3dfx Voodoo3 3500 TV Ships to Retail Shelves Worldwide

Single Card Solution Delivers Total Sensory Overload with Industry's Fastest 3D Graphics, MPEG-2, DVD-Quality Video, TV Tuner and FM Stereo

SAN JOSE, Calif., – July 30, 1999 – 3dfx Interactive® Inc. (NASDAQ: TDFX) today announced the worldwide availability of its new Voodoo3™ 3500 TV, the ultimate PC entertainment system that combines the industry’s most powerful 3D and 2D graphics with complete TV tuner and multimedia functionality. Greeting strong demand in more than 9,000 retail stores throughout North America, Europe and Japan, the Voodoo3 3500 TV meets the high-performance needs of hard-core game enthusiasts and cutting-edge multimedia entertainment consumers. Based on 3dfx’s acclaimed Voodoo3 graphics accelerator technology, the Voodoo3 3500 TV features support for MPEG-2, DVD via software, FM stereo with dbx™, cable television and high-resolution displays – all accessible through a single card.

Following the success of pre-sale programs conducted by nationwide retailers Babbage’s & Software, Etc., and Electronics Boutique, major retailers expect consumer demand to be brisk for the Voodoo3 3500 TV. Voodoo3 already is the best-selling video card line at retail throughout North America, according to PC Data, the computer industry's primary source for software, hardware and video game sales information.

“Our customers asked us for a graphics card with multimedia features like TV and recording capabilities that does not scrimp on 3D performance. We gave this feedback to 3dfx and they delivered Voodoo3 3500 TV,” said Alan Walters, buyer for Babbage’s & Software Etc. “The Voodoo3 3500 TV enters this category with the fastest 3D performance, and has more cool multimedia features than the competition. We expect it to be the top seller in this category.”

“As the lines dividing PCs, television, game consoles and sound systems continue to blur, Voodoo3 3500 TV sets the stage for the ultimate experience in consumer desktop entertainment,” said Michael Howse, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at 3dfx Interactive. “We are enormously pleased to bring this high-performance, fully featured product to market as retailers report vigorous demand for Voodoo3 3500 TV cards.”

Voodoo3 3500 TV allows consumers to interact with their PCs just as they would a high-end television or VCR, enabling them to surf channels, zoom in on the TV picture, record their favorite television programs and play them back in DVD quality. Equipped with the finest quality TV video and FM stereo available on a PC, the 183 MHz Voodoo3 3500 TV supports real-time MPEG-2 video and audio capture via the GoMotion™ software codec from Ligos Technology, and includes such advanced VCR features as timed recording and fast forward. With Voodoo3 3500 TV and third-party video editing applications, users can add motion picture-style special effects to any video imported into the PC with ease, and store them on the hard drive for playback using the Voodoo3 3500 TV MPEG-2 software decoder. Voodoo3 3500 TV also provides full support for DVD playback via either the Digital Video Port interface or from the supplied WinDVD software DVD player from Intervideo.

The Voodoo3 3500 TV features 3dfx's acclaimed VisualReality software, http://visualreality.3dfx.com which allows the user to adjust and tune television display including screen size, tint, channel-blocking for parental control and closed captioning. VisualReality software also features advanced VCR operations, and will record up to seven programs throughout the week. In addition to its cutting edge feature set and multimedia capabilities, Voodoo3 3500 TV comes with an external A/V connection “pod” and six-foot cable. The pod connects to the back of the Voodoo3 3500 TV and allows for convenient connection of various audio and visual devices such as a VCR, camcorders and speakers. The new board also ships with a full-featured multimedia software suite including: Microsoft NetMeeting; VDONet VDOPhone; WDM drivers for WebTV support; Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0; and Ulead VideoStudio video editing software.

The Voodoo3 3500 TV board delivers up to 8 million triangles and 366 Megatexels per second at resolutions of up to 2,046 by 1,536 pixels. Voodoo3 3500 TV features a 350MHz RAMDAC and 16MB of memory. The entire family of Voodoo3 boards includes such advanced features as: single-pass single-cycle multi-texturing for bump mapping and trilinear mip-mapping, dual 32-bit internal rendering, per-pixel mip-mapping, sub-pixel and sub-texel correction, 8-bit palletized textures, programmable exponential fog tables, Gouraud shading, a full 128-bit 2D accelerator, and support for DirectX®, Glide® and OpenGL®.

Take the Unreal Tournament Challenge Courtesy of 3dfx
Voodoo3 3500 TV ships with a complete version of the award-winning game Unreal ™ and a coupon for a free copy of Unreal Tournament. Shipping later this year, Unreal Tournament from GT Interactive and Epic Games takes online multiplayer team play and combines it with the most intelligent simulated human opponents ("bots") yet for both single and online players. Unreal Tournament includes such features as higher resolution skins, level of detail support, all-new weaponry, four exciting game types (capture the flag, assault, domination, and team death match), a state of the art interface, and tutorials for first-time players. Also included with Voodoo3 3500 TV is the complete version of the million-selling blockbuster action title Unreal, considered by many to be the ultimate 3dfx Glide® title.

ZD Benchmarks Demonstrate Powerful Performance of Voodoo3 3500 TV
Recent tests by ZDTag, the ZD Testing and Analysis Group, support the high-performance marks the Voodoo3 3500 TV has received from the trade and gaming press.

When tested against the leading multifunction cards that offer similar multimedia features, the Voodoo3 3500 TV outperformed them by a wide margin, coming in 77 percent faster than the ATI All-In-Wonder 128 and 136.9 percent faster than the Matrox Marvel G200TV cards in ZD’s 3D GameGauge 2.0 benchmark. Testing with id Software’s Quake II timedemo1, the Voodoo3 3500TV ran 134.2 percent faster at 1,024 by 768 than the ATI All-in-Wonder 128, and 388 percent faster than the Matrox Marvel G200TV.

When pitted against Creative Labs 3D Blaster Riva TNT2 Ultra, the Voodoo 3500 TV proved it is the elite accelerator for 3D gaming. The Voodoo3 3500 TV outperformed the Creative Labs board by nearly 15 percent in tests with the 3D GameGauge 2.0 benchmark. Quake II tests showed that the Voodoo3 3500 TV was the better performer hands down, beating the Creative Labs offering by 35.8 percent at a resolution of 800 by 600, 36.8 percent at 1,024 by 768, and 43.3 percent at 1,600 by 1,200.

"The 3dfx Voodoo3 3500 TV bested the other multifunction graphics cards in our tests by a significant margin," said Bill Catchings, Director of ZDTag. "We were impressed with the 3500 TV's ability to provide so many multimedia features and yet deliver leading 3D gaming performance as shown by 3D GameGauge."

The benchmark tests were commissioned by 3dfx Interactive, Inc. To learn more about the testing methodologies and to see the complete report, visit ZDTag’s Web site at http://www.zdtag.com/reports/3dfx.html.

Web Contest Spotlights Best of Voodoo3 TV
To coincide with the retail launch of Voodoo3 3500 TV, 3dfx also announced an online contest that will award a host of prizes designed to bring out the best of 3dfx’s groundbreaking new desktop entertainment system. Beginning today through October 1, 1999, contestants can register to win online at the 3dfx Web site, http://www.3dfx.com, or by following one of the millions of “Voodoo3 3500 TV: Total Sensory Overload” banners appearing on gaming and other sites later this month. Prizes include a big screen television set in addition to other video and audio products that reflect the cutting-edge multimedia capabilities of Voodoo3 3500 TV.

Pricing and Availability
The Voodoo3 3500 TV AGP board is expected to be available throughout North America in July at the suggested U.S. retail price of $249. Pricing and expected availability for the PCI version will be announced at a later date. International availability and pricing also will be announced later.

About ZDTag
ZDTag is the for-hire testing arm of Ziff-Davis. A new e-services offering, ZDTag builds on ZD's history of leadership in high-tech product testing and industry-standard benchmark development to bring top-quality, independent, labs-based testing, research, and analysis directly to the vendor community. Completely independent of all ZD editorial groups, ZDTag provides the trusted third-party testing services vendors and volume buyers need to move at top speed in the Internet economy. For more information visit http://www.zdtag.com.

About 3dfx Interactive
3dfx Interactive is leading the 3D multimedia revolution in personal computers and consumer products. With its patented and award-winning graphics accelerator chips, boards and software, 3dfx provides the technology to create high-impact visual experiences. The company is recognized worldwide for its ability to bring the world’s finest games, educational content, interactive entertainment, and media-rich business applications to life. 3dfx products are available through leading PC makers including Dell and Gateway, and in retail stores worldwide. 3dfx Interactive has headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and engineering and manufacturing facilities in Richardson, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.

3dfx Interactive, Glide and Voodoo Graphics are registered trademarks and Voodoo3 is a trademark of 3Dfx Interactive. All other names may be trademarks of their respective holders.

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