NVIDIA GeForce FX GPU Ushers in a New Era of Cinematic Computing

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  1. syngod

    syngod Moderator

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    New GPU Delivers Awesome 3D Graphics Power and Artistic Visual Effects for a Cinematic PC Experience

    For further information, contact:

    Brian Burke
    NVIDIA Corporation
    (512) 401-4385
    [email protected]

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

    FALL COMDEX 2002—LAS VEGAS, NV—NOVEMBER 18, 2002—NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, today introduced the NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX graphics processing unit (GPU). This new GPU, which is based on the new NVIDIA CineFX™ architecture, delivers cinematic-quality graphics and special effects in real time.

    “Computer games today are fast and exciting, yet they still lack the ability to engage us emotionally,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO at NVIDIA. “With the GeForce FX GPU, game developers now have the power to create awe-inspiring visuals and bring character emotion to life. GeForce FX enables a new type of interactive expression we call cinematic computing.”

    The GeForce FX GPU redefines the graphics capabilities for desktop PCs, by delivering:

    • Awesome 3D Graphics Power: the world’s first 500MHz GPU is able to compute 375 million programmable vertices per second; 4 billion pixels per second; and 16 billion AA samples per second. And with the world’s first 1Ghz DDR2 memories, GeForce FX features the fastest frame buffer ever designed. Complete support for AGP8X and NVIDIA patent pending Intellisample™ technology ensures developers are able to create scenes of unrivaled beauty at unmatched speeds.
    • Engineering Excellence: NVIDIA’s latest GPU delivers state-of-the-art technology and engineering expertise. The GeForce FX GPU packs nearly twice the number of transistors as the GeForce4 GPU by utilizing the industry’s most advanced 0.13 micron and copper manufacturing process. And combined with a radical and revolutionary patent pending dynamic thermal management solution, the GeForceFX GPU is an enthusiasts dream.
    • Cinematic Visual Effects: Architected for high level programming languages such as Cg, the GeForce FX GPU with its new CineFX engine produces visual effects that take a quantum leap toward cinematic rendering. With the industry’s first 128-bit studio-quality color processing technology, the CineFX engine produces 3D worlds and characters more real than anything that’s come before.

    “The NVIDIA GeForce FX GPU is the result of ten years of passionate effort by the best 3D graphics engineers in the business and includes technologies invented at NVIDIA and 3dfx,” Huang continued. “The GeForce FX GPU delivers unprecedented 3D graphics performance and the NVIDIA Unified Driver Architecture ensures the reliability and quality that has become the hallmark of NVIDIA GPUs.”

    “Gamers can now experience theater-quality, Hollywood-style cinematic effects on their home desktops,” said Dean Lester, General Manager, Windows Graphics and Gaming Technologies, Microsoft Corporation. “By supporting long programs for even the most elaborate effects and by advancing conditional branching capabilities for better program flow, the new NVIDIA GeForce FX GPU has eliminated almost all the programming barriers previously associated with pixel shaders. By combining the new NVIDIA GPU with Microsoft’s innovative DirectX® 9.0 API, NVIDIA can now offer gamers more advanced real-time effects.”

    The NVIDIA CineFX engine implements both OpenGL® and DirectX 9.0 specifications. These APIs give developers access to many new programming tools that speed the rate of effects development. Those features include support for: Pixel Shader 2.0+, Vertex Shader 2.0+ and high-precision, 128-bit floating-point color. DirectX 9.0 exposes true programmability of the pixel and vertex shading engine by increasing the length and flexibility of programs, making features like procedural shading on a GPU possible for the first time. The innovative graphics pipeline of the NVIDIA CineFX engine has the built-in capacity to deliver true 128-bit color, or 32-bit floating point components for red, green, blue, and alpha values. With 128-bit color, literally millions of choices exist for each color component, compared to only a couple of hundred levels with 32-bit color.

    “The NVIDIA GeForce FX GPU takes graphics experiences to a whole new level,” said Mark Rein, vice president Epic Games, maker of the world-renowned Unreal Engine. “Once again, NVIDIA has broken with convention by redefining the limits of 3D graphics technology. Power and realism, the two elements every gamer craves, are the heart and soul of the NVIDIA GeForce FX GPU.”

    The GeForce FX GPU is currently sampling to the Company’s add-in card partners and OEM system builders. Retail graphics boards based on the GeForce FX GPUs are slated for release in February 2003.

    About NVIDIA
    NVIDIA Corporation is a market leader in visual computing technology dedicated to creating products that enhance the interactive experience on consumer and professional computing platforms. Its graphics and communications processors have broad market reach and are incorporated into a wide variety of computing platforms, including consumer digital-media PCs, enterprise PCs, professional workstations, digital content creation systems, notebook PCs, military navigation systems and video games consoles. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and employs more than 1,400 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.nvidia.com.

    Certain statements in this press release, including the statements relating to the Company's performance expectations for NVIDIA's family of products and expectations of continued revenue growth, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, manufacturing and other delays relating to new products, difficulties in the fabrication process and dependence of the Company on third-party manufacturers, general industry trends including
    cyclical trends in the PC and semiconductor industries, the impact of competitive products and pricing alternatives, market acceptance of the Company's new products, and the Company's dependence on third-party developers and publishers. Investors are advised to read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those sections entitled "Certain Business Risks," for a fuller discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.

    # # #

    Copyright © 2002 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

    Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on NVIDIA, please visit the NVIDIA Press Room at http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=press_room.
     
  2. syngod

    syngod Moderator

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    Looks like I'll have to buy myself a nice birthday present in Feb. :D.
     

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