Legends or myths that exist within the computer industry press community are something that you don't read much about. The legend surrounding ATI's use of the word "mojo" is no exception. The legend goes something like this: a very famous game developer is rumored to have asked NVIDIA, "It looks like with the release of the Radeon 9700, that ATI stole your graphics mojo?" Indeed. The "mojo" reference comes from the latest "Austin Powers" film, which is part of the theme that ATI has adopted to describe the "coolness" factor of what they are now doing.

As with the legends of 3DFX's Rampage product, myths such as these continue to wind their way through the media. Although THG doesn't spend much time talking about them, we could fill volumes with the legends, myths, and rumors that we hear and elect not to write about because they can't be properly verified. We find the use of the word "mojo" to be a breath of fresh air, due to the fact that (as we have complained before) ATI's product packaging has previously lacked the "coolness" factor needed to compete in such a competitive marketplace.

ATI is working hard to change this perception, and we saw that with ATI's participation at Quakecon this year (see our article entitled, Quakecon 2002 Day 1: Mecca of Network Gaming Events . ATI has made great strides in positively impacting the way that people think about their products. We have seen these changes, and we think ATI is headed in the right direction. Of course, the bigger question is, "Will these changes translate into sales?" If early reports are any indication, with ATI's launch of the Radeon 9700, the answer is YES!

One question that graphics card manufacturers find difficult to answer is the following: when is the next-generation software going to be developed to make full use of these new, next-generation graphics cards? While graphics card manufacturers may not really know the answer to such a question, one thing is apparent: additional education is necessary for game developers to take full advantage of these new graphics card technologies. Unlike adding small features that really don't require much guidance or instruction, the new technology that is found in today's modern graphics card is so sophisticated that software developers need more training, technology and more information.

This concept is not lost on ATI. If a developer doesn't understand what the possibilities of these new technologies are, it will be difficult to implement them in today's software products in a way that really takes advantage of all they have to offer. The reality is, next-generation technologies have to be fostered today, and training needs to start immediately, because the development cycle for today's modern software is so lengthy. It has been said that laying a solid foundation for DirectX 9 and OpenGL 2.0 is essential to carry software development into the next several years, as these technology advancements offer a fundamental shift in the method in which the software will be developed, and in the additional functions that the software will offer.