3Dfx earned notoriety is due to its success in the arcade game market. In those days, arcades were the best place to witness the latest innovations in 3D gaming technology firsthand. The first game the 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics card was implemented in was Ice Home Run Derby. Later in the same year, the company made its presence known in other popular titles that included Atari’s San Francisco Rush and Wayne Gretzy’s 3D Hockey. 3Dfx received a considerable amount of attention from the media due to the instant popularity of these graphically enhanced titles. Unfortunately, the company’s demise would come just four short years later.
The 3dfx Voodoo Graphics chip had an impressive run, ranging from the VooDoo Graphics PCI (VooDoo 1) all the way up to the VooDoo 5 series. Heading into the millennium, the company fell on hard financial times and its demise seemed imminent. Tied up in legal issues and bankruptcy proceedings, 3dfx was purchased and acquired by leading graphics card manufacturer Nvidia in 2000. Announcing that it would not provide support for 3dfx products, support for 3dfx drivers and Voodoo hardware has since been handled by various third-parties.
The fall of 3dfx can be attributed to bad business practices and much stiffer competition on the market. Sadly, the company has a number of products that failed to be released due to the Nvidia acquisition. Fortunately, you can still get support for your 3dfx drivers and files from a number of credible sources on the web.