NVIDIA today revealed that its new GeForce(TM) 6 Series of graphics processing units (GPUs) is receiving rave reviews and widespread industry support from the world's top game creators and publishers. NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800 GPUs are based on the NV40 graphics architecture that is the first to deliver Microsoft(R) DirectX(R) 9 Shader Model 3.0 support for ultra-realistic image quality and a superscalar 16-pipe design for unmatched performance.

GeForce 6800 GPUs have a dedicated video processing engine for high-definition video playback and benefits from the renowned compatibility and reliability of the NVIDIA ForceWare(TM) software suite featuring the NVIDIA unified driver architecture (UDA), custom game profiles, NVIDIA nView(TM) multi-display software and much more.

The video-processing engine would enable high-definition video and DVD playback on a system, according to Nvidia. And in gaming solutions, the new chip would provide eight times the floating point "shader" power and four times the "shadow" power of the previous edition of the GeForce processor, the company said.Shader power and shadow power provide detailed simulation of shades and shadows in 3-D, real environments.

The first GPUs based on the NVIDIA GeForce 6 Series, the GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800 models, are manufactured using IBM's high-volume 0.13-micron process technology and are currently shipping to leading add-in-card partners, OEMs, system builders, and game developers.

Retail graphics boards based on the GeForce 6800 models are slated for release in the next 45 days.