, nvidia, who the fuck are they

 

[Dsal]

man, what we really need is a more specific "shitty box art from video cards : a retrospective" thread. Heck we can probably throw in some mobo box art too. Some of that stuff was horrendous.

 

[tedtropy]

actually the Monster3D was out way before Unreal. Unreal first came out in 1998. The original Voodo card came out in 1996. It was widely adopted by early 1997 (which is when GLQuake hit). By the time Unreal hit I am almost positive the Voodoo2 was on the shelves (I actually paid $500 to run SLI.. my god that was awesome).

Yeah, but I think it was the only card for awhile that did 3D acceleration within Unreal, as they initially just supported PowerVR chips and moved on from there.

 

[Sai]

How far we've come.