The final curtain approaches for 3dfx, the graphics chip designer. It has completed the sale of its assets to Nvidia - patents, trademarks etc. for $55m in cash And it could stand to get up to a million Nvidia shares, if it meets certain criteria.

Following the sale, 3dfx is effectively a dead company. Just three years ago, the company was at a high-point - we well remember its extravagant Comdex party that year, with Kool & the Gang pumping out the music.

But then the company messed up - it rested on its design laurels, letting Nvidia steal through the blind side to take the performance crown. And it messed up again, big time, with an ill-advised and hugely expensive plunge into the retail card market - alienating its OEM customers in the process. Soon the company is to be no more. Who will notice, when it's gone? ®