SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwire - October 22, 2009) - PC gaming experienced a major inflection point today with the release of Microsoft Corp.'s new Windows 7 operating system, which creates the ultimate gaming platform when combined with NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics processing units (GPUs).

"New advances in parallel computing, physics, and, stereoscopic 3D have amplified the importance of the GPU," said Mike Ybarra, general manager of Windows Product Management at Microsoft. "These advances, combined with Windows 7, DirectX 11, and DirectCompute will transform PC gaming for years to come."

A Windows 7 PC powered by NVIDIA GeForce GPUs will feature technologies that provide an unprecedented level of immersion that make gaming more rewarding than ever, including:

• NVIDIA 3D Vision™ technology turns a 2D world into a fully immersive stereoscopic 3D experience. Characters and objects appear to have real depth and literally jump out of the screen.
• NVIDIA PhysX™ engine turns a static world into a dynamic world that comes to life. Walls can be torn down, with realistic effect. Glass can be shattered. Trees bend in the wind. Water flows with body and force.
• NVIDIA SLI™ technology allows the highest quality and fastest frame rates by combining multiple GeForce GPUs in a PC. On average, SLI technology is up to 15% faster on Windows 7 than on previous Windows operating systems.
• Microsoft DirectCompute, a new application program interface (API) for GPU computing, will allow game developers to introduce new visual effects with fewer compromises to performance. Applications include image post-processing, shading & lighting effects, and artificial intelligence.
• Microsoft DirectX 11, the next-generation Direct3D API, will enable game developers to take advantage of NVIDIA's next generation GPU architecture, codenamed "Fermi," and create advanced visual effects for upcoming 2010 gaming titles.

"Despite rumors to the contrary, research shows that PC gaming is growing at a rapid pace and NVIDIA is the torchbearer for PC gaming," said Jon Peddie, principal analyst for Jon Peddie Research. "Superior graphics, stereoscopic 3D, and advanced physics are features that differentiate the NVIDIA GeForce gaming experience from gaming consoles and other PC components."

For more information on Windows 7 and NVIDIA GPUs visit http://www.nvidia.com/windows7.

Consumers already running a GeForce GPU with Windows 7 can download the new WHQL-certified drivers supporting DirectCompute directly from www.nvidia.com/drivers.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) awakened the world to the power of computer graphics when it invented the graphics processing unit (GPU) in 1999. Since then, it has consistently set new standards in visual computing with breathtaking, interactive graphics available on devices ranging from portable media players to notebooks to workstations. NVIDIA's expertise in programmable GPUs has led to breakthroughs in parallel processing which make supercomputing inexpensive and widely accessible. Fortune magazine has ranked NVIDIA #1 in innovation in the semiconductor industry for two years in a row. For more information, see www.nvidia.com.

Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, statements as to: the benefits, features, impact, importance and capabilities of the NVIDIA GeForce GPU and its effect on the Windows 7 operating system; are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: development of more efficient or faster technology; design, manufacturing or software defects; the impact of technological development and competition; changes in consumer preferences and demands; customer adoption of different standards or our competitor's products; changes in industry standards and interfaces; unexpected loss of performance of our products or technologies when integrated into systems as well as other factors detailed from time to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-Q for the fiscal period ended July 26, 2009. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on NVIDIA's website and are available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

© 2009 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, GeForce, PhysX, CUDA SLI 3D Vision and NVIDIA Fermi are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Contact Information: For further information, contact: Brian Burke NVIDIA Corporation (512) 401-4385 bburke@nvidia.com