In a nutshell: The 3dfx Interactive brand may be a thing of the past, but its impact lives on through projects like the VoodooX. This custom redesign pays homage to the legendary Voodoo line of PC hardware, aiming to bring back the nostalgia of the gaming community. The creator of VoodooX faced some setbacks but is now gearing up to continue refining the card’s design and testing its performance with the latest updates.

Oscar Barea has dedicated years to the VoodooX project, striving to develop a fully functional Voodoo video card based on the VSA-100 chip – the final 3D accelerator created by 3dfx before its acquisition by Nvidia. Barea’s passion for 3dfx Interactive’s legacy shines through as he works on this ambitious project, aiming to bring back the magic of classic PC gaming hardware.

After a hiatus due to personal commitments, Barea is back at work on the VoodooX. The latest version of the card boasts new features like HDMI, DVI, and VGA interface support, as well as a stylish white PCB design. With tweaks to improve performance, including memory signal rerouting, Barea is eager to test the updated 3D accelerator and assess its capabilities with various demos and games.

3Dfx Voodoo X project – I had some time free and I starting assembly the baby- very soon we will know how it performs with the new changes. ☺️☺️☺️ pic.twitter.com/wjnLgSAzMS

– Oscar Barea (@oscar_barea) December 16, 2024

Barea initiated the VoodooX project in 2022, utilizing fresh VSA-100 chips never before integrated into graphics cards. His experimentation with memory configurations, such as toggling between 32MB and 64MB per VSA-100 chip, aligns with the official specifications supporting up to 64MB per chip.

The VSA-100 chip, short for Voodoo Scalable Architecture, marked a pinnacle in 3D accelerator technology by 3dfx. Despite efforts to compete with Nvidia’s GeForce GPUs, the VSA-100 cards like Voodoo4 and Voodoo5 struggled in the market, leading to 3dfx’s eventual downfall.

Nvidia’s acquisition of 3dfx’s assets in 2002 marked the end of an era for the pioneering company. While technical support for 3dfx products ceased, the community rallied post the 2003 leak of 3dfx driver source code. Decades later, enthusiasts like Barea continue to revive and innovate with this vintage technology, while PC emulators provide a platform to relive classic 3dfx-compatible games.