DF Direct - Inside GeForce 256 - The First GPU - 25th Anniversary Retrospective

Digital Foundry Direct Weekly

October 11th 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the GeForce 256, the original Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). With cutting edge technologies like hardware-accelerated transformation and lighting (T&L), combined with what was - for the time - brutal performance, GeForce 256 was a game-changer.

In this DF Direct special hosted by Alex Battaglia, we bring together Nvidia staff to discuss why this product was so important. On the panel, we have:

John Montrym, Chief Architect

John Spitzer, VP of Developer and Performance Technologies

Nick Stam, Director of Technical Marketing - and Editor-in-Chief of PC Mag in 1999

Jacob Freeman, GeForce Evangelist

00:00 Overview and introductions

06:44 What does GeForce 256 mean to you? What has its impact been?

12:23 GeForce 256 feature uptake

15:00 Hardware transform and lighting and its importance

17:56 GeForce 256 development milestones

20:40 GeForce 256’s initial impact on games

24:43 Reactions to GeForce 256

30:33 Environment mapping

35:01 Reviewing the GeForce 256

39:33 What the GeForce 256 meant beyond gaming

41:16 The GeForce 256’s lasting legacy

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