AGEIA and BFG Technologies Enter into Retail Distribution Agreement
Award-winning graphics card maker to bring highly anticipated AGEIA PhysX™ processor into U.S., Canadian, and European Union retail markets
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California and LAKE FOREST, Illinois - September 01, 2005 - AGEIATM Technologies, Inc., the pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games and BFG Technologies®, Inc., a leading U.S.-based supplier of advanced 3D graphics cards and other PC enthusiast products, announced today that they have entered into a retail distribution agreement. Under the contract, BFG Technologies will manufacture, sell, market and distribute personal computer add-in cards powered by the AGEIA PhysXTM processor to retail, e-tail and distributors in the United States, Canada and the European Union member states.
AGEIA's PhysX chip defines an entirely new category of processor: the physics processing unit that, when coupled with the PhysX SDK, provides cost-effective hardware acceleration of physical interactions within a game environment, such as fluid dynamics and rigid body dynamics. The result will re-ignite the enthusiasm of gamers and game creators alike, and has the potential to propel physics technology into unexplored new markets.
"There is no doubt that the next evolution of PC gaming hardware will include technologies that dramatically improve realistic motion and physics in the game environment," said Scott Herkelman, executive vice president of marketing for BFG Technologies. "We are proud that AGEIA has chosen BFG Technologies to be one of the driving forces for getting their ground-breaking new PhysX processor into consumer's hands."
"BFG Technologies brings to the table an in-depth understanding of the channel as well as extensive knowledge about what makes gamers tick," said Manju Hegde, CEO and chairman of AGEIA. "BFG Technologies is trusted by game players and PC enthusiasts, thereby making them poised to bring the PhysX processor to market."
Pricing and Availability
BFG Technologies plans to offer stand-alone PCI cards with the AGEIA PhysX processor and 128MB of local memory, which is used for storing and processing physics data during game play. Products will be available at the end of this year. Pricing and other product details will be announced at that time.
Ric Lewis, executive vice president of operations for BFG Technologies added, "For our AGEIA PhysX-based cards, BFG Technologies will bring the same relentless attention to build-quality and performance that have become hallmarks of our award-winning graphics cards."
About BFG Technologies®, Inc.
BFG Technologies is a privately held U.S. based supplier of premium, award-winning 3D video cards and other PC enthusiast products. BFG Technologies is world-renowned for their free 24 hour expert technical support and lifetime graphics card warranty, which has been a hallmark of service since the company's inception. BFG Technologies brand 3D graphics cards are available in the U.S. at Best Buy, CompUSA, Wal-Mart, Fry's Electronics, and Newegg.com and also within premium Falcon NorthwestTM gaming systems, in Canada at CompuSmart/CompuCentre and Staples Canada, and in the U.K. at Dabs.com, Overclockers UK and PC World/Dixons.
To find additional BFG Technologies retailers and to learn more about BFG Technologies' products, please call 847-281-3110 or visit http://www.bfgtech.com.
About AGEIA
AGEIATM Technologies, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company and the pioneer of hardware-accelerated physics for games. Its flagship product, the PhysX processor, is the world's first dedicated physics processing unit - a completely new hardware category. The PhysX processor and supporting software deliver the processing horsepower to calculate real-time interactive worlds. Developers can define these worlds to obey the laws of classical physics, or create their own physical laws that make their game a unique, hyper-dimensional experience.
AGEIA seeks to ignite innovation in the games industry by working with leading developers, publishers, add-in board vendors and console manufacturers to deliver the next generation of physically immersive entertainment. Consumer add-in boards and systems equipped with the AGEIA PhysX processor and games that take advantage of the technology will be available in late 2005. For more information visit http://www.ageia.com.