3dfx Set to Ship Voodoo5

3dfx has sent word that its next generation of 3D acceleration add-in cards will launch to retail outlets this week. The dual-processor Voodoo5 5500 will be the first card on the market to feature hardware full-scene anti-aliasing (FSAA). The official retail release for the card is this Friday, though 3dfx has said preordered cards will be released for shipping on Thursday.

At E3, 3dfx was busy showing off the out-of-the box increase in visual quality the Voodoo5 can provide with FSAA. The card's anti-aliasing effect jitters and combines four samples per pixel to smooth out the jagged edges that form at the edges of polygons. FSAA is executed by the hardware after the scene has been rendered, avoiding the need for it to be specifically supported by games.