View source for 3dfx

{{short description|American computer hardware company}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox company
| name = 3dfx Interactive, Inc.
| logo = 3dfx logo.svg
| founded = {{start date and age|1994|08|24}}<ref name="casos">{{cite web|title=Business Entity Detail – RetrievePDF|url=https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/Document/RetrievePDF?Id=01911087-3178893|work=Business Search database – PDF document|publisher=[[California Secretary of State]]|access-date=October 9, 2019|archive-date=September 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915000125/https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/Document/RetrievePDF?Id=01911087-3178893|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| founders = Ross Smith, Scott Sellers, Gary Tarolli
| defunct = {{end date and age|2002}}<ref name='sec'/>
| fate = Bankrupt;<ref name='sec'>[[United States Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] filings, [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1010026/000095013402012752/d00519e8vk.txt Form 8-K: Bankruptcy or receivership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827131751/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1010026/000095013402012752/d00519e8vk.txt |date=August 27, 2017 }}, updated October 21, 2002, retrieved August 17, 2007</ref> acquired by [[Nvidia Corporation]]
| location = [[San Jose, California]], U.S.
| key_people = 
| industry = [[Semiconductor]]s
| products = [[Voodoo Graphics]] series
| homepage = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010201060700/http://3dfx.com/ |date=February 1, 2001 |title=3dfx.com }}
}}

'''3dfx Interactive, Inc.''' was an American [[computer hardware]] company headquartered in [[San Jose, California]], founded in 1994, that specialized in the manufacturing of [[3D graphics|3D]] [[graphics processing unit]]s, and later, [[Graphics card|video cards]]. It was a pioneer in the field from the mid 1990s to 2000.

The company's original product was the Voodoo Graphics, an [[expansion card|add-in card]] that implemented [[hardware acceleration]] of 3D graphics. The hardware accelerated only 3D rendering, relying on the PC's current video card for 2D support. Despite this limitation, the Voodoo Graphics product and its follow-up, Voodoo2, were popular. It became standard for 3D games to offer support for the company's [[Glide (API)|Glide API]].

Renewed interest in 3D gaming led to the success of the company's products and by the second half of the 1990s products combining a 2D output with 3D performance were appearing. This was accelerated by the introduction of Microsoft's [[Direct3D]], which provided a single high-performance API that could be implemented on these cards, seriously eroding the value of Glide. While 3dfx continued to offer high-performance options, the value proposition was no longer compelling.

In the late 1990s 3dfx had an infringement lawsuit which combined with lower sales in the latter years led Nvidia to acquire 3dfx for their engineers, which they acquired around one hundred of. Most of the company's assets were acquired by [[Nvidia|Nvidia Corporation]] on December 15, 2000,<ref name='rel-15dec_2'>{{cite web|title=3dfx Announces Three Major Initiatives To Protect Creditors and Maximize Shareholder Value|url=http://www.3dfx.com/rel-15dec_2.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010405091710/http://www.3dfx.com/rel-15dec_2.htm|date=December 15, 2000|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 5, 2001|access-date=August 26, 2019}}</ref> mostly for [[intellectual property rights]]. The acquisition was accounted for as a purchase by Nvidia and was completed by the first quarter of their fiscal year of 2002. 3dfx ceased supporting their products on February 15, 2001, and filed for bankruptcy on October 15, 2002.<ref name='sec'/>

== Company history ==

=== Early products ===

==== First chips ====
The company was founded on August 24, 1994, as 3D/fx, Inc.<ref name=casos/> Ross Smith, Gary Tarolli and Scott Sellers, all former employees of [[Silicon Graphics]] Inc. They were soon joined by Gordie Campbell of TechFarm.{{Sfn|Hodge|2013|p=2}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.igromania.ru/article/5122/Rassvet_i_zakat_imperii._Istoriya_o_tom_kak_Voodoo_izmenil_mir.html|title=Рассвет и закат империи. История о том, как Voodoo изменил мир|language=Russian|trans-title=The dawn and decline of the empire. The story of how Voodoo changed the world|last=Guslenko|first=Aleksandr|work=[[Igromania]]|date=2006-05-31|access-date=2021-12-05|archive-date=December 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205083752/https://www.igromania.ru/article/5122/Rassvet_i_zakat_imperii._Istoriya_o_tom_kak_Voodoo_izmenil_mir.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 3dfx released its first product, the Voodoo Graphics 3D chip, to manufacturing on November 6, 1995. The chip is a [[Video Graphics Array|VGA]] 3D accelerator that features rendering methods such as [[Nearest-neighbor interpolation|point-sampled]] [[texture mapping]], [[Z-buffering|Z-]] and [[double buffering]], [[Gouraud shading]], [[Subpixel rendering|subpixel correction]], [[alpha compositing]], and [[anti-aliasing]]. Alongside the chip came 3dfx's [[Glide (API)|Glide API]], designed to take full advantage of the Voodoo Graphics' features.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_electronic-news_1995-11-06_41_2090/page/n85|url-access=registration|title=Startup 3Dfx Eyes 3D Graphics Arena|last=MacLellan|first=Andrew|magazine=[[Electronic News]]|date=1995-11-06|access-date=2021-12-05|volume=41|issue=2090|page=84}}</ref> The company stated that Glide's creation was because it found that no existing APIs at the time could fully utilize the chip's capabilities. [[DirectX]] 3.0 was deemed to be lacking, and [[OpenGL]] was regarded as suitable only for [[CAD/CAM]] workstations.<ref name=GS-Glide>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/3dfx-open-sources-glide/1100-2447156/|title=3dfx Open Sources Glide|last=Ajami|first=Amer|work=[[GameSpot]]|date=1999-12-06|access-date=2021-12-05|archive-date=December 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205083752/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/3dfx-open-sources-glide/1100-2447156/|url-status=live}}</ref> The first graphics card to use the chip was [[Orchid Technology]]'s Righteous 3D, released on October 7, 1996.<ref>{{cite web|title=ORCHID SHIPS RIGHTEOUS 3D – BRINGS ULTIMATE 3D EXPERIENCE TO PC USERS|publisher=Orchid Technology|url=http://www.orchid.com/pressrel/pr100796.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961018045105/http://www.orchid.com/pressrel/pr100796.html|date=October 7, 1996|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 18, 1996|access-date=January 18, 2024}}<br />"Righteous 3D is the first retail product to market based on 3Dfx Interactive Voodoo Graphics chipset."</ref> The company manufactured only the chips and some [[reference design|reference]] boards, and initially did not sell any product to consumers; rather, it acted as an [[Original Equipment Manufacturer|OEM]] supplier for graphics card companies, which designed, manufactured, marketed, and sold their own graphics cards including the Voodoo chipset.<ref name=NAG>{{cite web|url=https://www.nag.co.za/2013/02/08/oldie-but-goodie-3dfx/|title=Oldie But Goodie: 3DFX|last=Fick|first=Wesley "CataclysmZA"|work=New Age Gaming|date=2013-02-08|access-date=2021-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211005355/http://www.nag.co.za/2013/02/08/oldie-but-goodie-3dfx/|archive-date=2021-12-11|url-status=live}}</ref>

3dfx gained initial fame in the arcade market. The first arcade machine that 3dfx Voodoo Graphics hardware was used in was a 1996 baseball game featuring a bat controller with motion sensing technology called ''ICE Home Run Derby''. Later that year it was featured in more popular titles, such as [[Atari]]'s ''[[San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing|San Francisco Rush]]'' and ''[[Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey]]''.<ref name=NAG/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-dreamcast|title=The Rise And Fall Of The Dreamcast|last=Perry|first=Douglass C.|work=[[Gamasutra]]|date=2009-09-09|page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824032012/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132517/the_rise_and_fall_of_the_dreamcast.php?page=2|archive-date=2021-08-24|url-status=live}}</ref> 3dfx also developed [[MiniGL]] after [[id Software]]'s [[John Carmack]] released a 1997 version of ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' that used the OpenGL API. The MiniGL translated OpenGL commands into Glide, and gave 3dfx the advantage as the sole consumer chip company to deliver a functional graphics library driver until 1998.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o0S3LhwKd2EC&q=%22Mini-GL%22|title=Building the Ultimate Game PC|last=Case|first=Loyd|publisher=[[Que (publisher)|Que]]|date=1999|access-date=2021-12-11|page=19|isbn=0-7897-2204-6|archive-date=November 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113205249/https://books.google.com/books?id=o0S3LhwKd2EC&q=%22Mini-GL%22|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Entry to the consumer market ====
[[File:KL Diamond Monster3D Voodoo 1.jpg|thumbnail|The [[Diamond Multimedia|Diamond]] [[Monster 3D]] was the most popular graphics card using the Voodoo Graphics chipset.<ref name=GameStar.de>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/das-voodoo-zeitalter-wie-3dfx-die-welt-der-pc-grafik-veraenderte,1951475.html|title=Das Voodoo-Zeitalter – Wie 3dfx die Welt der PC-Grafik veränderte|language=German|trans-title=The Voodoo Age – How 3dfx Changed the World of PC Graphics|last1=Wieselsberger|first1=Georg|last2=Liedtke|first2=Christoph|work=[[GameStar]]|date=2019-09-07|access-date=2021-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211023119/https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/das-voodoo-zeitalter-wie-3dfx-die-welt-der-pc-grafik-veraenderte,1951475.html|archive-date=2021-12-11|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
[[File:3Dfx@500nm@Fixed-pipeline@SST-1 (TMU)@Voodoo Graphics@500-0004-02 F805021.1 TMU 9802 20005 Taiwan Stack-DSC09872-DSC09942 - ZS-retouched (34576593233).jpg|thumb|A [[die shot]] of the Voodoo Graphics texture mapping chip]]

Towards the end of 1995, the cost of [[dynamic random-access memory|DRAM]] dropped significantly and 3dfx was able to enter the consumer PC hardware market with aggressive pricing compared to the few previous 3D graphics solutions for computers.<ref name=NGen37>{{cite magazine |title=3Dfx Voodoo2 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=37|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=January 1998 |pages=88–92}}</ref> Prior to affordable 3D hardware, games such as ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' and ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' had compelled video game players to move from their [[i386|80386s]] to [[i486|80486s]], and then to the [[Pentium (original)|Pentium]].<ref name=titan>{{cite web|url=http://www.sudhian.com/index.php?/articles/show/3dfx_voodoo_5_6000_review/ |title=A Fallen Titan's Final Glory |publisher=Sudhian Media |date=31 December 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822060317/http://www.sudhian.com/index.php?%2Farticles%2Fshow%2F3dfx_voodoo_5_6000_review%2F |archive-date=22 August 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

By the end of 1997, the Voodoo Graphics was by far the most widely adopted 3D accelerator among both consumers and software developers.<ref name=NGen36/> The Voodoo's primary competition was from [[PowerVR]] and [[Rendition (company)|Rendition]]. PowerVR produced a similar 3D-only add-on card with capable 3D support, although it was not comparable to Voodoo Graphics in either image quality or performance. 3dfx did not see intense competition in the market from cards that offered the combination of 2D and 3D acceleration. While these cards, such as the [[Nvidia NV1]], [[Matrox Mystique]], [[S3 ViRGE]], [[Rendition (company)|Vérité V1000]], and [[ATI Rage|ATI 3D Rage]], offered inferior 3D acceleration in terms of image quality, performance, or both, their lower cost and simplicity often appealed to OEM system builders.

==== Dreamcast ====
In 1997, 3dfx was working with entertainment company [[Sega]] to develop a new [[video game console]] hardware platform. Sega solicited two competing designs: a unit code-named "Katana", developed in Japan using [[NEC]] and [[Imagination Technologies]] (then [[VideoLogic]]) technology,<ref name="RetroinspectionD">{{cite magazine |last=McFerran |first=Damien |date=May 2008 |title=Retroinspection: Dreamcast |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/04/hardware_classics_sega_dreamcast |url-status=live |magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] |publisher= |issue=50 |pages=66–72 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110322/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/04/hardware_classics_sega_dreamcast |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref><ref name="kent">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Steven L.|author-link=Steven L. Kent|title=[[The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World]]|year=2001|publisher=[[Prima Games|Prima Publishing]]|page=559|location=Roseville, California|isbn=978-0-7615-3643-7}}</ref><ref name="gamasutra1">{{cite web |last=Perry |first=Douglass |date=September 9, 2009 |title=Features - The Rise And Fall Of The Dreamcast |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-dreamcast |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027132503/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4128/the_rise_and_fall_of_the_dreamcast.php?print=1 |archive-date=October 27, 2014 |access-date=August 16, 2024 |website=[[Game Developer (website)|Gamasutra]]}}</ref><ref name="NG38">{{cite magazine|title=Good-bye Dural, hello Katana|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Future plc|Imagine Media]]|date=February 1998|issue=38|page=24}}</ref> and "Blackbelt", a system designed in the United States using 3dfx technology.<ref name="gamasutra1"/><ref name="EdgeHistory">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/a-history-of-videogame-hardware-sega-dreamcast/ |title=A history of videogame hardware: Sega Dreamcast |author=Parkin, Simon |date=June 24, 2014 |access-date=August 16, 2024 |magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121024302/http://www.edge-online.com/features/a-history-of-videogame-hardware-sega-dreamcast/ |archive-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref>

However, on July 22, 1997, 3dfx announced that Sega was terminating the development contract.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1998-04-22|title=3Dfx Interactive Press Release|url=http://www.3dfx.com/news/press/970723.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980422014700/http://www.3dfx.com/news/press/970723.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1998-04-22|access-date=2020-08-24}}</ref> Sega chose to use NEC's PowerVR chipset for its game console,<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 1997|title=Power VR Prepares Highlander|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|issue=34|page=20}}</ref> though it still planned to purchase the rights to 3dfx's technology in order to prevent competitors from acquiring it.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Sega Puts Whammy on 3Dfx|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue=99|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=October 1997|page=22}}</ref>

3dfx said Sega has still not given a reason as to why it terminated the contract or why it chose NEC's accelerator chipset over 3dfx's. According to Dale Ford, senior analyst at Dataquest, a market research firm based in San Jose, California, a number of factors could have influenced Sega's decision to move to NEC, including NEC's proven track record of supplying chipsets for the Nintendo 64 and the demonstrated ability to be able to handle a major influx of capacity if the company decided to ramp up production on a moment's notice.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

"This is a highly competitive market with price wars happening all the time and it would appear that after evaluating a number of choices—and the ramifications each choice brings—Sega went with a decision that it thought was best for the company's longevity," said Mr. Ford.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

"Sega has to make a significant move to stay competitive and they need to make it soon. Now whether this move is to roll out another home console platform or move strictly to the PC gaming space is unknown."{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Sega quickly quashed 3dfx's "Blackbelt" and used the NEC-based "Katana" as the model for the product that would be marketed and sold as the [[Dreamcast]]. 3dfx sued Sega for breach of contract, accusing Sega of starting the deal in bad faith in order to take 3dfx technology.<ref name="contract_breach">{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/sega-accused-of-contract-breach/ | title=Sega accused of contract breach | publisher=[[CNET]] | date=3 September 1997 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="RetroinspectionD"/> The case was settled out of court.<ref name="RetroinspectionD"/>

=== New chips, competition, and decline ===

==== Development of Rampage ====
In early 1998, 3dfx embarked on a new development project. The Rampage development project was new technology for use in a new graphics card that would take approximately two years to develop, and would supposedly be several years ahead of the competition once it debuted. The company hired hardware and software teams in [[Austin, Texas]], to develop 2D and 3D Windows [[device driver]]s for Rampage in the summer of 1998. The hardware team in Austin initially focused on Rampage, but then worked on [[transform and lighting]] (T&L) engines and on MPEG decoder technology.<ref name='rampage'>[http://www.thedodgegarage.com/3dfx/rampage.htm TDG-3dfx-Rampage<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name='std_adp111'>[http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=111&p_created=1098913467&p_sid=g_fGENFi&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MSZwX3Byb2RzPTAmcF9jYXRzPTAmcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PTNkZng*&p_li=&p_topview=1 Support for 3dfx Voodoo cards<!-- Bot generated title -->][https://web.archive.org/web/20181003100454/https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/111 | Nvidia]</ref>

==== Acquisition of STB ====
{{Further|STB Systems}}
3dfx announced in January 1999 that their Banshee cards had sold about one million units.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_Issue_073_1999-02_Dennis_Publishing_GB/page/n27|title=Fact Cannon|magazine=[[PC Zone]]|date=February 1999|access-date=2021-12-05|issue=73|page=28}}</ref>{{what|reason=This is the first time Banshee is mentioned in this article. Suddenly it sells a million units. But what is it?|date=November 2023}} While Nvidia had yet to launch a product in the add-in board market that sold as well as 3dfx's Voodoo line, the company was gaining steady ground in the OEM market. The Nvidia RIVA TNT was a similar, highly integrated product that had two major advantages in greater 3D speed and 32-bit 3D color support. 3dfx, by contrast, had very limited OEM sales, as the Banshee was adopted only in small numbers by OEMs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sudhian.com/index.php?/articles/show/voodoo_6000_review_part_i/the_golden_age |title=Sudhian Media |publisher=Sudhian.com |access-date=2014-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123050930/http://www.sudhian.com/content/ |archive-date=2013-01-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

3dfx executed a major strategy change just prior to the launch of Voodoo3 by purchasing [[STB Systems]] for US$141 million on December 14, 1998.<ref>{{cite web|date=December 14, 1998|title=3Dfx buys STB Systems|first=Chris|last=Morris|work=[[CNN Money]]|url=https://money.cnn.com/1998/12/14/technology/3dfx/index.htm|access-date=May 13, 2019|archive-date=November 20, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011120191027/https://money.cnn.com/1998/12/14/technology/3dfx/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> STB Systems was one of the larger graphics card manufacturers at the time; the intent was for 3dfx to start manufacturing, marketing, and selling its own graphics cards, rather than functioning only as an [[original Equipment Manufacturer|OEM]] supplier. Purchase of STB was intended to give 3dfx access to that company's considerable OEM resources and sales channels, but the intended benefits of the acquisition never materialized. The two corporations were vastly different entities, with different cultures and structures, and they never integrated smoothly.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sudhian.com/index.php?/articles/show/voodoo_6000_review_part_i/the_golden_age |title=A Fallen Titans Final Glory: The Golden Age |publisher=Sudhian.com |access-date=2014-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123050930/http://www.sudhian.com/content/ |archive-date=2013-01-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

STB prior to the 3dfx acquisition also approached Nvidia as a potential partner to acquire the company. At the time, STB was Nvidia's largest customer and was only minimally engaged with 3dfx. 3dfx management mistakenly believed that acquiring STB would ensure OEM design wins with their products and that product limitations would be overcome with STB's knowledge in supporting the OEM sales/design win cycles. Nvidia decided not to acquire STB and to continue to support many brands of graphics board manufacturers. After STB was acquired by 3dfx, Nvidia focused on being a virtual graphics card manufacturer for the OEMs and strengthened its position in selling finished reference designs ready for market to the OEMs. STB's manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico was not able to compete from either a cost or quality point of view when compared to the burgeoning [[original design manufacturer]]s (ODMs) and Contract electronic manufacturers (CEMs) that were delivering solutions in Asia for Nvidia. Prior to the STB merger finalizing, some of 3dfx's OEMs warned the company that any product from Juarez will not be deemed fit to ship with their systems, however 3dfx management believed these problems could be addressed over time. Those customers generally became Nvidia customers and no longer chose to ship 3dfx products.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The acquisition of STB was one of the main contributors to 3dfx's downfall; the Voodoo 3 became the first 3dfx card to be developed in-house rather than by third-party manufacturers, which were a significant source of revenue for the company. These third-party manufacturers turned into competitors and began sourcing graphics chips from Nvidia.<ref name=Salon>{{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2002/05/16/nvidia2/|title=The prince of polygons|last=Turner|first=Daniel Drew|work=[[Salon.com|Salon]]|date=2002-05-16|access-date=2021-12-11|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224235252/https://www.salon.com/2002/05/16/nvidia2/|url-status=live}}</ref> This also further alienated 3dfx's remaining OEM customers, as they had a single source for 3dfx products and could not choose an OEM to provide cost flexibility. With the purchase of STB, 3dfx created two cards targeting the low-end market, the Velocity 100, which has 8&nbsp;MB of [[SDRAM]], and the Velocity 200, which has 16&nbsp;MB of [[SGRAM]]. The cards both used a chipset based on the Voodoo3 2000, and it was claimed that they were "underclocked".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/3dfx-unveils-new-velocity-brand/1100-2450873/|title=3dfx Unveils New Velocity Brand|last=Ajami|first=Amer|work=[[GameSpot]]|date=1999-07-26|access-date=2021-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218031842/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/3dfx-unveils-new-velocity-brand/1100-2450873/|archive-date=2021-12-18|url-status=live}}</ref> However, it was revealed by testing that the Velocity 100 chipset has the same clock speed as a typical Voodoo3 2000—at 143&nbsp;MHz—and that, while one of its two TMUs is disabled in OpenGL and Glide applications for memory management, it can be re-enabled to increase those applications' performance, and ''[[AnandTech]]'' found no side effects of enabling the component.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/401|title=3dfx Velocity 100|last=Andrawes|first=Mike|work=[[AnandTech]]|date=1999-10-29|access-date=2021-12-18|pages=1–3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218042331/https://www.anandtech.com/show/401|archive-date=2021-12-18|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As 3dfx focused more on the retail graphics card space, further inroads into the OEM space were limited. A significant requirement of the OEM business was the ability to consistently produce new products on the six-month product refresh cycle the computer manufacturers required; 3dfx did not have the methodology nor the mindset to focus on this business model. In the end, 3dfx opted to be a retail distribution company manufacturing their own branded products.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

==== Delays ====
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2024|small=left}}
The company's final product was code-named Napalm.<ref name=vsa-100/> Originally, this was just a Voodoo3 modified to support newer technologies and higher clock speeds, with performance estimated to be around the level of the [[RIVA TNT2]]. However, Napalm was delayed, and in the meantime Nvidia brought out their landmark [[GeForce 256]] chip, which shifted even more of the computational work from the CPU to the graphics chip. Napalm would have been unable to compete with the GeForce, so it was redesigned to support multiple chip configurations, like the Voodoo2 had.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} The end-product was named VSA-100,<ref>[http://hothardware.com/Articles/3dfx-Interview-with-Peter-Wicher/ 3dfx Interview with Peter Wicher], Hot Hardware, December 15, 2001. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110722075722/http://hothardware.com/Articles/3dfx-Interview-with-Peter-Wicher/ archive])</ref> with VSA standing for Voodoo Scalable Architecture.<ref name=vsa-100>{{cite web|url=https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/3dfx-vsa-100.g946|website=TechPowerUp|title=3dfx VSA-100 GPU Specs {{char|&#124;}} TechPowerUP GPU Database|accessdate=August 28, 2024}}</ref> 3dfx was finally able to have a product that could defeat the GeForce.<ref name='voodoo5fs'>Guido Shah, Sarju. [http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/v55500/ Voodoo5 5500 Review], Firingsquad, 2000-07-14. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20070308111758/http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/v55500/ archive])</ref>

However, by the time the VSA-100 based cards made it to the market, the [[GeForce 2]] and ATI [[Radeon R100|Radeon]] cards had arrived and were offering higher performance for the same price.<ref name='voodoo5fs'/> The only real advantage the Voodoo 5 5500 had over the GeForce 2 GTS or Radeon was its superior [[spatial anti-aliasing]] implementation, and the fact that, relative to its peers, it did not suffer such a large performance hit when anti-aliasing was enabled.<ref name=FiringSquad>[http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/v55500preview/default.asp 3dfx Voodoo 5 5500 Preview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617235319/http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/v55500preview/default.asp |date=2009-06-17 }}, Firing Squad, April 24, 2000.</ref><ref>[http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/multisamp/ Multi-Sampling Anti-Aliasing Explained], Firing Squad, February 13, 2001.</ref> 3dfx was fully aware of the Voodoo 5's speed deficiency, so they touted it as quality over speed, which was a reversal of the Voodoo 3 marketing which emphasized raw performance over features. 5500 sales were respectable but volumes were not at a level to keep 3dfx afloat.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

==== GigaPixel and insolvency ====
{{Redirect|GigaPixel|the unit of resolution|Gigapixel}}
On March 28, 2000, 3dfx bought GigaPixel for US$186 million, in order to help launch its Rampage product to market quicker.<ref>{{cite web|title=3Dfx acquires graphics IP provider Gigapixel for $186 million|first=Mark|last=Hachman|date=March 28, 2000|quote=[3Dfx] will acquire Gigapixel's 40 or so engineers, which 3Dfx will integrate into its engineering workforce. In doing so, the company will address a weak point: its reliance on external design and manufacturing resources, and the time-to-market penalties the company has faced as an indirect result|url=http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1125015|access-date=February 9, 2017|archive-date=January 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126220554/https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1125015|url-status=live}} and announced its Sage geometry processor.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.extremetech.com/computing/52560-inside-the-geforcefx-architecture/6|title=Inside the GeForceFX Architecture|first=Dave|last=Salvator|date=November 15, 2002|website=ExtremeTech|access-date=May 13, 2019|archive-date=May 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513201033/https://www.extremetech.com/computing/52560-inside-the-geforcefx-architecture/6|url-status=dead}}</ref> GigaPixel had previously almost won the contract to build [[Microsoft]]'s [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] console, but lost out to Nvidia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/gigapixel-sells-following-xbox-surprise/|title=Gigapixel sells following Xbox surprise|first=Michael|last=Kanellos|date=2 January 2002|access-date=4 November 2022|publisher=[[CNET]]|archive-date=November 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104101219/https://www.cnet.com/culture/gigapixel-sells-following-xbox-surprise/|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, in late 2000,<ref name='rel-15dec_2'/><ref name='In re 3dfx'>[https://casetext.com/case/brandt-v-nvidia-corp-in-re-3dfx-interactive ''In re 3dfx Interactive, Inc.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602163908/https://casetext.com/case/brandt-v-nvidia-corp-in-re-3dfx-interactive |date=June 2, 2024 }}, 585 F. App'x 626 (9th Cir. 2014).</ref> not long after the launch of the Voodoo 4,<ref name='In re 3dfx'/> several of 3dfx's creditors decided to initiate [[bankruptcy]] proceedings. 3dfx, as a whole, would have had virtually no chance of successfully contesting these proceedings, and instead opted to sell its assets to Nvidia, effectively ceasing to exist as a company. The resolution and legality of those arrangements (with respect to the purchase, 3dfx's creditors and its bankruptcy proceedings)<ref name='rel-15dec_2'/><ref name='In re 3dfx'/> took over a decade to resolve in the federal courts.   Specifically, the trustee of 3dfx's bankruptcy estate challenged 3dfx's sale of its assets to Nvidia as an allegedly [[fraudulent conveyance]].  On November 6, 2014, in an unpublished memorandum order, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] affirmed the "district court's judgment affirming the bankruptcy court's determination that [Nvidia] did not pay less than fair market value for assets purchased from 3dfx shortly before 3dfx filed for bankruptcy".<ref name='In re 3dfx'/>

A majority of the engineering and design team working on Rampage/Sage who remained with the transition, were requested and remained in house to work on what became the [[GeForce FX]] series. Others accepted employment with ATI to bring their knowledge to the creation of the X series of video cards and the development of [[AMD CrossFire|Crossfire]], their own version of SLI.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}  

The prototype Spectre 1000 cards were delivered to software developers mere days before declaring insolvency. The software team developed both device drivers and a binary-compatible soft emulation of the Rampage function set. Thus, there were working Windows NT device drivers within a few days of the power on of the Rampage system on the 2nd week of December, 2000.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} At the time of Nvidia's acquisition, 3dfx had already been developing the successors to Spectre. "Fear", based on a next-generation Rampage called Fusion, and Sage2. "Mojo" would combine both into a single die, implement [[tiled rendering]], and showcase some advanced technologies from the GigaPixel acquisition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ixbtlabs.com/articles/3dfxtribute/index.html|title=3dfx tribute: Rampage, Sage, Fear, Mojo...|publisher=IXBT Labs|date=|first=Alexander|last=Medvedev|access-date=4 November 2022|archive-date=November 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104101225/http://ixbtlabs.com/articles/3dfxtribute/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The unreleased Spectre 1000 card, based on Rampage, would eventually be leaked and tested. Performance indicated that it would have struggled to compete with Nvidia's already-released GeForce 256, though the proposed Spectre 2000 and Spectre 3000 cards, which featured a combination of Rampage and Sage units, would have led the market until late 2002, with Nvidia's [[GeForce 4 series]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dsogaming.com/news/3dfx-cancelled-rampage-gpu-running-max-payne-unreal-tournament-3dmark-2001/|first=John|last=Papadopoulous|date=13 December 2018|access-date=4 November 2022|title=First look at 3DFX's cancelled Rampage GPU, running Max Payne, Unreal Tournament & 3DMark 2001|publisher=Dark Side of Gaming|archive-date=November 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104101219/https://www.dsogaming.com/news/3dfx-cancelled-rampage-gpu-running-max-payne-unreal-tournament-3dmark-2001/|url-status=live}}</ref>

After Nvidia acquired 3dfx's intellectual property, they announced that they would not provide technical support for 3dfx products.<ref name=std_adp111/> As of 2019, drivers and support are still offered by community websites.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} However, while functional, the drivers do not carry a manufacturer's backing and are considered beta software. For a limited time, Nvidia offered a program under which 3dfx owners could trade in their cards for Nvidia cards of similar performance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_20011126_4364.html | publisher=Nvidia | title=3dfx Owners Can Now Trade in their Voodoo Graphics Card for a Verto Graphics Cards Featuring NVIDIA's High-Performance GPUs | date=26 November 2001 | access-date=18 August 2014 | archive-date=March 30, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330020724/http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_20011126_4364.html | url-status=live }}</ref> On December 15, 2000, 3dfx apologized to the customers with a final press release.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.x86-secret.com/articles/divers/v5-6000/letter_to_customers.htm |title=Letter to Customers |publisher=X86-secret.com |date=2000-12-15 |access-date=2014-08-18 |archive-date=June 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603203504/http://www.x86-secret.com/articles/divers/v5-6000/letter_to_customers.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2003, the [[source code]] for 3dfx drivers [[Source code leak|leaked]],<ref>[http://www.golem.de/0305/25378.html Treiber-Quellcode von 3dfx im Netz aufgetaucht – Von Nvidia offenbar geduldet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923072136/http://www.golem.de/0305/25378.html |date=September 23, 2020 }} by Christian Klaß on Golem.de (7 May 2003, in German)</ref> resulting in [[fan-made]], updated drivers and further support.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Although 1997 was marked by analysts as a turning point for 3dfx due to the marketing led by the new CEO Greg Ballard, there was criticism of Ballard's understanding of [[Research and development|R&D]] in the graphics industry. Single-card 2D/3D solutions were taking over the market, and although Ballard saw the need and attempted to direct the company there with the Voodoo Banshee and the Voodoo3, both of these cost the company millions in sales and lost market share while diverting vital resources from the Rampage project.<ref name="titan" /> Then 3dfx released word in early 1999 that the still-competitive Voodoo2 would support only OpenGL and Glide under Microsoft's Windows 2000 operating system, and not Direct3D. Many games were transitioning to Direct3D at this point, and the announcement caused many PC gamers – the core demographic of 3dfx's market – to switch to Nvidia or ATI offerings for their new machines.
Ballard resigned shortly after, in January 2000.<ref name="BallardDeparture">{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/news/11073.html|title=Ballard Leaves 3dfx|date=October 7, 1999|website=IGN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000118104245/http://pc.ign.com/news/11073.html|archive-date=January 18, 2000|url-status=dead|access-date=September 25, 2019}}</ref>

== Product development history ==

=== Voodoo Graphics PCI ===
A typical Voodoo Graphics [[Peripheral Component Interconnect|PCI]] expansion card consisted of a [[Digital-to-analog converter|DAC]], a [[frame buffer]] processor and a [[texture mapping unit]], along with 4&nbsp;[[Megabyte|MB]] of [[EDO DRAM]]. The RAM and graphics processors operated at 50&nbsp;[[Megahertz|MHz]]. It provided only 3D acceleration and as such the computer also needed a traditional [[video controller]] for conventional 2D software.<ref name=NGen36>{{cite magazine |title=Where to Play? The Dust Settles |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=36 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=December 1997|page=68}}</ref> A pass-through [[VGA cable]] [[Daisy chain (electrical engineering)|daisy-chained]] the video controller to the Voodoo, which was itself connected to the monitor. The method used to engage the Voodoo's output circuitry varied between cards, with some using mechanical relays while others utilized purely solid-state components. The mechanical relays emitted an audible "clicking" sound when they engaged and disengaged.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

=== Voodoo Rush ===
[[File:IntergraphVoodooRush.jpg|thumb|[[Intergraph]] Intense3D Voodoo]]

In August 1997, 3dfx released the '''Voodoo Rush''' chipset, combining a Voodoo chip with a 2D chip that lay on the same circuit board, eliminating the need for a separate VGA card. Most cards were built with an [[Alliance Semiconductor]] AT25/AT3D 2D component, but there were some built with a [[Macronix]] chip and there were initial plans to partner with [[Trident Microsystems|Trident]] but no such boards were ever marketed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vintage3d.org/3dfx2.php#sthash.s9a2NLLE.dpbs |website=Vintage 3D |access-date=1 January 2024 |title=3Dfx Voodoo Rush review benchmark |archive-date=January 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101140244/https://vintage3d.org/3dfx2.php#sthash.s9a2NLLE.dpbs |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Rush had the same specifications as Voodoo Graphics, but did not perform as well because the Rush chipset had to share memory bandwidth with the CRTC of the 2D chip. Furthermore, the Rush chipset was not directly present on the PCI bus but had to be programmed through linked registers of the 2D chip. Like the Voodoo Graphics, there was no [[interrupt]] mechanism, so the driver had to poll the Rush in order to determine whether a command had completed or not; the indirection through the 2D component added significant overhead here and tended to back up traffic on the PCI interface. The typical performance hit was around 10% compared to Voodoo Graphics, and even worse in windowed mode. Later, Rush boards were released by [[Hercules Computer Technology, Inc.|Hercules]] featuring 8 [[MiB]] VRAM and a 10% higher clock speed, in an attempt to close this performance gap.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Some manufacturers bundled a PC version of [[Atari Games]]' racing game ''[[San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing|San Francisco Rush]]'', the arcade version of which utilised a slightly upgraded Voodoo Graphics chipset with an extra texture mapping unit and additional texture memory.<ref>{{Cite web|title=System 16 – Atari Flagstaff Hardware (Atari)|url=http://system16.com/hardware.php?id=781|access-date=2022-01-25|website=system16.com|archive-date=May 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511015344/http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=781|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Voodoo Rush was 3dfx's first commercial failure. Sales were very poor, and the cards were discontinued within a year.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/PCXL02Oct1998/page/n45|title=The Story Behind Voodoo Rush|magazine=[[PC Accelerator]]|date=October 1998|access-date=2021-12-05|volume=1|issue=2|page=44}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Buskirk |first1=Bob |title=A Look Back: 3dfx Graphics Cards |date=January 1998| url=https://thinkcomputers.org/3dfx-graphic-cards-history/ |website=Think Computers |access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>

=== Voodoo2 ===
{{Main|Voodoo2}}
[[File:STBVoodoo2SLIcards.jpg|thumb|[[STB Systems]] Blackmagic 3D in SLI]]

The 3dfx Voodoo2, the successor to the Voodoo Graphics chipset released in March 1998, was architecturally similar, but the basic board configuration added a second texturing unit, allowing two textures to be drawn in a single pass.<ref name=boot17>{{cite magazine|title=Previews – 3Dfx Voodoo2|last=Sanchez|first=Andrew|magazine=[[Boot (magazine)|boot]]|date=January 1998|issue=17|pages=86–87}}</ref>

The Voodoo2 required three chips and a separate VGA graphics card, whereas new competing 3D products, such as the ATI Rage Pro, Nvidia [[RIVA 128]], and Rendition Verite 2200, were single-chip products. Despite some shortcomings, such as the card's dithered [[highcolour|16-bit 3D color]] rendering and [[Display resolution|800x600]] resolution limitations, no other manufacturers' products could match the smooth framerates that the Voodoo2 produced. It was a landmark (and expensive) achievement in PC 3D-graphics. Its excellent performance, and the mindshare gained from the original Voodoo Graphics, resulted in its success. Many users even preferred Voodoo2's dedicated purpose, because they were free to use the quality 2D card of their choice as a result. Some 2D/3D combined solutions at the time offered quite sub-par 2D quality and speed.<ref name=NGen37/><ref name=boot17/><ref name=tomshardwarer128>[http://www.thg.ru/graphic/19971027/print.html Review AGP Graphic Cards], Tom's Hardware, October 27, 1997.</ref><ref name=salon>{{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2002/05/16/nvidia2/|title=The prince of polygons|last=Turner|first=Daniel Drew|work=Salon|date=May 16, 2002|access-date=August 28, 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224235252/https://www.salon.com/2002/05/16/nvidia2/|archivedate=February 24, 2021}}</ref> 

The Voodoo2 introduced [[Scan-Line Interleave]] (SLI), in which two Voodoo2 boards were connected together, each drawing half the [[scan line]]s of the screen.<ref name=NGen37/> SLI increased the maximum resolution supported to [[XGA|1024×768]]. Because of the high cost and inconvenience of using three separate graphics cards (two Voodoo2 SLI plus the general purpose 2D graphics adapter), the Voodoo2 SLI scheme had minimal effect on total market share and was not a financial success.<ref name=NGen37/><ref name=boot17/> SLI capability was not offered in subsequent 3dfx board designs,{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} although the technology would be later used to link the VSA-100 chips on the Voodoo 5.<ref name=AnandVoodoo5Review>Lal Shimpi, Anand. [https://web.archive.org/web/20001026034001/http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1276 3dfx Voodoo5 5500], Anandtech, July 11, 2000.</ref><ref name=wicher>[http://hothardware.com/Articles/3dfx-Interview-with-Peter-Wicher/ 3dfx Interview with Peter Wicher], Hot Hardware, December 15, 2001.</ref>

The arrival of the Nvidia [[RIVA TNT]] with integrated 2D/3D chipset would offer minor challenge to the Voodoo2's supremacy months later.<ref name=salon/><ref>Lal Shimpi, Anand. [https://web.archive.org/web/20040904080713/http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=940 Nvidia Riva TNT2], Anandtech, April 27, 1999.</ref><ref>Pabst, Thomas. [https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-rocks-boat-tnt2,102-4.html NVIDIA rocks the Boat with TNT2], Tom's Hardware, March 12, 1999.</ref><ref>Hwang, Kenn. [http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/pentium3/page10.asp Exclusive Pentium III Review], Firing Squad, January 13, 1999.</ref>

=== Voodoo Banshee ===
[[File:VoodooBanshee-AGP.jpg|thumb|[[Creative Technology|Creative]] 3D Blaster Banshee AGP]]

Near the end of 1998, 3dfx released the '''Voodoo Banshee''', which featured a lower price achieved through higher component integration, and a more complete feature-set including 2D acceleration, to target the mainstream consumer market.  A single-chip solution, the Banshee was a combination of a 2D video card and partial (only one [[texture mapping unit]]) Voodoo2 3D hardware. Due to the missing second [[Texture mapping unit|TMU]], in 3D scenes which used multiple textures per [[Polygon (computer graphics)|polygon]], the Voodoo2 was significantly faster. However, in scenes dominated by single-textured polygons, the Banshee could match or exceed the Voodoo2 due to its higher clock speed and resulting greater pixel fillrate.

Banshee's 2D acceleration was the first such hardware from 3dfx and it was very capable. It rivaled the fastest 2D cores from [[Matrox]], Nvidia, and [[ATI Technologies|ATI]]. It consisted of a 128-bit [[2D computer graphics|2D]] [[graphical user interface|GUI]] engine and a 128-bit [[VESA BIOS Extensions|VESA VBE 3.0]] VGA core. The graphics chip capably accelerated [[DirectDraw]] and supported all of the Windows [[Graphics Device Interface]] (GDI) in hardware, with all 256 [[Raster graphics|raster]] operations and tertiary functions, and hardware polygon acceleration. The 2D core achieved near-theoretical maximum performance with a null driver test in [[Windows NT]].<ref>Pabst, Thomas. [http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/3d-chips,83.html New 3D Chips – Banshee, G200, RIVA TNT And Savage3D] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106002223/http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/3d-chips,83.html |date=November 6, 2016 }}, Tom's Hardware, August 18, 1998.</ref><ref>[http://www.3dfxzone.it/dir/3dfx/prodotti/vbanshee.htm 3dfx Specifications: Voodoo Banshee AGP/PCI] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060607235632/http://www.3dfxzone.it/dir/3dfx/prodotti/vbanshee.htm |date=June 7, 2006 }}, 3dfxzone, accessed July 26, 2006.</ref>

Voodoo Banshee supports MPEG2 video acceleration.<ref>{{citation |url=https://auth.vgamuseum.info/index.php/charts/shaders/item/551-diamond-monster-fusion-3dfx-voodoo-banshee |title=VGA Legacy MKIII - Diamond Monster Fusion (3Dfx Voodoo Banshee) }}</ref>

=== Voodoo3 ===
{{Main|Voodoo3}}

The Voodoo 3 was hyped as the graphics card that would make 3dfx the undisputed leader, but the actual product was below expectations. Though it was still the fastest as it edged the [[RIVA TNT2]] by a small margin, the Voodoo3 lacked 32-bit color and large texture support. Though at that time few games supported large textures and 32-bit color, and those that did generally were too demanding to be run at playable framerates, the features "32-bit color support" and "2048×2048 textures" were much more impressive on paper than 16-bit color and 256×256 texture support.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-045-2000-02/page/n101|title=3dfx Bites Back With Voodoo 4/5|last=Norton-Smith|first=Hugh|magazine=[[PC PowerPlay]]|date=February 2000|access-date=2021-12-11|issue=45|page=102}}</ref> The Voodoo3 sold relatively well,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1999-10-27/3dfx-voodoo3-cards-dominate-charts-again-as-hottest-selling | title=3Dfx Voodoo3 Cards Dominate Charts Again as Hottest Selling | newspaper=Bloomberg.com | date=October 27, 1999 | access-date=June 12, 2022 | archive-date=November 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113205402/https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/1999-10-27/3dfx-voodoo3-cards-dominate-charts-again-as-hottest-selling | url-status=live }}</ref> but was disappointing compared to the first two models and 3dfx lost the market leadership to Nvidia.<ref name=Salon/>

As 3dfx attempted to counter the TNT2 threat, it was surprised by Nvidia's [[GeForce 256]]. The GeForce was a single-chip processor with integrated transform, lighting, triangle setup/clipping (hardware T&L), and rendering engines, giving it a significant performance advantage over the Voodoo3. The 3dfx Voodoo3 2000 PCI was the highest-performance 2D/3D card available for the Apple Macintosh at the time of its release, though support from 3dfx was labeled as 'beta' and required a firmware reflash.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mac3dfx.com/voodoo_three.html|title=Review: 3Dfx Mac Voodoo3 2000|publisher=Mac3dfx.com|access-date=2015-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118153309/http://www.mac3dfx.com/voodoo_three.html|archive-date=2012-01-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> As game developers switched to [[DirectX]] and [[OpenGL]], which respectively had become the industry standard and were becoming increasingly popular, 3dfx released its Glide API under the [[General Public License]] on December 6, 1999.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.3dfx.com/comp/press/rel-dec06.html|title=3dfx Open Sources Glide API And Releases Hardware Specifications|publisher=3dfx|date=1999-12-06|access-date=2021-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000303174313/http://www.3dfx.com/comp/press/rel-dec06.html|archive-date=2000-03-03|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/sezero/glide/blob/glide-devel-sezero/LICENSE|title=3DFX GLIDE Source Code General Public License|work=[[GitHub]]|publisher=3dfx|date=1999-12-06|access-date=2021-12-04|archive-date=December 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205083752/https://github.com/sezero/glide/blob/glide-devel-sezero/LICENSE|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=GS-Glide/>

=== Voodoo 4 & 5 ===
{{Main|Voodoo 5}}

The Voodoo 5 5000, which had 32 MB of VRAM to the 5500's 64 MB, was never launched.<ref>{{cite web |title=3dfx Voodoo5 5000 PCI |url=https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/voodoo5-5000-pci.c3537 |website=TechPowerUp |access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>

The only other member of the Voodoo 5 line, the Voodoo 4 4500, was as much of a disaster as Voodoo Rush, because it had performance well short of its value-oriented peers combined with a late launch. Voodoo 4 was beaten in almost all areas by the [[GeForce 2]] MX—a low-cost board sold mostly as an OEM part for computer manufacturers—and the [[Radeon R100|Radeon VE]].<ref>Lal Shimpi, Anand. [http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1340 3dfx Voodoo4 4500AGP] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519235719/http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1340 |date=May 19, 2007 }}, Anandtech, October 23, 2000.</ref>

One unusual trait of the Voodoo 4 and 5 was that the Macintosh versions of these cards had both VGA and DVI output jacks, whereas the PC versions had only the VGA connector. Also, the Mac versions of the Voodoo 4 and 5 had a weakness in that they did not support hardware-based MPEG2 decode acceleration, which hindered the playback of DVDs on a Mac equipped with a Voodoo graphics card.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The [[Voodoo 5 6000]] never made it to market, due to a severe bug resulting in data corruption on the AGP bus on certain boards, and was limited to AGP 2x. It was thus incompatible with the new [[Pentium 4]] motherboards. Only a few more than one thousand units of the graphics card were ever produced.{{Sfn|Gontarczyk|2016|p=10}} Later tests proved that the Voodoo 5 6000 outperformed not only the [[GeForce 2]] GTS and ATI [[Radeon R100|Radeon 7200]], but also the faster [[GeForce 2]] Ultra and [[Radeon R100|Radeon 7500]]. In some cases it was shown to compete well with the [[GeForce 3]], trading performance places with the card on various tests.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/325466-i-wrote-the-first-full-review-of-the-voodoo-5-6000-3dfx-isnt-coming-back|title=I Wrote the First Full Review of the Voodoo 5 6000. 3dfx Isn't Coming Back [Updated]|last=Hruska|first=Joel|work=[[ExtremeTech]]|date=2021-08-05|access-date=2021-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218072922/https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/325466-i-wrote-the-first-full-review-of-the-voodoo-5-6000-3dfx-isnt-coming-back|archive-date=2021-12-18|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgameshardware.de/3dfx-Voodoo-Hardware-255488/Specials/3dfx-Voodoo-Retro-Special-1246582/|title=3dfx History and Voodoo 5: Retro special with brand-new benchmarks and insights|last=Vötter|first=Raffael|work=[[PC Games|PC Games Hardware]]|date=2017-12-25|access-date=2021-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218070249/https://www.pcgameshardware.de/3dfx-Voodoo-Hardware-255488/Specials/3dfx-Voodoo-Retro-Special-1246582/|archive-date=2021-12-18|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the prohibitively high production cost of the card, particularly the 4 chip setup, external power supply and 128&nbsp;MB of VRAM (which would have made it the first consumer card with that amount of memory), would have likely hampered its competitiveness.{{Sfn|Gontarczyk|2016|p=10}}

== Products ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%; text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan=2|Model
!rowspan=2|Launch
!rowspan=2|[[Code name]]
!rowspan=2|VGA<sup>1</sup>
!rowspan=2|Fab ([[nanometer|nm]])
!rowspan=2|[[Computer bus|Bus]] [[I/O interface|interface]]
!rowspan=2|Memory ([[Mebibyte|MB]])
!rowspan=2|Core clock ([[Hertz|MHz]])
!rowspan=2|Memory clock ([[Hertz|MHz]])
!rowspan=2|Core config<sup>2</sup>
!colspan=4|[[Fillrate]]
!colspan=3|Memory
!rowspan=2|[[Direct3D]] support
|-
!{{vert header|MOperations/s}}
!{{vert header|MPixels/s}}
!{{vert header|MTexels/s}}
!{{vert header|MVertices/s}}
!{{vert header|Bandwidth ([[Gigabyte|GB]]/s)}}
!{{vert header|Bus type}}
!{{vert header|Bus width ([[bit]])}}
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo Graphics
|October 7, 1996
|SST1
|add-on
|500
|PCI
|4, 6, 8
|50
|50
|1:1
|50
|50
|50
|0
|0.8
|EDO
|128
|3.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo Rush
|April 1997
|SST96
|✓
|500
|PCI
|4, 6, 8
|50
|50
|1:1
|50
|50
|50
|0
|0.4
|EDO
|64
|3.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo2
|March 1, 1998
|SST2
|add-on
|350
|PCI
|8, 12
|90
|90
|2:1
|90
|90
|180
|0
|2.16
|EDO
|192
|5.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo Banshee
|June 22, 1998
|Banshee
|✓
|350
|AGP, PCI
|8, 16
|100
|100
|1:1
|100
|100
|100
|0
|1.6
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Velocity 100
|July 26, 1999
|Avenger
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x
|8
|143
|143
|2:1
|143
|143
|286
|0
|2.288
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Velocity 200
|Never released
|Avenger
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x
|16
|143
|143
|2:1
|143
|143
|286
|0
|2.288
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo3 1000
|March 1999
|Avenger
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x
|8, 16
|125, 143
|125, 143
|2:1
|125
|125
|250
|0
|2, 2.288
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo3 2000
|April 7, 1999
|Avenger
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x, PCI
|16
|143
|143
|2:1
|143
|143
|286
|0
|2.288
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo3 3000
|April 7, 1999
|Avenger
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x, PCI
|16
|166
|166
|2:1
|166
|166
|333
|0
|2.66
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo3 3500 TVsi
|April 7, 1999
|Avenger
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x
|16
|166
|166
|2:1
|166
|166
|333
|0
|2.66
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo3 3500 TV
|June 1999
|Avenger
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x
|16
|183
|183
|2:1
|183
|183
|366
|0
|2.928
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo3 3500 TV SE
|June 1999
|Avenger
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x
|16
|200
|200
|2:1
|200
|200
|400
|0
|3.19
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo4 4000
|Never released
|VSA-100
|✓
|250
|AGP 4x, PCI
|16
|166
|166
|2:2
|332
|332
|332
|0
|2.656
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo4-2 4000
|Never released
|VSA-101
|✓
|180
|AGP
|16
|?
|?
|2:2
|?
|?
|?
|0
|?
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo4-2 4200
|Never released
|VSA-101
|✓
|180
|AGP, PCI
|16, 32
|143
|143
|2:2
|143
|143
|?
|0
|?
|DDR
|64
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo4-2 4200
|Never released
|VSA-101
|✓
|180
|PCI
|32
|166
|166
|2:2
|166
|166
|?
|0
|?
|DDR
|64
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo4 4500
|October 13, 2000
|VSA-100
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x<ref name="falconfly1">{{cite web|url=http://www.falconfly.de/identify-3dfx.htm|title=Identify your 3dfx Hardware with Part No. and/or special Markings|website=FalconFly Central|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040607055946/http://www.falconfly.de/identify-3dfx.htm|archive-date=June 7, 2004}}</ref>/4x,<ref name="falconfly1"/> PCI
|32
|166
|166
|2:2
|332
|332
|332
|0
|2.656
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo4 4800
|Never released
|VSA-100
|✓
|250
|AGP 4x, PCI
|64
|166
|166
|2:2
|333
|333
|333
|0
|2.656
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo5 5000
|Never released
|VSA-100 x2
|✓
|250
|AGP 4x, PCI
|32
|166
|166
|2:2 x2
|664
|664
|664
|0
|2.656
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo5 5500
|June 22, 2000
|VSA-100 x2
|✓
|250
|AGP 2x,<ref name="falconfly1"/> PCI
|64
|166
|166
|2:2 x2
|664
|664
|664
|0
|5.33
|SDR
|128
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Voodoo5 6000
|Never released
|VSA-100 x4
|✓
|250
|AGP 4x, PCI
|128
|166
|166
|2:2 x4
|1328
|1328
|1328
|0
|10.66
|SDR
|256
|6.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Spectre 1000
|Never released
|Rampage
|✓
|180
|AGP 4x
|64
|200
|400
|4:4
|800
|800
|800
|0
|6.4
|DDR
|128
|7.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Spectre 2000
|Never released
|Rampage + Sage
|✓
|180
|AGP 4x
|64
|200
|400
|4:4
|800
|800
|800
|0
|6.4
|DDR
|128
|7.0
|-
!style="text-align:left"|Spectre 3000
|Never released
|Rampage x2 + Sage
|✓
|180
|AGP 4x
|128
|200
|400
|4:4 x2
|1600
|1600
|1600
|0
|12.8
|DDR
|256
|7.0
|}
* <sup>1</sup> VGA: Whether the card included a built-in VGA subsystem and ran as a standalone graphics card
* <sup>2</sup> [[Texture mapping unit]]s:[[render output unit]]s – 3Dfx Velocity cards only have 1 working TMU enabled on OpenGL and Glide games, but both TMUs working under DirectX games.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cards/item/9-3dfx-velocity-100|title=VGA Legacy MKIII - 3Dfx Velocity 100|last=Vlask|access-date=2024-08-30|language=en-gb}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite interview|url=https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/05/102746834-05-01-acc.pdf|title=3dfx Oral History Panel – Gordon Campbell, Scott Sellers, Ross Q. Smith, and Gary M. Tarolli|last=Hodge|first=Shayne|publisher=[[Computer History Museum]]|date=2013-07-29|access-date=2021-12-05}}
* {{cite web|url=https://pclab.pl/art68963.html|title=Historia 3dfx – firmy, która swoim Voodoo zrewolucjonizowała gry na platformie PC i... upadła|last=Gontarczyk|first=Piotr|work=[[:pl:Komputer Świat|PC Lab]]|date=2016-03-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702113858/https://pclab.pl/art68963.html|archive-date=2020-07-02|url-status=dead}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}

* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001019085651/http://www.3dfx.com/home-content.html|title=Official website|date=October 19, 2000}}
* Greg Ballard [https://web.archive.org/web/20151211121719/http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=1639 discusses some of the reasons for 3dfx's decline], Stanford University, November 2006
* [https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.com.au&sl=it&sp=nmt4&u=http://bill.bzaar.net/avoc/Html/Servizi/Int3dfx/luciano.htm&usg=ALkJrhgtrmJe_5iYezpz-E7mlxm3LLiWyQ Interview with AVOC]

{{3dfx Graphics Processors}}
{{Nvidia}}
{{Graphics Processing Unit}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:3dfx Interactive}}
[[Category:3dfx Interactive| ]]
[[Category:1994 establishments in California]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Jose, California]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002]]
[[Category:Computer companies disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Computer companies established in 1994]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in California]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]
[[Category:Defunct semiconductor companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Fabless semiconductor companies]]
[[Category:Graphics hardware companies]]
[[Category:Nvidia]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies based in California]]