As the Apple Turns: Scene 1090: This Banshee Screams (10/20/98)

This Banshee Screams (10/20/98)

Wow, this certainly has been a banner year for Mac gamers. Apple's renewed financial vigor and the wildly successful introduction of the iMac have done a lot in terms of convincing publishers to release Mac versions of popular PC games, so we've been seeing lots of releases like Diablo, Unreal, and Tomb Raider II. Companies such as Interplay and LucasArts, who have ceased Mac development but continue to "monitor the Mac market," might re-enter the fray if Apple's share of the home market continues to grow, and every indication is that this holiday season ought to give the Mac installed base a big boost. And there are still plenty of games coming out for the Mac to look forward to, such as Myth II, Klingon Honor Guard, and Duality.

The big yuck, though, is the continuing disparity in price and availability between Mac and PC versions of game-oriented 3D acceleration hardware. A vast number of the newest and hottest games look a lot better and move a lot faster when the Mac on which they're played includes a 3D chip, and the 3D chip of choice for gamers is still the 3Dfx Voodoo. Unfortunately, there haven't been too many options when it comes to putting a Voodoo chip inside your Mac; for a while, the only Mac-specific choice was TechWorks' Power3d, which unfortunately cost more than twice as much as PC-branded cards with identical hardware. And now that the Voodoo 2 is out and offers something like three times the performance of the original Voodoo, the only Mac option is the Game Wizard by Micro Conversions, which, at $300, is about three times the cost of equivalent PC cards. Ouch!

But there's good news: according to the Mac Gamer's Ledge, VillageTronic has just announced a couple of new Mac cards that will use the Voodoo Banshee chipset, which offers Voodoo 2 class 3D acceleration and fast 2D graphics performance. The base unit, called the neXtGen MacPicasso 750, will cost only $199, which, while still higher than PC Banshee cards, is a price a little more in line with reality. One of their other Banshee-based offerings is the $299 neXtGen MacMagic Pro, which features more SGRAM for even better performance. These cards should be out by Christmas, so if you're looking for the best possible experience in games like Myth/Myth II, Unreal, Quake, Carmageddon, etc., consider putting a VillageTronic Banshee card on your holiday list.

SceneLink (1090)

And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors

From the writer/creator of AtAT, a Pandemic Dad Joke taken WAYYYYYY too far

The above scene was taken from the 10/20/98 episode:

October 20, 1998: Mac OS X Server is alive and well and waiting for its entrance cue. Meanwhile, "Redmond Justice" injects a few laughs to take the edge off, and Mac gamers who want the ultimate in 3D price/performance should make sure they stay on Santa's "Good" list this year...

Other scenes from that episode:

1088: The Rhapsody Continues (10/20/98) The rumors of Mac OS X Server's cancellation that blazed across the 'net recently are apparently only rumors. The brouhaha started when one or more Apple representatives in Europe publicly answered a question about the operating system's release date by stating that the whole project had been cancelled internally, though Apple hadn't yet made a statement about the fact...
1089: Amid Severest Woe (10/20/98) Redmond Justice, Day 2: the season continues not to disappoint, as Microsoft and the Justice Department carry on with their epic antitrust battle. But today we got to see that the struggle is not all melodrama, as the show's writers are skilful enough to counterpoint deepest tragedy with the occasional touch of comedy...

Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast...


	Like K-pop, but only know the popular stuff? Expand your horizons! Prim M recommends underrated K-pop tunes based on YOUR taste!


	DISCLAIMER: AtAT was not a news site any more than Inside Edition was a "real" news show. We made Dawson's Creek look like 60 Minutes. We engaged in rampant guesswork, wild speculation, and pure fabrication for the entertainment of our viewers. Sure, everything here was "inspired by actual events," but so was Amityville II: The Possession. So lighten up. Site best viewed with a sense of humor. AtAT is not responsible for lost or stolen articles. Keep hands inside car at all times. The drinking of beverages while watching AtAT is strongly discouraged; AtAT is not responsible for damage, discomfort, or staining caused by spit-takes or "nosers." Everything you see here that isn't attributed to other parties is copyright ©,1997-2024 J. Miller and may not be reproduced or rebroadcast without his explicit consent (or possibly the express written consent of Major League Baseball, but we doubt it).