3Dfx

3dfx Interactive was an American company that designed and manufactured graphics processing units (GPUs). Founded in 1994 by Scott Sellers, Mike needs, and Gary Taranto, the company quickly became a dominant force in the nascent 3D graphics acceleration market for personal computers. Their early products, particularly the Voodoo Graphics and Voodoo 2 cards, were revolutionary, significantly improving the speed and visual quality of 3D games compared to software rendering or earlier, less capable hardware.

The Voodoo line of graphics cards became synonymous with high-performance 3D gaming in the late 1990s. They were known for their advanced features for the time, such as texture filtering and texture mapping, which brought a new level of realism to games. 3dfx's success was driven by strong partnerships with game developers who optimized their titles to take full advantage of the Voodoo hardware. This created a de facto standard and a loyal customer base.

However, the market for graphics cards was highly competitive and rapidly evolving. 3dfx faced increasing pressure from rivals like NVIDIA and ATI, who were developing more integrated and cost-effective solutions. Despite later attempts to compete with more advanced chipsets like the Voodoo 3, 4, and 5, 3dfx struggled to maintain its market share. Financial difficulties mounted, and in late 2000, the company was acquired by NVIDIA, effectively ending 3dfx as an independent entity. Though short-lived, 3dfx played a crucial role in popularizing 3D graphics on PCs and left a lasting legacy on the gaming industry.