3DO AND CIRRUS LOGIC TEAM-Up
Neal3DO
ENTERTAINMENT TO PC MARKETPLACE
Technology Accord Raises Bar for 3-D Realism on PCs
FREMONT and REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- March 26, 1996 - Cirrus Logic Inc.
(NASDAQ: CRUS) and The 3DO Company (NASDAQ: THDO) today announced an
agreement to develop 3-D graphics and video technology that will enable
the PC to deliver arcade-class performance, raising the bar for
entertainment on the PC. The technology accord will combine 3DO's
cutting-edge M2 3-D technology and software expertise with Cirrus
Logic's world leadership in video graphics controllers to give millions
of PC users the ability to experience the most advanced 3-D realism on
their desktops.
Under the agreement, Cirrus Logic will license the 3-D portion of 3DO's
M2 technology, which has already been validated in silicon. The
companies will collaborate to integrate the M2 3-D engine with Cirrus
Logic's video graphics controller technology and other PC technologies
to develop next-generation 3-D accelerators. These high-performance
graphics chips will be optimized for accelerating 3-D games written for
Microsoft's recently announced Direct3D standard, the new Windows 95
API for 3-D applications. Cirrus Logic will manufacture, market and
sell the accelerators, and will work with software providers to create
content for this new level of 3-D performance.
"Cirrus Logic's partnership with 3DO adds an important technology and a
new level of performance to our aggressive 3-D product roadmap," said
Douglas J. Bartek, president of Cirrus Logic's Visual and Systems
Interface Company. "The combination of our technologies provides a
unique synergy that will enable us to deliver unsurpassed 3-D reality
to the power gamer."
"Today's announcement marks our first major move into the PC
marketplace and underscores our commitment to diversify the business
into areas including consumer, software publishing, Internet and DVD,"
said Hugh Martin, president of The 3DO Company. "Cirrus Logic provides
us with a large distribution base, leading-edge manufacturing and
strong OEM partners to drive our technology and software into the PC
arena."
3DO's 64-bit 3-D set-up engine is capable of processing more than one
half million polygons per second peak, supporting complex photo
realistic 3-D worlds. In addition, the rendering engine generates more
than 100 million pixels per second, giving users more than 640 x 480
resolution and greater graphics detail, bringing the arcade experience
to the PC. According to Dr. John Latta, president, 4th Wave, Inc.,
"This architecture will let software developers create titles that
provide a whole new level of realism for the PC platform."
The 3-D graphics market is expected to be one of the fastest growing
segments in the computer industry, with entertainment fueling most of
the growth. Market research firm John Peddie Associates projects an
installed base of up to 27 million 3-D units by the end of 1997 and 56
million 3-D units by 1998.
Headquartered in Fremont, Calif., Cirrus Logic Inc. is a leading
manufacturer of advanced integrated circuits for the desktop and
portable computing, telecommunications and consumer electronics
markets. The company applies its system-level expertise in analog and
digital design to innovate highly integrated, software-rich solutions.
Additional information about Cirrus Logic and its subsidiaries can be
accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.cirrus.com/ or via
fax-on-demand at 800-359-6414
(dial 510-249-4200 from outside the United States).
The 3DO Company, headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., designs,
integrates and sells interactive technology and applications for the
mass market. With offices in North America and Europe, the company
licenses technologies and creates entertainment software for 32-bit and
64-bit video game platforms, the personal computer market and the
Internet. Additional company information is available on the World
Wide Web (http://www.3do.com) and on America Online (keyword: 3DO).
###
3DO and the 3DO logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of
The 3DO Company. Cirrus Logic and the Cirrus Logic logos are
trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Cirrus Logic. All other
brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.
INDUSTRY SUPPORT FOR THE CIRRUS LOGIC / 3DO
TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT
Eric Engstrom, Direct X program manager, Microsoft Corporation, said,
"We expect the partnership between Cirrus Logic and 3DO to provide
products that will significantly boost 3-D applications running
Microsoft's Direct3D. The combined effort should produce the processing
and acceleration capabilities required to support a new class of
sophisticated Internet, games, education, and business applications,
giving users a quantum leap forward in their computing experience."
According to John Davies, director of Consumer Desktop Platform
Marketing at Intel Corp., "The combination of 3-D geometry processing
by high-performance Intel microprocessors and 3-D rendering by
high-performance graphics accelerators, like those planned by Cirrus
Logic, will make the PC the most compelling platform for
next-generation 3-D graphics."
Paul Neurath, president of Looking Glass added, "Games designed to take
advantage of Microsoft's Direct3D, Cirrus Logic's graphics technology
and 3DO's advanced 3-D rendering engine will elevate game playing to a
new dimension."
###
Neal
Director, 3DO Customer & Production Services
Erin Fritz
Damn, these people are serious!
Erin
Way to go 3DO!
Joe
<g>):
When?
Joe
David Nagy
release... Microsoft, Intel, and Looking Glass. Humm baby!
Dave Nagy
Neal3DO
Joe_M...@mindlink.bc.ca (Joe) writes:
Joe:
According to the agreement, Cirrus will be marketing and selling
products based on the M2 3-D technology. According to Cirrus, you can
expect to see products resulting from this agreement for this Christmas
season. Cirrus Logic believes the 3-D mass market will begin to
develop at the end of '96, then ramp to significance in '97 (see the
numbers quoted in the press release). Cirrus will be making more
specific product announcements soon.
Hope this helps,
John Zulauf
just make sure you (they) have a good OpenGL driver!!
.002
--
John Zulauf jzu...@aw.sgi.com Alias|Wavefront, Santa Barbara
It has 16MB's... Uh -- what's an Em-Bee?
That's a good question. In binary or metric?
Joe
>According to the agreement, Cirrus will be marketing and selling
>products based on the M2 3-D technology. According to Cirrus, you can
>expect to see products resulting from this agreement for this Christmas
>season. Cirrus Logic believes the 3-D mass market will begin to
>develop at the end of '96, then ramp to significance in '97 (see the
>numbers quoted in the press release). Cirrus will be making more
>specific product announcements soon.
>Hope this helps,
Yes, it does thanks. I agree with the Cirrus time-lines for the
market for 3D PC cards. The first 3D-card-compatible Win95 games are
due out during the next few months, by year-end there'll probably be
enough that most serious gamers will be looking at getting a 3D card
(myself included).
One other question. Do you think this card will make it easier for
console-M2 games to be ported to the PC (or vice-versa)?
Joe
BEwert
Neal3DO
Joe_M...@mindlink.bc.ca (Joe) writes:
> One other question. Do you think this card will make it easier for
> console-M2 games to be ported to the PC (or vice-versa)?
Joe:
The short & sweet answer is not really. Cirrus only licensed the 3D
portions of the M2 technology, not the entire chipset/system software.
A title developer that writes to the Direct3D API will be able to run
their title with this acceleration, as the Cirrus product is built
around the Direct3D industry standard.
Neal3DO
bew...@aol.com (BEwert) writes:
> Neal: How about content? Same formats?
Bruce:
Since Cirrus Logic only licensed the 3-D portions of the M2 technology
and not the entire chipset/OS...AND...because the Cirrus Logic product
will subscribe to the Direct3D standard, they aren't the same
formats...