Nvidia released its 8800 GTX GPU 20 years ago today, celebrates with Steam game homage
On this day in 2006, Nvidia released the legendary GeForce 8800 GTX graphics card and it is celebrating the event with a very demanding (but free) interactive Steam demo.
Twenty years ago today, Nvidia unveiled the GeForce 8800 GTX and 8800 GTS graphics cards. To commemorate the milestone, Nvidia has released an interactive demo titled "GeForce 8800 GTX - 20 Years of a Legend," now available for free on Steam. However, running this semi-interactive path-traced unboxing experience requires a powerful RTX 5080 or simply watching the embedded video.
Developed by senior special effects artist Dylan Browne, the demo boasts era-appropriate graphics, utilizing DLSS 4.5 with Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction, path tracing, and Mega Geometry. To ensure acceptable performance on a modern PC, Nvidia recommends an RTX 4070 or higher.
Despite the demo's focus on showcasing the 8800 GTX's capabilities, hidden Easter eggs are also included for players to discover. Interestingly, the demo features Windows Vista running on the PC, a testament to the fact that the GeForce 8800 GTX and 8800 GTS were released at the same time as the Vista operating system, around 2007.
Priced at $599 for the GTX and $449 for the GTS, these GPUs marked the beginning of the DirectX 10 era, enhancing existing PC titles and delivering next-gen visuals through new DX10 software. Nvidia's drive to make the GPU more than just a frame rendering device through CUDA development also marked a significant milestone.
While the GeForce 8800 GTX and 8800 GTS enjoyed great initial success, Nvidia driver support for these cards eventually ended about a decade later, as DirectX 11 hardware and games became mainstream. The legacy of these legendary GPUs lives on, paving the way for advancements in graphics technology and the rise of modern gaming experiences.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
