{
  "id": 2605243,
  "title": "25 years after the death of 3dfx, the Voodoo 3 gets a Linux driver update — classic Voodoo GPUs can now boot without a PC BIOS",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/25-years-after-the-death-of-3dfx-the-voodoo-3-gets-a-linux-driver",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-22T15:48:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/25-years-after-the-death-of-3dfx-the-voodoo-3-gets-a-linux-driver-update-classic-voodoo-gpus-can-now-boot-without-a-pc-bios"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A vintage graphics card, the 3dfx Voodoo 3, is receiving a slight modernization in the Linux kernel 7.3 update. The update refines the tdfxfb framebuffer driver, enabling it to initialize the Voodoo 3 directly instead of depending on the system firmware. This allows the Voodoo 3 to function as a display adapter, even when the firmware fails to initialize it. The update is primarily targeted at the Voodoo 3, and the current patch series has excluded support for the Voodoo 4 and 5 cards due to differences in their BIOS layouts. The update can be tested on modern x86-64 systems and an Amiga 4000 equipped with a Mediator PCI bridge. While this update may not significantly enhance the Voodoo 3's capabilities as a contemporary Linux GPU, it does allow old hardware to display images without relying on the firmware. Additionally, the developer, Daniel Palmer, is building a separate 3D path for the Voodoo 3, creating a userspace library and OpenGL implementation for classic 3D software to utilize the card.",
  "summary": "It's been a quarter-century since the firm folded, but the graphics chips still have utility in esoteric use cases.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}