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<title>TDG-3dfx-Quicksilver</title>
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<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">Quantum3D Quicksilver</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="0" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_7.jpg" width="462" height="250"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">(I don't own this unit,
just a picture from Quantum3D's website)</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Quicksilver was a family of Intel Pentium
II-based realtime 3D visual computing systems for the coin-op, visual simulation
and location based entertainment markets built in a variety of configurations. I
have not been able to pinpoint yet an arcade system that has used Quicksilver
but I will continue to look.</font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">See the bottom of the page for
Quantum3D's press release dated October 23, 1997</font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">I'm very grateful to the individual who
saved this system and provided it for display. Aside from the image above I know
of no other pictures of Quicksilver units! I'm assuming the units were available
with 2 or 3 different cover configurations with a basic chassis shown above. The
unit I have has ears along the sides implying that it was for use in an arcade
cabinet but shows no screw markings that it was ever installed. The systems are
very short too and use a laptop hard drive to conserve space.</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="1" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_1.jpg" width="600" height="310"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Front of the unit.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="1" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_2.jpg" width="600" height="278"></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Rear of unit- You can get an
idea of the case size by looking at the power supply on the left and the PCI
video card mounted in the center on a riser board. The system is only five
inches tall. </font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="1" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_4.jpg" width="600" height="383"></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">From here you can see the
MGV-PCI video board in the center, PII-233 on the right and the 90-4440 just
peeking over the edge on the left, lower side. Not shown is the Game Control
Interface II but you can see the cabling attachment points on the riser board to
the right of the MGV-PCI.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="1" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_3.jpg" width="600" height="368"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Overhead view of the
NX-440-LX motherboard from Intel with on board sound.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="1" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_9.jpg" width="600" height="426"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">90-4440 Obsidian2 provided
the 3D graphics oomph.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="1" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_6.jpg" width="600" height="441"></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Shown installed is a Game Control
Interface II- This was an add on board that interfaced an arcade cabinet control
with the Quicksilver system. Joysticks, tilt switch, coin counter, buttons, etc.
The Quicksilver unit provided was missing this piece which it clearly had
installed at one time and I happened to make a deal with another collector who
had one! Now all I have to do now is find the cabling that runs from the GCI II
to the the riser board.</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="1" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_5.jpg" width="600" height="395"></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">The 2D board- Interesting
because it looks like a Quantum3D Ventana 50 Voodoo Rush (limited OpenGVS
applications use) but has no TV out and has been re-flashed for 2D only
operation!</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="0" src="q3d_quicksilver/q3d_qsilver_8.jpg" width="600" height="205"></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">From Quantum3D's website,
1999.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2"><b><font face="Comic Sans MS">Release Notes:</font></b><font face="Comic Sans MS">
There is another accelerator which also uses the ProMotion AT25 Alliance
Semiconductor chipset. However, it is not a daughter board rather a normal PCI
board. The accelerator is called MGV-PCI. </font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">The MGV Rush populated board
is similar to the MGV-PCI but has the 3D addition which is not used. It may some
times be confused with Ventana board which has TV Out and 3D chips populating
the board in a Voodoo Rush configuration. However, the MGV Rush board only uses
the Alliance chip for 2D display and the 3D portion will not function. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">The Ventana Rush may look
similar to the MGV Rush populated board but has the Chrontel chipset used for TV
Out. The accelerator has 3D chips populating the board in a Voodoo Rush
configuration. In addition, the accelerator may have "Ventana" silk
screened onto the board near the Quantum3D logo. This board was never sold for
public use nor was it released as a product.</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><span class="LargeHeaderText"><b>QUANTUM3D
ENTERS VISUAL COMPUTING SYSTEMS MARKET WITH LOW-COST INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR
REALTIME 3D APPLICATIONS</b></span><b><br>
</b><span class="ItalicHeaderText"><i>Quantum3D's Quicksilver Based On Intel
Open Arcade Architecture Specification Delivers Highest Performance In Industry
Coin-Op, LBE and Visual Simulation Applications</i></span></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><span class="Maintext"><b>ATLANTA,
GA — October 23, 1997</b></span><b><span class="Maintext">
—</span></b><span class="Maintext"> Quantum3D, Inc. (AMOA - booth #1751)
announced at the Amusement and Music Operators Association conference that it
has developed a family of Intel Pentium II-based realtime 3D visual computing
systems for the coin-op, visual simulation and location based entertainment
markets. Named Quicksilver, the systems employ Quantum3D's own high-performance
Obsidian 100SB realtime 3D graphics accelerators and Game Control Interface (GCI),
a unique, low-cost subsystem designed to interface coin-op I/O control devices
to the PC. These low-cost, high-performance platforms are among the first
computer systems to be developed based on Intel Corporation's Open Arcade
Architecture Forum (OAAF) specifications.</span></font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">The Quicksilver system, which is
now shipping, is targeted for cost-sensitive visual computing applications such
as coin-op, location based entertainment, visual simulation and training.
Available in either commercial or industrial enclosures, the systems may be
packaged for both single channel and multi-channel applications. The entry
configuration, for PC-based coin-op applications, packaged in a commercial
mid-tower chassis, includes a 266MHz Intel Pentium II processor with 32
Megabytes of EDO RAM, Microsoft Windows 95, a 2.1GB EIDE hard drive, 24x CD-ROM
drive, 1.44MB floppy drive, Yamaha 3D audio subsystem, Intel Pro 10/100 PCI
Ethernet network interface card (NIC), Quantum3D Obsidian 100SB-4400V realtime
3D graphics accelerator with companion 2D/VGA and a GCI. Other configurations,
including 300MHz Pentium II processor, multiprocessor and rack-mount systems are
also available.</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Quicksilver capitalizes on the
Intel OAAF specifications to bring the benefits of PC-based development and
deployment to the coin-op and location-based entertainment industry. By allowing
game developers to create and deploy their games on a single platform, the
PC-based coin-op approach reduces the cost of developing a game by drastically
decreasing the development time associated with proprietary platform
development. Plus, the approach virtually eliminates the porting time required
for ultimate home deployment, and coin-op game developers may create content
with the knowledge that similar performance levels will be available in consumer
level PCs within 12 to 18 months.</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">“Intel welcomes the fact that
Quantum3D has come to market with one of the first systems based on Open Arcade
Architecture," said Albert Teng, director of arcade market development for
Intel Corporation.</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">"We've reached a turning
point in the marketplace," said Bob Dekett, director of business
development for Quantum3D. "The coin-op industry is rapidly moving toward
PC-based systems because of their overall re-usability and cost-effectiveness,
and Quantum3D has experience in both PC-based realtime 3D graphics and coin-op
platform development. In addition to our complete line of realtime 3D graphics
boards and our Game Control Interface technology, we now can offer complete
integrated systems. We believe these strengths will enable us to become the
largest provider of integrated visual computing systems for the coin-op and LBE
industry."</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">For its PC-based coin-op games,
HyperWare and LBE Systems have adopted Quantum3D Quicksilver systems equipped
with Obsidian 100SB graphics accelerators, the GCI and 100 Megabit per second
Ethernet NICs. These systems will be interconnected via an arcade LAN that will
enable multiple players to engage in head-to-head combat with visual realism and
responsiveness beyond anything available today. In the future, the HyperWare/LBE
Systems arcade systems will also support connectivity between arcades, also part
of the OAAF specifications.</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">"Only Quantum3D's Obsidian
100SB board gave us the performance we needed to make our games run at the speed
and frame rates we wanted to achieve. No other board could do that. And their
GCI gave us the input flexibility to design a complete coin-op system, said Dave
Foley of HyperWare. "By combining them into a turnkey system, Quantum3D has
simplified our manufacturing process because the components can be now be
sourced from one vendor. We've also been pleased with the responsiveness of
Quantum3D's engineers, who have made the whole process faster and easier."</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Quantum3D, along with several
other AMOA exhibitors, will be displaying the PC-based coin-op systems in their
booths at the show. These companies include Intel, Microsoft, HanaHo APC, Happ
Controls, Streak Technology, The Other Side, Dynamo, Vivid, Jesler/Mango Grits
and others.</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><b><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">About the Obsidian Family</font></b></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Based on advanced configurations
of the 3Dfx Interactive Voodoo Graphics chipset, Quantum3D's Obsidian family of
realtime 3D graphics accelerators have been tailored to meet the needs of
specific realtime 3D markets. The Obsidian products enable Intel
architecture-based PCs to deliver interactive, visually realistic 3D graphics at
performance levels equivalent to those of high-end graphics workstations and
image generators.</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">At the heart of Quicksilver is
Quantum3D's Obsidian 100SB 3D graphics accelerator. Based on a
scan-line-interleaved, 4- or 6-chip implementation of the Voodoo Graphics
chipset, the Obsidian 100SB employs the chipset's patent-pending “texture
streaming” architecture to produce up to 2.4 Gigabytes per second of dedicated
graphics memory bandwidth. This high level of low-latency bandwidth enables the
100SB to deliver filtered texture fill rate performance of 90 Megapixels per
second, with trilinear or bilinear texture filtering with per pixel LOD mip
mapping, z-buffering, alpha blending, perspective correction and per pixel fog
enabled-- which significantly exceeds the performance delivered by all other PC
graphics accelerators, as well as most graphics workstations and image
generators, irrespective of cost. The 100SB solution also has simultaneous
TV-out and a unique on-board authentication feature designed to enhance the
protection coin-op games, visualization applications and other proprietary
software from software pirates.</font></p>
<p class="Maintext"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Recently, the Obsidian 50-4440
and 100-4440 models have been selected by Intel as the reference graphics
subsystems for the Open Arcade Architecture Forum (OAAF) specification for
PC-based coin-op systems (http://www.openarcade.com). Obsidian products are
currently employed by a number of visual simulation, training, PC-based coin-op/LBE
OEMs, and game developers including Advanced Rotorcraft Technology, Argonaut3D,
Bentley Systems, Boeing, Criterion Studios, Disney, Datapath/RealiMation,
Digital Equipment Corporation, Dreamality, Electronic Arts, ECC, Falcon
Northwest, FAROS, FASA Interactive, Gemini Technology, HanaHo ArcadePC,
HyperWare, Hybrid, ImmersiveVR, Immersion Australia, Interactive Light, LBE
Technologies, MaK Technology, McFadden Entertainment Systems, MetaVR, Inc.,
QuantumWorks, Reality2, Reality by Design, Ritual, Renault, SAIC, Sense8, Streak
Technology, Systems Technology, Inc. (STI), TriMap Systems, TSC, Unreal and
others.</font></p>
<p><b><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Pricing and Availability</font></b></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Pricing for entry level Quicksilver systems for
coin-op applications including a 266MHz Pentium II processor, an Obsidian
100SB-4400V and GCI start at under $3,500. Product is available now in volume
quantities from Quantum3D for coin-op, LBE and visual simulation developers,
VARs and system integrators.</font></p>
<p><b><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">About Quantum3D</font></b></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Quantum3D, headquartered in Santa Clara,
California, develops and markets price/performance leading solutions for the
advanced visual computing marketplace. Quantum3D focuses on delivering
“Affordable Reality<sup>™</sup>” solutions, which include realtime 3D
graphics accelerators for PC-based coin-op/LBE, visual simulation and training,
and digital content visualization markets and low-cost, high performance, true
color graphics accelerators for volume workstation applications. Quantum3D also
markets related system software, tools and subsystems that enable its customers
to exploit the full capabilities of the Company's hardware products.</font></p>
<p align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030625165850/http://www.quantum3d.com/press/HTMLarchive/10-23-97.html"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">http://web.archive.org/web/20030625165850/http://www.quantum3d.com/press/HTMLarchive/10-23-97.html</font></a></p>
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