The 3dfx Voodoo Turns 30 – interview with cofounder Ross Smith

This piece marks the 30th anniversary of the Voodoo Graphics launch on October 7, 1996, and tells how that first Voodoo-equipped card (sold initially as the Orchid Righteous 3D) rewired expectations for PC gaming. The Voodoo chipset delivered texture-mapped, fast rasterization and demo-quality visuals that made contemporary consoles look dated, and games running via Glide showcased a leap in fidelity. Early Voodoo boards were purpose-built for games and lacked a 2D VGA engine, requiring a separate video card and an analogue pass-through cable; users even heard a relay click when the card switched into 3D mode. That single-minded design tradeoff prioritized gaming performance over general application compatibility and helped fuel the card’s cult status.

The origins trace back to a group of SGI engineers who spun out from CAD-focused work to attack gaming graphics: Ross Smith handled business, Scott Sellers led silicon design, and Gary Tarolli optimized math and software shortcuts for gaming workloads. After a stint at Pellucid and a failed Media Vision detour, a meeting with arcade developers convinced them to build a dedicated gaming chip. Venture backing followed - an initial $5 million round and ultimately some $40-50 million - and OEM partners such as Orchid, Diamond and Guillemot brought Voodoo into millions of PCs, cementing its impact on the industry.