3dfx

discussed in 585 posts, 1996-2003 · overall tone mixed

Posts per month

How the mood changed

Starts at zero. Every post that spoke well of them moves the line up, every critical post moves it down (weighted −2 to +2).

Press releases

Key threads

• Voodoo5 price drop sparks 3dfx versus nVidia debate 2000-11-18 · 96 posts
  A Voodoo5 deal led to a long argument mainly between Keystone and Pierre Legrand over 3dfx's driver quality, FSAA, bandwidth and dual-chip design compared with nVidia's GeForce line. Many sim racers preferred the Voodoo5 for stability and FSAA, while Keystone argued 3dfx's design was dated and the company was failing.
• Papa Doc's Voodoo5 vs GeForce3 benchmarks spark long argument 2002-01-14 · 311 posts
  Pierre "Papa Doc" Legrand published benchmarks comparing a Voodoo5 and a GeForce3 in Ghost Recon, NASCAR 4, Quake 3 and flight sims, finding the Voodoo5 competitive with 4x FSAA. Many disputed his methodology, including running 3DMark without hardware T&L, and argued the GeForce3 was better in every way. The thread ran to over 300 posts and degenerated into insults, ending up on multi-monitor and LCD resolution arguments.
• 3dfx stops making its own video boards 2000-11-15 · 42 posts
  News that 3dfx would stop manufacturing graphics boards and return to selling chips to other makers prompted debate over its decline after buying STB. Some welcomed it, while others, including Act Labs' Raymond, argued competition benefits consumers. Arguments followed over 16-bit versus 32-bit color and upcoming 3dfx technology.
• Voodoo3 versus TNT2 argument 1999-04-08 · 102 posts
  A new Voodoo3 2000 owner complained of driver and gamma problems with his sims, and others suggested a clean Windows reinstall. The crossposted thread became a long, quasi-religious argument between 3dfx and nVidia supporters over 32-bit color, AGP texturing, large textures and Glide support, with mockery on both sides and pleas to stop.
• 3dfx shuts down after Nvidia acquisition 2000-12-16 · 30 posts
  Posters reacted to news that 3dfx was finished, with Nvidia acquiring its assets. Many lamented the loss of competition and of Glide support for older sims and converted tracks, while others argued that Nvidia had long had better features and that Glide was dying anyway. Radical Entertainment's Joe McGinn said 3dfx never understood the mass market for affordable cards.
• Video card wars: nVidia, 3dfx and ATI Radeon 2000-08-17 · 32 posts
  Regular Racer touted the new ATI Radeon, prompting a debate between Voodoo 5 owners who refused to play sims without rotated-grid anti-aliasing and others who valued GeForce 2 speed and T&L. Kai Fuller argued graphics features don't change how a car drives, and Simon Brown and PapaDoc clashed over driver reliability.
• Voodoo3 versus TNT2 and 3dfx's single-source boards 1999-06-06 · 21 posts
  What began as a question about running a Thriller 3D alongside a Voodoo3 became a debate over Voodoo3 versus TNT2 Ultra cards. Larry argued that 3dfx making its own boards had removed competition, while Ken Beard countered that Voodoo3 prices were lower than TNT2 boards, with side arguments over hardware review sites and Mac versus PC sales.
• Has 3dfx lost the video card war? 2000-08-18 · 40 posts
  Regular Racer argued 3dfx had fallen behind with the Voodoo 5 as games moved from Glide to Direct3D. Voodoo owners defended its anti-aliasing and compatibility, while GeForce 2 owners boasted of overclocked performance, and some compared 3dfx to the Gravis Ultrasound. Exchanges between Nos and others became testy.
• Is a 3Dfx patch for NASCAR 2 really coming? 1997-11-27 · 33 posts
  Users asked whether a 3Dfx Glide patch for NASCAR 2 was real. Posters cited 3Dfx staff saying they were developing it, aiming for Christmas, using Papyrus's code. John Wallace insisted nothing was official until Papyrus confirmed it, leading to bickering over who could announce it.
• Delay of the NASCAR Racing 2 3Dfx patch 1998-01-20 · 172 posts
  A poster asked why Papyrus's promised 3Dfx patch for NASCAR Racing 2 was taking so long. Joe McGinn quoted a December Papyrus email promising a release date, and others said 3Dfx had done the port with Sierra holding it back. The thread grew into a 172-post argument about Papyrus's communication, Rendition versus 3Dfx and patch quality.
• 3dfx versus Direct3D cards for a friend's new PC 1998-05-24 · 35 posts
  A poster asked what to tell a friend who refused to buy a 3dfx card. Nearly everyone said 3dfx Voodoo cards were essential because many sims, including GPL and F1RS, were 3dfx-only and Voodoo boards also ran Direct3D. A dissenter argued that 3dfx's niche market would shrink as OEMs shipped other chips, which others rebutted by listing PC makers offering Voodoo2 options.
• 3dfx claims Voodoo3 is the best-selling video card 1999-06-28 · 25 posts
  Ed Bain posted 3dfx's announcement that the Voodoo3 2000 and 3000 topped North American retail video card sales with 37.6% of units. Others noted the figure covered retail only, not OEM sales, and that TNT2 cards had only just begun shipping, while defenders said TNT2 hype had not hurt Voodoo3 sales. Chris Schletter confirmed GPL ran at 36 fps at 1024x768 on a TNT2 Ultra.
• Fantasy tracks posted; Sokoloff explains no 3Dfx NASCAR 2 1997-08-18 · 76 posts
  The Pits posted Papyrus-approved updated versions of the fantasy tracks, adding 4-bit MIPs for 16 MB Rendition systems. The thread turned to why NASCAR 2 had no 3Dfx version: former Papyrus programmer Jim Sokoloff estimated a port at about $150,000 and said it was not profitable to do in-house or contract out. He also revealed that the Rendition engine came from ICR2 and that anti-aliasing had been removed to meet the box's system requirements, and confirmed that he had left Papyrus to pursue other interests.
• GPL's Glide-only support and TNT owners' frustration 1999-06-09 · 39 posts
  Greg Sutton reported inconsistent frame rates running GPL on a TNT and recommended a 3dfx card instead. Posters debated why GPL supported only Glide and Rendition rather than Direct3D or OpenGL: some blamed Papyrus or Sierra, while others said D3D and OpenGL were immature when GPL was developed. Ken Beard argued gamers should buy hardware that supports the games they play, and the thread ended in a VESA-driver squabble.
• GeForce 2 versus Voodoo 5 for racing sims 2000-08-13 · 59 posts
  A user asked which card to buy for NASCAR Heat. Voodoo 5 owners such as Pierre 'PapaDoc' Legrand praised its full-scene anti-aliasing for removing shimmering in sims, while others favoured the GeForce 2's speed and Direct3D performance. Simon Brown reported Voodoo 5 SLI running slower than single-chip mode in several sims, switched to a GeForce 2 and described GPL's Direct3D quality on it.

Busiest threads

• Voodoo5 price drop sparks 3dfx versus nVidia debate (44 posts about it)
• Papa Doc's Voodoo5 vs GeForce3 benchmarks spark long argument (41 posts about it)
• 3dfx stops making its own video boards (18 posts about it)
• Voodoo3 versus TNT2 argument (12 posts about it)
• 3dfx shuts down after Nvidia acquisition (10 posts about it)
• Video card wars: nVidia, 3dfx and ATI Radeon (10 posts about it)
• Voodoo3 versus TNT2 and 3dfx's single-source boards (9 posts about it)
• Has 3dfx lost the video card war? (8 posts about it)
• Re: V5/GP3 owners please help (8 posts about it)
• Is a 3Dfx patch for NASCAR 2 really coming? (8 posts about it)
• Delay of the NASCAR Racing 2 3Dfx patch (8 posts about it)
• 3dfx versus Direct3D cards for a friend's new PC (8 posts about it)
• 3dfx claims Voodoo3 is the best-selling video card (8 posts about it)
• Nvidia beats 3dfx to the punch (6 posts about it)
• nVidia buying 3dfx - hoax?? (5 posts about it)

Sentiment by year

Who talked about them most

Keystone · 22 Dave Henrie · 21 Simon Brown · 20 Pierre Legrand · 16 Joe McGinn · 14 Larry · 12 Mark Nusbaum · 10 John Wallace · 10 Chris "Hollywood" Schletter · 9 Ken Beard · 8 Eric Busch · 8 ZOD · 7 Hans Bergengren · 7 Gonzo · 6 Andrew MacPherson · 5 GTX_SlotCar · 5 (unknown) · 5 Regular Racer · 5 Nos · 5 George M. Smiley · 5

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