Number Nine Visual Technology Reshapes PC Games Marketplace with Stunning 3d/2d Graphics Board for PCs -=- [PREFORMATTED] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 9FX Reality 3D, Based on Rendition's Verite Architecture, Receives Widespread Support from Game Developers LEXINGTON, Mass., Nov. 13--Number Nine Visual Technology Corporation, ushering in a new era of PC-based entertainment, today unveiled a 3D graphics accelerator for the PC, called the 9FX Reality 3D, that introduces a striking, and unprecedented, level of realism and image quality to the 3D games market. The new board, based on the Verite 3D graphics engine from Rendition, Inc., has been architected and optimized from the ground up for 3D gameplay on the PC, as well as high-performance 64-bit graphics and video acceleration (2D). "If you're serious about games--and that's no longer an oxymoron - - the 9FX Reality 3D is your only choice. Once games users see this board in action, there will be no turning back," said Greg McHale, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, Number Nine Visual Technology Corp. "We really did our homework in developing this board--we talked to the leading games developers, evaluated alternative emerging technology for 3D games, and saw that the Verite architecture was the hands-down leader in performance, realism and functionality. This board defines a whole new era for PC games." Numerous leading games developers will be supporting Number Nine's new 9FX Reality 3D with new versions of their games specifically written to take advantage of the unique and compelling capabilities of Verite architecture. Supporting games developers include: id Software, Inc. (makers of Quake(TM)), Papyrus Design Group (makers of NASCAR Racing(TM)), Simis, Ltd. (makers of Terracide(TM)), and Looking Glass Technologies, Inc. (makers of Flight Unlimited(TM)). Unique System Architecture The architecture of the Verite platform is comprised of two sub- architectures: the graphics engine itself and a programmable embedded graphics RISC (reduced instruction set computing) core, a unique and important innovation from Rendition. The RISC core can be thought of as handling the setup of the drawing, while the graphics engine goes and does the drawing itself. There are two advantages to this approach. First, the two subsystems can work in parallel--the RISC core is already at work setting up the next drawing as soon as it hands off the first one to the graphics engine, a means of achieving a significant performance increase over existing architecture. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the graphics RISC processor can be programmed according to the evolving and future needs of the entertainment market, creating a unique "intelligent scalable architecture." For example, should there be a need in the future for an additional drawing primitive, data format or enhanced algorithm, the graphics logic on 9FX Reality 3D can be updated via software. We know of no other competing platform that will provide this kind of "flexible algorithm support." Efficient Memory Architecture Number Nine's 9FX Reality 3D achieves a compelling level of price/performance through the use of a composite memory architecture that stores all of the disparate graphics memory formats in the same memory location. While many existing 3D systems require separate memory subsystems for each memory type, Number Nine's 9FX Reality 3D writes and reads all of its frame buffer memory, Z-buffer memory and texture map memory to the same bank of EDO DRAM. This is especially appealing for users who purchase the higher memory configurations--the benefit of more memory is realized in all three areas, unlike other systems where users must upgrade each type of memory independently. Advanced 3D Rendering Capabilities Number Nine's 9FX Reality 3D offers a wide range of advanced 3D rendering features that deliver a striking, and unprecedented, level of image quality and realism to the gaming world. --texture mapping with perspective correction--the process of pasting a picture onto a 2-dimensional geometric shape, used to stimulate the real world in 2-dimensional space (your computer screen). Perspective correction is a unique enhancement to this function that produces an even greater level of realism by ensuring a real-world perspective of 3-dimensional objects. --anti-aliasing and edge anti-aliasing--anti-aliasing eliminates unwanted visual effects such as staircasing or line breakup from a line- like image. Edge anti-aliasing applies this effect to the outer edges of a solid object. --bilinear filtering with sub-pixel/sub-texel positioning -- bilinear filtering is the counterpart to anti-aliasing, applied to a texture map. Sub-pixel/sub-texel positioning (a texel is a pixel in a texture map) means that the positioning of a pixel is not confined to the physical on-screen pixel. A pixel can be positioned in-between two physical pixels, using part of both to draw the third pixel, producing a far more accurate representation of the real world. --z-buffering--Z-buffering is a 3D rendering technique that manages the appearance of depth in a scene. Without hardware-based Z- buffering, the Z values for every pixel in a 3-dimensional image must be calculated and stored at the application level (in software), creating a tremendous drain on system performance. --Alpha-blending--alpha-blending is an advanced rendering technique that enables games developers to create transparent or translucent 3-dimensional objects that can be displayed on top of other solid 3D objects. --Per vertex fog--the fogging technique enables developers to cast an image behind various levels of fog or haze. "Per Vertex Fog" is a unique innovation that gives the developer the ability to set the thickness of fog according to the depth of any given surface. High-Performance Graphics And Video Acceleration In addition to delivering market-leading 3D rendering capabilities for games users, Number Nine's 9FX Reality 3D also provides conventional Windows and video acceleration with a high-performance 64-bit graphics engine. 2D acceleration includes: --high performance graphics acceleration capable of displaying resolutions up to 1024x768 at 16.7 million colors (24-bit color); --digital video acceleration with on-the-fly YUV to RGB color space conversion and image scaling with bilinear interpolation (providing one- pass zoom in both horizontal and vertical directions). The 9FX Reality 3D is capable of displaying MPEG- or Indeo-based video at full-screen resolutions at 30 frames per second (fps); --integrated VGA core that enables use of VGA-dependent applications. ISV Support Since its unveiling in September this year, the Verite platform has met with widespread praise from the game development community. Leading developers have already developed versions of popular games specifically written to take advantage of the unique and compelling new functionality of the Verite architecture. Moreover, some games developers are actually planning to add new features to the Verite versions of their games simply because they are available on this new platform. "The performance and quality of our NASCAR RACING game on Number Nine's board has gone way beyond anyone's expectations for what was possible on a PC platform," said David Kaemer, vice president, Papyrus Design Group. "With the gaming market so cost-sensitive, the architects of this platform really did a tremendous job in picking all the right features and performance enhancements that will really make a huge difference in 3D games. We could hardly believe how exciting NASCAR RACING became when we first ran it on the 9FX Reality 3D. I think our customers are going to be even more excited." "Number Nine's new 9FX Reality 3D has the highest performance and most complete feature set of any 3D board we've evaluated," said Jonathan Newth, Technical Director, Simis Ltd. "There is no doubt, this board paves the way for the next generation of PC-based 3D games--the PC home user is going to be blown away by the quality and shear performance on this new platform. Simis is working aggressively to develop our 'Terracide' space game to take advantage of the sophisticated feature set available on Number Nine's new board." Pricing and Availability Number Nine anticipates that the 9FX Reality 3D will be available in the first quarter of 1996. Pricing is expected to start at $299. About Number Nine Number Nine Visual Technology is a leading innovator and supplier of high-performance visual technology solutions, including video/graphics accelerator subsystems, chips and productivity-enhancing software. Number Nine is a publicly held company (Nasdaq: NINE) headquartered in Lexington, Mass. It is the fourth-largest manufacturer of graphics and video accelerator boards for the PC, and the #1 supplier of high-end VRAM graphics accelerators (according to International Data Corp.). The company is a pioneer in PC graphics, delivering the first 128-bit graphics accelerator, the first 256-color and 16.8 million-color cards, and the first cards to process graphics independently of the host CPU. In addition to its headquarters, Number Nine has marketing and sales offices in Munich, London, Madrid, and Tokyo. How to contact Number Nine Visual Technology: Main number: 617-674- 0009, Fax: 617-674-2919, 24-hour FaxBack System: 800-GET-NINE; CompuServe: (GO NINE); Internet Web Site: http://www.nine.com; BBS Numbers: 617-862-7502, Sales & Information: 800-GET-NINE. -=- [PREFORMATTED] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [*][I]Return to Number Nine's Home page --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your comments and questions about this Web site to webmaster@nine.com Copyright c 1995, Number Nine Visual Technology,Inc. All Rights Reserved. This page has been accessed 1687 times.