3Dfx ad from 1997
Posted by theSiliconSiren@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 28 comments
From the pages of Boot Magazine
Posted by theSiliconSiren@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 28 comments
From the pages of Boot Magazine
silverstreak72@reddit
Yup, pretty much bought all of those at the time 🤦🏻♂️
flipadoodlely@reddit
Someone else here with more knowledge might be able to correct me, but why is Quake here? That was software rendered and I'm not aware of any version available in that area for 3dfx cards. I had a Pentium 133 back in that day which I upgraded with a Voodoo 1.
Aaylas@reddit
GLQuake had a 3dfx miniGL driver, I believe
c64z86@reddit
And you can now emulate a dream PC from 1997, along with the 3DFX right there in 86box! :D
fivetriplezero@reddit
Never heard of this. Better than something like VirtualBox?
c64z86@reddit
Yeah, where Virtualbox focuses on emulating newer Windows releases, 86box focuses on very early Windows and DOS versions from 1.0 all the way to 98, so it's a lot more accurate than Virtualbox. You put an entire computer together just like you would in real life. Like for example I've set up a computer with DOS 2.1, Windows 1.04, 640k of RAM and an IBM monochrome video card.
bubrascal@reddit
How does this compare to PCem?
c64z86@reddit
I think it's more accurate and offers more hardware choices than PCem. The upside is that PCem is usually lighter to emulate at the cost of accuracy.
Regular-Chemistry-13@reddit
86Box can actually emulate up to Windows 7, (Windows 8 and above aren’t supported as 86Box can only emulate up to a Pentium II)
c64z86@reddit
Wow that's cool! How well does it run though?
Regular-Chemistry-13@reddit
Unless you have a really good processor it will only run the low speeds of the pentium II but really poorly
c64z86@reddit
I wonder if Directx 9/10/11 games will even launch on such CPU? I know some of them really require SSE at the bare minimum... but I'm talking of really simple or even 2D indie games.
big_z_0725@reddit
“Hey, let’s use it for games!” https://youtu.be/ooLO2xeyJZA?si=EDhLj1WLkg2-ro-x
theSiliconSiren@reddit (OP)
How did I miss this ad? 😅
2raysdiver@reddit
Man those look like 640x480 or 800x600 screen shots. 3dfx was capable of better. I was playing most games at 1024x768 or 1280x1024 at the time.
Illustrious-Peak3822@reddit
The original Voodoo didn’t have enough VRAM for it. To get to 1024x768, you had to use two in SLI.
SherbertChance8010@reddit
That ad design and layout! 🤢 I worked with a traditional print designer for stuff like this and he got so pissy about the ‘low resolution artwork you keep sending’. I explained it was actual screenshots and the pixels are part of it but he wanted us to get a ‘real artist to paint it’. Obviously didn’t play video games or know much what they were. It’s how I ended up learning print design. 😅
mojorific@reddit
I was pissed when I bought a matrox 3d card and they had next to minimal 3d games that took advantage of it. Matrox could have been a big player but they screwed that up royally.
JudasZala@reddit
DYK: Boot Magazine later became known as Maximum PC.
Not to mention, Atari Games, Midway (after acquiring Atari), Konami, and Taito adapted 3DFX’s hardware for their arcade games.
itsasnowconemachine@reddit
I remember boot magazine, I may have even subscribed. I specifically remember being nerded out when they reviewed an SGI O2, and a BeBox.
x9097@reddit
That "Unreal" screenshot doesn't look like Unreal...
RevolutionarySeven7@reddit
its an alpha prototype screenshot
AlfieHicks@reddit
Unreal didn't look like Unreal for most of its development. It's actually very well documented, and the early screenshots are all very cool to look at.
fivetriplezero@reddit
Words cannot describe how huge 3dfx was for me. It is the company I lament the most for not still being around.
Fairlight60@reddit
I loved my Voodoo 3 to bits, worked right away on day one and never let me down its entire life.
manuelink64@reddit
Gone, but not forgotten!
I still remember when my brother purchased a 4Mb Diamond Monster 3D, playing the same game in a P233MMX with software rendering and the Voodoo its was a night and day difference.
IAmWeary@reddit
I liked the one that showed a screenshot from a video game with a 3dfx card and one without, and it read, "What's it gonna be? Voodoo: (3dfx screenshot) or Doodoo: (software rendered screenshot)".
osidar@reddit
Some great games there, loved quake and tomb raider, also played a lot of Pod was a very fun game. Always wanted to play pandemonium after seeing it in magazines, probably PC Format, but never got the chance.