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Velocity9x: Windows 98 graphics driver with Direct3D, OpenGL and Glide - Velocity Drivers

Windows 98 · display driver · GPL-3.0

Velocity9x

A from-scratch display driver for Windows 98. One package per chip family gives the card DirectDraw on its 2D engine, a Direct3D HAL on its 3D engine, an OpenGL 1.1 driver, Glide 2 and 3 for games written for 3dfx cards, and ATI 3DCIF for games written for ATI Rage cards, all drawing through one shared render core.

Download v0.48.0 Install guide Source on GitHub

Latest release 0.48.0, 12 Nov 2026. Installed copies from 0.15.0 update through Check for updates.

Serious Sam: The First Encounter running through Velocity9x's OpenGL driver on an Intel GMA 950 under Windows 98
Serious Sam: The First Encounter through Velocity9x's OpenGL driver, Intel GMA 950.

On real hardware

See it running

Velocity9x 0.34 and Intel HD 4600
▶ Play3:47

Velocity9x 0.34 and Intel HD 4600

· 3:47 · Velocity9x 0.34

A quick demo of the improvements in Velocity9x 0.34 on the Intel HD Graphics 4600, including Quake III Arena through the OpenGL driver at 1024x768 in 32-bit colour.

Velocity9x GMA950 Status Update
▶ Play4:57

Velocity9x GMA950 Status Update

· 4:57

The process of developing the driver for the Intel GMA 950, with 3D running on the HP Mini 110 netbook.

All videos →

Operating systems

Where it runs

OSStatusNotes
Windows 98 Second EditionVerified workingThe main target. Every package is built and checked for it.
Windows 98 (first edition)Partially workingThe NVIDIA RIVA 128ZX tester's machine runs it; not otherwise validated.
Windows 95Partially workingOne physical S3 Trio64 on VESA Local Bus, installed by hand without the mini-VDD. That does not establish general Windows 95 compatibility.
Windows MeUnknownNo validated configuration.

Interfaces

Five graphics APIs, one render core

Every interface draws through one shared render core, with one backend per chip family. Which interfaces have run on which card is recorded per device in the hardware database: working on one GPU does not mean working on all of them.

DirectDraw

Blits, fills and page flips on each card’s 2D engine, blitter or DMA engine, with vertical-blank waits. GDI is accelerated on the engine on the S3, Matrox, NVIDIA and 3dfx cards, and drawn by the CPU elsewhere.

Direct3D

A Direct3D HAL published through DirectDraw, so DirectX games see a hardware device. DrawPrimitives2 (DDI 6) for DirectX 8 games, and on the HD 4600 and Intel Gen3 chips the DirectX 8 interface itself with pixel shader 1.1. A CPU rasterizer covers cards with no 3D engine.

OpenGL 1.1

V9XGL.DLL, an installable client driver that Windows’ own OPENGL32.DLL loads in place of Microsoft’s software renderer. Multitexture on the Rage Pro, Intel Gen3, Gen4, HD 4000 and HD 4600; transform and lighting on the HD 4600.

Glide 2 and 3

GLIDE2X.DLL and GLIDE3X.DLL give games written for 3dfx Voodoo cards their Glide path on any card with a 3D engine. The Voodoo4 keeps 3dfx’s own Glide: the driver hands the card over and takes it back.

ATI 3DCIF

ATI’s 3D Rage interface, used by a handful of late-90s games and demos. Velocity9x’s copy draws through the same render core, so it runs on cards ATI never supported, including the GMA 950.

Display Properties

Two new tabs: Velocity9x reports the adapter, PCI ID, video memory and live acceleration paths, with Check for updates; Velocity9x Advanced holds the Direct3D, DDI 6, vsync and 16-bit colour selectors and Send report.

The Velocity9x tab in Windows 98 Display Properties on an S3 ViRGE/DX at 1024x768x16, showing engine fill, copy and page flip, hardware Direct3D, and passing GDI and DirectDraw tests
The Velocity9x tab (86Box ViRGE/DX guest; the tab has since gained the update and report buttons).
The Velocity9x Advanced tab: Direct3D, DDI, vertical sync and 16-bit colour selectors, and the core and memory clock
The Velocity9x Advanced tab.

Supported GPU families

From Rage IIC to GCN

Intel12
AMD / ATI13
S33
Matrox3
NVIDIA1
SiS1
3dfx1
Any VESA card1

Be aware

Known limitations

  • Direct3D 9 is not available. Direct3D 8 is 16-bit colour, no stencil, except where DDI 8 is offered (HD 4600, Intel Gen3).
  • OpenGL is 1.1 without display lists, evaluators or feedback and selection. Lighting runs on the HD 4600 only.
  • Glide and 3DCIF are 16-bit colour with a 16-bit depth buffer everywhere.
  • No packed 24-bpp modes and no hardware cursor on any card.
  • A draw an engine cannot express is refused rather than drawn wrong, so some effects are missing on some cards.

Full list →

Get it running

Installation in brief

  1. Find your card in the hardware database and download its family's zip.
  2. Take a cold backup, and confirm you can reach Safe Mode.
  3. In Device Manager, update the display adapter's driver with Have Disk, over the top of the current one. Do not remove the adapter first.
  4. Shut down fully, then cold-start once. A good first boot is 256 colours.
  5. Report what happened with Send report on the Velocity9x Advanced tab.

Full guide Changelog Verified vs open