Canopus Corp has launched a new 3D games accelerator based on 3Dfx Interactive Inc’s Voodoo2 graphics chipset – which is claimed to offer three times the performance of the original Voodoo chipset. The product called Pure3D II offers 12Mb total memory, 4Mb for frame buffer and 8Mb dedicated to texture memory, which the company says increases graphical motion and realism. The accelerator also offers some ability to preset monitor settings such as color and resolution for different games, or make realtime adjustments to screen brightness during gameplay. San Jose California-based Canopus’ offering will be competing in a growing market, according to research firm Jon Peddi Associates, which expects over five million high performance games cards to be sold in 1998. This compares to sales of over two million cards in 1997. The Pure 3D II requires a Pentium 90 or better, running Windows 95/NT with 16Mb or more of memory, an available PCI slot and a VGA adapter. The company expects to ship the card in May at a cost of $329.
