by Chris Potter (NOTE: As we were going to press, Micro Conversions filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Most of the principles from Micro Conversions, including Bob Archer, have gone on to form a new company called iWonder) As Mac gamers, we realize and accept the fact that most new games will first be developed for the PC, then ported for us. The Mac gaming world is changing, with "iCEO" Steve Jobs promoting the Mac as a great gaming platform and generating more support from game developers. With the arrival of the Quake 3 Test on Macs first, the winds of change may be finally blowing our way. We now even have a great new graphics accelerator as standard equipment in new G3's to make up for all the advances done on PC's before. The ATI Rage 128 brings 2D and 3D speed the likes of which we haven't seen before. Along with the hardware upgrade, we've also received the RAVE application programming interface (API), giving game developers the tools they need to create brave new worlds of adventure. But there's still grumbling from Mac gamers. Some come from the hardware community, people with older Power Macs that want comparable graphic acceleration now - not when they get a blue and white G3. Others come from the software community, people stating that the games don't look the way they should on ATI's accelerator. Micro Conversions believes their Game Wizard Voodoo 2 card is the answer to those complaints. For more than 10 years, Micro Conversions has provided Macs with better graphics and video through their cards and drivers. The company started by providing kits to change a 128K Mac into a 512K machine. They have been working closely with 3dfx, the developer of the Voodoo 2 chip set, to answer the call for better acceleration on all Macs. Their result is the Game Wizard, a Mac-only PCI card that can run in any PowerMac computer. With the Game Wizard, they have put themselves against ATI in developing the best 3D gaming card for the Mac. Bob Archer, Marketing and Sales Manager for Micro Conversions, concedes that the ATI Rage 128 card is one of the best deals Apple has made for bringing back the Mac as a gaming platform. However, when comparing the Rage 128 to his Game Wizard card, he feels the proof is in the performance. At this time, most PC games have been written with the Glide API as a base. According to Archer, game developers have used Glide to create their games because it does the best job, and it's the most widely used. And, in creating their games, nothing shows it off better than the Voodoo 2 chip set. Archer states that "there should be no question of which is the best tool to develop 3D games, and it's Glide." While Glide is the widest used API currently, it's getting competition on the Macintosh platform by two other API's: Rave and OpenGL. Let's first look at how the Game Wizard compares to the ATI Rage 128 using each API as a base: Glide and Rave The Glide API and Voodoo 2 chip set were developed by 3dfx as a 3D accelerator exclusively for games. It has been the most popular combination for PC games, used by more than 800 game developers according to Archer. By porting the Voodoo 2 chip for the Mac, Archer says that Mac users can finally play a game exactly the way the developer wanted their game to be played. Archer's assertion is that if you want to play a game using 3dfx's Glide API, the best way to see it is on 3dfx's Voodoo 2 chip set. The Rave API came about with Apple's decision to use the ATI Rage as their 3D accelerator. Rave is not used by as many developers as Glide (Archer estimates possibly a dozen). Note, however, that with Apple firmly behind Rave and more recently OpenGL, more developers are coming to the fold every day. Micro Conversions' literature states that the Game Wizard is compatible with QuickDraw 3D RAVE. An argument that has come up while discussing Voodoo 2 vs. Rage 128 is based on how many bits of information each can handle. The Voodoo 2 chip set uses 16 bits, or thousands of colors, whereas the Rage 128 uses 32 bits, or millions of colors. In the "more is better" world, Archer says he receives criticism for his chip set not being able to handle more colors. His response to this has been to look at QuickTime and note that it too uses only 16 bits. He also challenges you to see the difference between the two cards in how they display an environment. "If 16 bits is good enough for QuickTime," Archer says, " then it's good enough for games." He also points out that the Rage card has to sample down from 32 bits to 16 bits for most games, which results in dithering, the fuzzy haze you see around characters or items when colors are not displayed correctly. Since the Voodoo 2 chip already operates with a 16 bit palate, dithering is eliminated. OpenGL Mac gamers have raised concerns with the Game Wizard's ability to handle Mac OpenGL games, and for good reason. With the coming of the OpenGL-based Quake 3, serious gamers want to know that the Voodoo 2 is going to have a great driver behind it. When it comes to this story, we need a bit of history first. According to Bob Archer, there was a way that driver developers could make OpenGL work on their Macintosh accelerator cards. The code was the Conix implementation, developed by John Stauffer. Stauffer had worked with Micro Conversions to compliment their Game Wizard hardware with OpenGL driver software. Once Apple decided that it needed OpenGL for the Mac, they bought the Conix code and hired John Stauffer to develop Apple OpenGL. Micro Conversions' work had to be stopped, and in the end could not be completed. While software developers have received their software developer's kits (SDK) for programming in Apple OpenGL, Micro Conversions is still waiting for a developer's kit for their drivers. "People keep wondering if we're going to make good on our promise to give them OpenGL," Archer says, "and I want to make sure people understand that there's only one outfit that controls the answers to any of that, and that's Apple." Even while waiting for Apple to give them a "DDK" for Apple OpenGL, Archer says the problems right now with the API are minimal. For comparison, he says that he viewed Quake3Test on both the Game Wizard Voodoo2 card with Mesa GL support, and on the ATI Rage 128 card with OpenGL support, and can see no problems with dithering or presentation. Off to Use the Wizard And so, Micro Conversions hopes that users will consider adding the Game Wizard card to their Mac, whether it be an older PowerMac or brand new G3. Bob Archer says that the Game Wizard PCI card works great as the sole 3D accelerator for older PowerMacs, and that thousands of G3 owners have the Game Wizard humming along next to the standard ATI Rage 128 card. But what does the future hold for the Game Wizard? Last year at Comdex, 3dfx announced the coming of Voodoo 3, both 2000 and 3000 series. The Voodoo 3 is not only a 3D accelerator, but pumps up 2D as well. With both 2D and 3D acceleration on one card, the Voodoo 3 could lead to even more competition with the ATI Rage 128. An important caveat to remember is that the acceleration provided by the current Voodoo 2, and by the up-coming Voodoo 3, is strictly for games, not for 3D applications or "3D-in-a-window." While the 2000 and 3000 series are only compatible with PC's, it's 3dfx's next card series, the 4x, that will be Mac-compatible. Since it's the higher-end card that will be ported to the Mac, Archer feels that Mac gamers will have a large advantage over the PC community. After all this set-up, when is the Voodoo 3 chip set going to be ported to the Mac? Bob Archer would love to answer that question, but he can't. The reason being a corporate merger taking place between 3dfx and STB Systems. At press-time, stockholders of both companies were being asked to submit their proxy votes on the measure as soon as possible. Despite the fact that they have received 99-percent approval of the merger, there have not been enough votes to carry it. Approval of the merger requires 50-percent of 3dfx outstanding shares, and 66 2/3-percent of STB shares. Merger meetings were adjourned on April 30th with no decision. Archer also hints at another problem in the works. 3dfx wants to make its own boards for the Voodo o3, a decision that has disappointed the multimedia board-makers of STB Systems. Because of the disagreement, 3dfx can't approve work with Micro Conversions until after the interdepartmental problems are resolved. Archer states that he's been in contact with 3dfx throughout the merger talks, and that "3dfx will be providing a solution, there's no question." He feels the Voodoo 3 for the Mac should be available by the end of the year, and that when it comes, current indications show "a minimum of 2x over a Rage 128." Until then, Micro Conversions offers you another solution, and that is Scan Line Interlace, or SLI. If you buy two Game Wizard boards, put them into 2 PCI slots, then bridge them with a ribbon cable provided by Micro Conversions, you double the processing power from 3 to 6 processors. While the 2-card solution is not as fast as the upcoming Voodoo 3, Archer feels that it's close. The SLI option should be available from Micro Conversions within a matter of weeks. The best part is that if you currently own a Game Wizard with the Voodoo 2, you can "upgrade" to the SLI set-up for just the price of another card. Final Thoughts After looking over all the data comparing the ATI Rage 128 to the Voodoo2, the only way to know which way to go is to sample it yourself. Bob Archer is hoping that you'll do just that by purchasing a Game Wizard card from him. After you get over the current price of $139.00 ($179 minus a $40 mail-in rebate)), you do have a cushion to fall back on. Micro Conversions offers a 30-day warrantee on the card. If for any reason you're not happy with the performance of the Game Wizard on your machine, simply send it back within 30 days of purchase, and Micro Conversions will give you your money back. Archer believes that there is no reason to wait for "the next big thing" in 3D acceleration, from them or ATI. Archer says that the Game Wizard is "rock solid, and has been for a long time." If you want a "playable" game, you can have it right now with the Game Wizard alone, or with the SLI solution available soon. Even after all the talk over video frame speed, bit rates, operations per second, and the like, it's still a subjective test for you the gamer to decide. Micro Conversions and Bob Archer are hoping you'll see their stuff, and never look back.