Nvidia unveiling next-gen GPU tomorrow

Tomorrow, hundreds of gamers and spectators will gather in San Francisco for the 2004 GeForce LAN Party. Kicking off at 8:30am and going until midnight, the event's main draws are two bring-your-own-computer tournaments. More than 250 contestants will shoot it out to see who the top Battlefield Vietnam and Unreal Tournament 2004 players are.

However, many PC gamers in attendance will be more excited about the frag-free action on tap. Nvidia, the GeForce LAN Party's primary sponsor, is using the event to unveil its latest line of graphics processing units. From 7:00pm to 9:00pm, company reps will demo several "dream systems" equipped with the GPUs, whose official titles and specifications have not yet been revealed. Nvidia would only say that the systems will sport a "new graphics card featuring Nvidia's next-generation GeForce GPU." The winners of the top Battlefield Vietnam and Unreal Tournament 2004 tournaments will each receive one of the dream systems, while runners-up will receive new graphics cards.

Organized by PDXLAN, the GeForce LAN Party will also feature two contests. The first is a Case Mod Competition, which will judge self-made PC cases according to looks, wire management, color theme, lighting, and "judges' discretion." Second up is a Video Challenge, which will let amateur moviemakers create and submit their own video of the event (the deadline is April 21). The prize for both contests will be a graphics card using Nvidia's next-generation GPU.

More details on the event are available on the official GeForce LAN Party Web site.