The future
S3 Graphics is already looking ahead to the next iterations of its chips, with a sensible roadmap and the clear understanding that it's in this game for the long haul. The company believes the six-month product cycle in the graphics arena makes sense, although it doesn't seem to have ambitions to replace its GPU core every 12 months.

Right now, VIA is at work on a DirectX 9-class graphics core for its core-logic chipsets that is derived from DeltaChrome technology. This graphics core will share driver software with DeltaChrome as S3 moves toward a unified driver architecture across its product line.

The next big stop on the roadmap is the holiday season, 2004, when S3 plans to deliver a PCI Express-enabled version of its DX9 graphics core. However, S3 does not have plans to do a substantially revised DirectX 9 chip with support for pixel and vertex shader versions 3.0. Instead, they are looking toward a "DX10" chip for fall of '05, with twice the complexity of DeltaChrome and twice the fill rate. This chip should be built using some sort of sub-130nm fab process and run at 500MHz to 1GHz, when the time comes.

Conclusions
So there you have it. The DeltaChrome is coming, and it looks like it might hit the meaty part of the market at just the right time. We're all pretty nervous about the GeForce FX line's performance in DirectX 9 games, especially with Half-Life 2 imminent. A competent alternative from a new player might be just what's needed. S3's new GPU looks pretty decent on paper, and we're all hoping not to see a replay of that fiery car wreck scene again. I have a pretty good feeling about the DeltaChrome's prospects, especially in the middle to low end of the market, where S3 will likely be concentrating its attention at first.

When will the DeltaChrome cards arrive? Soon, I believe. A1 silicon comes next, which, if all goes well, should be the final rev. Once the silicon is final, ramping up production of the card shouldn't take too long. We'll be watching to see how it goes, and we'll keep you updated. We're eagerly awaiting the chance to review the finished product and see how it stacks up against the market leaders.