Number Nine Visual Technology Reshapes PC Games Marketplace with

Stunning 3d/2d Graphics Board for PCs

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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.

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