For the iMac gamers in the audience, there's some good news out there-- Micro Conversions is officially shipping their $199 iMac Game Wizard. The Game Wizard lets iMac owners add the blistering 3D power of a 3Dfx VooDoo2 chipset via that naughty little unsupported Mezzanine slot on the underside of the iMac's motherboard. Early feedback from people who've received their pre-orders is very positive-- games that take advantage of GLide acceleration run about a gazillion times faster than on a stock iMac, and look about a bajillion times better. Hardcore gamers with a lust for a truly immersive 3D experience now have a heavy-duty option for their translucent blue buddies.

And when we say blue, we mean Bondi-- since the Mezzanine slot officially vanished from the iMac motherboard with the advent of the current fruit flavors, only rev. A and B owners need apply. That leaves a slightly worrying gap in the 3D games performance spectrum for the iMac: the Game Wizard makes "classic" iMacs into 3D powerhouses, but the Rage Pro in the fruit-flavored models doesn't have quite as much "oomph" as serious gamers might like. (Sure, "serious" gamers would be better off buying a more expandable Mac anyway, but remember-- Apple's going for the throat in the consumer market, and games are a huge part of that whole equation.) Interestingly enough, though, a reader over at NoBeige hints that Micro Conversions is toying with the idea of performing major surgery on the guts of fruit-flavored iMacs for owners who just gotta have Voodoo2. The plan apparently involves sending in the iMac's motherboard (!), to which Micro Conversions will then solder on the necessary connectors, install the Game Wizard, and send the board back. Sort of a "surgery by mail" deal. Since this process obviously voids the iMac's warranty (to put things mildly), MC is even considering fulfilling the rest of the warranty period themselves. It's a nutty idea, but it just might work.

In the longer term, the iMac may not suffer such a 3D games disadvantage. Have you tried the Rage 128 that ships with all new blue and white G3's? We have-- and it's incredible. Well, if you had attended the My Mac chat with Mike Dixon of the Mac Gamer's Ledge last night, you would have heard that Apple will be including Rage 128's on the motherboard of iMacs sometime in the near future. In fact, the only reason that the current models have a Rage Pro instead is that the motherboard-chipset version of the Rage 128 wasn't (and, we suppose, isn't) yet available-- only the expansion card version was. Anyway, if you're in the market for an iMac and you really want a solid 3D gaming experience, you've got a couple of choices: find a Bondi model on closeout and add a Game Wizard, or wait for Apple to add Rage 128 and buy the color of your choice. Choices! Choices everywhere!