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Kalisto's Ultim@te Race Pro Shows Off With PowerVR Technology

Speed, Visual Clarity Distinguish 3D Effects

Las Vegas, NV, November 17, 1997 -- The new Ultim@te Race Pro, developed by Kalisto Entertainment and published by Microprose, blurs the lines between entertainment and reality using the 3D graphics acceleration technology of PowerVR. Jointly developed by NEC Electronics Inc. and VideoLogic, PowerVR enables 3D graphics to run lightning fast in this game, providing players with the sensation of actually driving a car.

Ultim@te Race Pro builds on features from previous editions to continue maximizing the viewer's experience. Additional enhancements, which take full advantage of PowerVR technology, include crystal-clear sky reflections, ground projection (i.e. mud splatters), sparks, skid marks, realistic rain, powerful thunderstorms, dense fog, shadows and headlights that cast light accurately. The 3D visual damage to cars is realistic enough to make gamers wince.

"Ultim@te Race Pro is an exquisite example of how PowerVR's features can really make the difference between a fun game and a truly immersive, arcade-quality entertainment experience," said Charles Bellfield, product marketing manager, multimedia strategic business unit, NEC Electronics. "PowerVR's ability to enhance speed and visual clarity in Ultim@te Race Pro will be truly appreciated by gamers."

"PowerVR technology continues to provide us with the advanced 3D tools we need to develop high-end visuals, critical to enhanced gameplay of our titles, including Ultim@te Race Pro," said Nicolas Gaume, president of Kalisto Entertainment S.A.

Ultim@te Race Pro takes full advantage of PowerVR's most advanced features and beautifiers. The title achieves a minimum frame rate of 30 frames per second (fps) and resolution of 800 x 600 pixels with a minimum of 16.7 million colors.

PowerVR with PCX2

PowerVR, from NEC and VideoLogic, is an advanced 3D graphics technology for personal computers, game consoles and arcade systems. The PowerVR-based PCX2 3D graphics accelerator provides users with outstanding performance, offering a sustained fill rate of 40 million pixels per second on an Intel Pentium Pro 200MHz PC.

PowerVR offers PC users outstanding 3D effects. These include hardware-accelerated realtime shadows, true exponential fogging, precise 32-bit Z buffer function (hidden surface removal), smooth shading and realistic translucency for water, fire and explosion effects.

On a PowerVR-equipped system, images appear clearly through bilinear filtering and games run at resolutions anywhere from 320 x 200 up to 1024 x 768 pixels using 16-, 24- or 32-bit color. Unlike competing 3D graphics processors, PCX2 does not require special cabling, but runs directly on a PCI bus at any resolution, and can operate in a windowed environment or full-screen. PCX2 is compatible with Direct3D, RenderWare, SurRender and the GLQuake engines, as well as PowerSGL Direct, PowerVR's native API.

More than 100 titles from the world's leading game developers have been developed for or ported to the PowerVR architecture, including industry sales leaders such as WipeOut, Tomb Raider, MDK, GLQuake and Hexen II.

Purchasing PowerVR

The PowerVR 3D graphics accelerator is available in the U.S. through PowerVR-enhanced systems, including Compaq Presario 8000 and Gateway 2000 Destination Big-Screen PC-TV, and add-in graphics cards from companies including Matrox Graphics, VideoLogic Multimedia Systems, NEC Home Electronics (Japan), Melco and I-O Data. PowerVR-equipped products can be purchased through retailers including Best Buy, CompUSA and Electronics Boutique.

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VideoLogic, founded in 1985, is a leading international supplier of PC multimedia products. The company develops highly integrated advanced multimedia semiconductors, software and add-in multimedia PC cards, with distribution in more than 50 countries through OEMs, value added resellers, retail channels and directly from VideoLogic offices. The company has its corporate headquarters in the United Kingdom, its U.S. headquarters in San Bruno, Calif., and offices in Frankfurt, Germany. VideoLogic has development agreements with Compaq and NEC, and is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (FOOTSY:VDL).

NEC Electronics Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., designs, manufactures and markets an extensive line of electronic products including ASICs, microprocessors and microcontrollers, 3D graphics accelerators, digital signal processors (DSPs), memories and components including flat panel displays and lithium ion batteries. In 1996, the company ranked fourth in semiconductor sales in the U.S. The company operates a 709,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Roseville, Calif. NEC Electronics is an affiliate of NEC Corporation (NIPNY), a $41 billion international manufacturer of computer, communications and semiconductor products.

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