A Fallen Titan’s Final Glory, Part III:  What Might-Have-Been.

This is Part III of a three-part series discussing the history of 3dfx and its products.  Part I offered the historical context of the company and Part II focused on reviewing the performance of the Voodoo5 6000 itself.  In Part III we engage in a bit of might-have-been thinking, as well as discussing 3dfx’s Rampage technology and what may have ultimately killed the company.

Revisionist History 101: 

The following is an excercise in alternative history--a timeline of what might’ve occured had 3dfx managed to bring the Napalm VSA-100 design out the door quicker than they did.  I’ve done my best to make the predictions made herein logical / reasonable without going overboard in terms of what might’ve been possible.

March 1999:  3dfx and NVIDIA both release their respective video cards--3dfx with the Voodoo 3, NVIDIA with the TNT2.  The battle over which architecture is superior begins, with 3dfx holding a performance edge in 16-bit color and the TNT2 offering more advanced 32-bit color capability.

Mid-Summer, 1999:  NVIDIA introduces the TNT2 Ultra, 3dfx intros the Voodoo3 3500 TV.  The bar begins to tilt more towards NVIDIA, with the TNT2 Ultra makiing 32-bit performance more of a reality and the 3500 looking a bit more dated.  NVIDIA announces their upcoming GeForce256.

Fall, 1999:  The GeForce256 is introduced, to much fanfare.  It marks the first time NVIDIA has introduced a product clearly superior to anything 3dfx had on the market, and its hardware T&L engine makes waves.  Having announced Napalm shortly before the launch of the GF256, 3dfx predicts a launch late in the year.

Christmas, 1999:  NVIDIA launches the GeForce DDR while 3dfx launches the Voodoo4 4500 and Voodoo5 5500 on schedule.  The Voodoo5 5500 is competitive with the GeForce DDR, while the Voodoo4 4500 competes with the GeForce SDR--falling slightly behind the latter, but priced slightly lower to compensate.  3dfx also introduces the V4 and V5 in PCI modes for users with system’s without AGP slots.  3dfx has returned to competitive status with NVIDIA but hasn’t taken the lead--with GeForce2 on the way, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Spring, 2000:  NVIDIA launches the GeForce2 GTS, 3dfx launches a newly-refreshed Voodoo5 5750 and the Voodoo5 6000.  The Voodoo5 5750 is the V5 5500 built around DDR memory, boosting that card’s performance significantly and making it competitive with the GeForce2 GTS, while the Voodoo5 6000 arrives on the scene later then expected but with tremendous results, devastating the GTS utterly in almost all benchmarks.  At nearly $600 the card is out of reach for all but a few gamers, but it is, without a doubt, the most powerful card on the market, and the only one capable of rendering even FPS games in 2x or 4x FSAA while maintaining playable framerates at 1024x768 and below.  The V5 6K gains only marginal market share due to its price, but its performance (and the buzz surrounding it) deadens the impact of NVIDIA’s 2nd-generation T&L engine, while the card’s ability to run well in high FSAA modes gives it an image quality kick above its rival.

Summer, 2000:  NVIDIA introduces the Geforce2 MX, their budget GeForce2.  The card is well-received and offers an excellent budget value.  In response, 3dfx releases the Voodoo4 4750.  Similar to the V5 5750, the card offers DDR memory in the standard Voodoo4 package, allowing the card to offer performance closer to the GeForce DDR (which typically out-paces the GF2 MX by a small margin).  Strong OEM ties and their own fans allow NVIDIA to continue to compete well, but 3dfx continues to dominate the retail high-end market. With a strong budget and mid-range offering, 3dfx is well-primed to compete with NVIDIA into the end of the year.

Fall, 2000:  NVIDIA releases the GeForce2 Ultra, an ultra-high end card that surpasses the V5 5750 in performance and nears the performance level of the Voodoo5 6000 in many cases.  In response, 3dfx releases the Voodoo5 5900, DDR-equipped V5 5500, but running at a 200 MHz core / memory clock on 3dfx’s newly-deployed .18 micron process.  The 20% boost to core and memory give the V5 5900 equivalent performance to the GeForce2 Ultra.  In addition, 3dfx announces the Voodoo5 6500.  Built around 4 VSA chips clocked at 200 MHz each, the card boasts a mammoth 1600 Mpixel fill rate and potential memory bandwidth of over 25 Gb/second.  Again, like its V5 6000 predecessor, the V5 6500 is hugely expensive.

January, 2001:  NVIDIA announces the GeForce 3.....and at 3dfx, things hit another snag.

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• Rampage = MIA (0 of 4)
• Did Banshee Kill 3dfx? (0 of 4)
• Conspiracy Theories, cont. (0 of 4)
• The lasting impact of 3dfx. (0 of 4)