Don't want to make you too nervous, but now 3Dfx is talking dissolving the company...

[FlyingPenguin]

In an interview yesterday, their main PR person said that the board was going to recommend to the shareholders that 3Dfx be dissolved.

Here's the excerpt from VE:

3dfx Follow-Up Interview 8:39 PM (your time) - Chris "Outlaw" O'Brien - Hardware: 3dfx - (27)
GamersDepot.com has smacked up a follow-up interview held with 3dfx Interactive's Scott Taylor, Director of Corporate Marketing (in other words, one of the men resposible for the reprocessed PR babble we hear all-too-often). Anyways, here's a slice from the interview, which deals with 3dfx's demise and future driver support:

GD: What exactly does the recent nVIDIA buyout mean for 3dfx loyalists and customers?

Scott: We’ve sold certain specified assets to nVIDIA, however we’ve retained our board business. That said, 3dfx has recommended to our shareholders to dissolve the company.

GD: What are your plans for future driver support?

Scott: Our tech support team is fully staffed, and we plan to continue support unless the company is dissolved, if the shareholders elect for that option.


One can only assume this would leave the future of driver support for existing 3Dfx products in limbo unless the video board division gets sold to someone (NVidia is NOT buying the video board division, just the core chip design division).

[LarryJoe]

I don't understand why nVidia wants to buy any piece of 3DFX, especially for $100+MM. Do they really need anything 3DFX has to offer?

Interestingly, the news of this buyout has driven down the price of nVidia stock. Let the compnay dissolve and then just hire the stars from the 3dfx development team.

LJ

[RubberDuckie]

I gave up on my $ in 3Dfx stock a long time ago

I purchased a sizable amount when the V1 came out, and it went up considerably...but I still hung on. Now it is worthless. I love to see the competition but its time to let the "old dog lay down and die" (unfortunantly with my money).

Looks like it will be:
Microsoft is to software what Nvidia will be to Video card

No choice for the consumer

[pHaestus]

LarryJoe:

They bought their assets only: their technological patents and the combined knowledge of years of engineers. They didn't buy any of their liability (supporting the 3dfx cards with RMAs or driver updates). I am pretty sure that the multitexturing lawsuit 3DeFunctX had against NVIDIA had some merit, and I believe that other companies (ATI, Matrox) had actually signed agreements with 3dfx over using some of that tech. If my memory is correct and that is the case, then NVIDIA is now getting paid no matter whose card you buy. Also 3dfx bought gigapixel not long ago, and so NVIDIA also acquired all of that tech and those patents. Who knows, maybe NVIDIA acquired the secret knowledge of how to get Unreal engine games to run fast in D3D....

[KiLLerCloWn]

- "Who knows, maybe NVIDIA acquired the secret knowledge of how to get Unreal engine games to run fast in D3D...." -

Lmao

[kenada]

I'd only be nervous if I had made the mistake of buying a Voodoo 5…

[Delta]

maybe i'll frame my good old v2...

[LikeLinus]

nvida still has competition. ATI and Matrox. Also i'm sure another player will arise in the next couple years. It's not like no one else can make a video card. Voodoo was the bomb a few years ago...now its NVIDA..it could be another company next

[Solstice]

nVidia is currently worth 2.5 billion dollars. A $100 million purchase of 3dfx assets is barely gonna dent their accounts.

[Reg Kmet]

3dfx was in charge of their own fate... they should have tried to push that extra mile when bringing out proudcts like the V3 - V5...