25 years after the death of 3dfx, the Voodoo 3 gets a Linux driver update — classic Voodoo GPUs can now boot without a PC BIOS
⚡ Quick Hits
- Classic 3dfx Voodoo 3 GPUs have received a surprise Linux driver update.
- The vintage graphics cards can now successfully boot without requiring a PC BIOS.
- This open-source milestone arrives a full 25 years after the legendary GPU maker's demise.
Greetings tech enthusiasts, The Tech Monk here with a blast from the past that will warm the hearts of retro PC builders everywhere.
In a stunning testament to the dedication of the open-source community, the legendary 3dfx Voodoo 3 has just received a brand-new Linux driver update. Yes, you read that correctly—a full quarter-century after the tragic demise of 3dfx, developers are still breathing new life into these classic graphics processing units.
The most exciting feature of this modern update is that classic Voodoo cards can now boot entirely without a traditional PC BIOS. For retro computing aficionados who cut their teeth building AMD K6 systems and typing ATARI BASIC code from magazines back in the 90s (a nostalgic journey shared by veteran tech journalist Zak Killian, who reported on this), this is a phenomenal technical achievement.
It goes to show that no matter how old the silicon gets, true hardware legends never really die as long as there is a passionate community to support them. Dust off those retro rigs and fire up your old displays, because the golden era of 3D acceleration just got a modern open-source upgrade!
