The Register heeft weer eens een paar mistige geruchten van de straat geplukt: nu denken ze dat 3dfx van plan is om S3 over te nemen. Dat zou voor beide bedrijven een errug relaxte marktpositie kunnen opleveren:
Register sources reckon 3dfx's subtle plan to take control of the 3D graphics industry and more is still a runner. The plan, which emerged back in June, has 3dfx launching a bid to buy rival 3D graphics specialist S3.[...] That seemed to be that, as far as 3dfx's plan went, but according to our source, talks between the two companies have continued despite -- or, more likely, because of -- S3's Diamond acquisition.
According to our source, the two companies have agreed in principle to merge -- the haggling centres on the financial details and the make up of the merged operation's management structure.
The financial aspect is probably the most important sticking point. 3dfx's results haven't been two hot of late, whereas S3 is clearly moving on and up. That suggests that if the plan goes ahead, it will have to be a true combination of interests rather than a takeover by any other name.
Successful negotiations would lead to a business that combined two key 3D graphics players with Diamond's broader consumer product portfolio generating a powerful force in the PC add-in market. Both S3 and 3dfx are desperate to wrest leadership of the graphics market from ATI -- and together they might well be able to do so.
S3 brings some powerful technologies to the table -- it's texture compression facility, for one -- which 3dfx brings the best-known graphics brandname: Voodoo.
