NVIDIA

Background: NVIDIA is a video processing company that produces GPUs, SOCs and video game capabilities.

1st Logo

(April 5, 1993-2000)

Logo: A flash occurs, and two lights swirl around as a green square unfolds to cover the wireframe construction, then the lights come to the rectangle to form the eye, making the logo. The background turns white and the silver text "nVIDIA" appears rotating. Then the background turns into a ripple and the logo zooms out, and a outer circle appears with the text: The way it's (up) meant to be played (down). The corporate eye and the text stay inside the circle. The background turns into white again.

FX/SFX: Everything.

Music/Sounds: An explosion, then a morphing synth note with whoosh-like sounds, then another explosion.

Availability: Seen on Icewind Dale 2. It is unknown if it appears on other games.

2nd Logo

(December 15, 2000-March 22, 2006)

Logo: In a flash of green light, a black shield and a white circle zoom in, with stripes of various symbols heading from the center, like light rays. The circles fold into each other, then the logo shines. A stylized eye is depicted inside with "nVIDIA" seen below, while the slogan is seen on an outer circle, with "The way it's" at the top and "meant to be played" at the bottom.

Variants:
 * On Vampire The Masquerade - Bloodlines, the logo is full of blood. Then a vampire appears and bites the logo.
 * On Gladiator: The Sword of Vengeance, the gladiator splits the logo into two parts with his sword.
 * On Liquidator, a warlock comes and draws a fiery pentagram with the upside-down letter A and the number 2 at the top on the wall with his staff with the flaming skull at the tip. The pentagram then pulsates and ripples, extinguishing fire in process, and flips mechanically to reveal the Nvidia logo on the other side, which flashes green, shattering the warlock into pieces like glass, andreleases green waves of energy outwards, then cross-fades to just the logo zooming in slowly. As the logo fades out, the heartbeat is heard.
 * On Painkiller, the dead man comes to the logo, but the shooting starts and he barely escapes.
 * On Unreal Tournament 2004, the logo, but with the black rim instead of white, is already formed and is in the metallic gloss, as we slowly pan across it, a Skaarj named Dominator suddenly crashes through the inner part of the shield and Gorge several times to reveal the red moving grid inside with smoke billowing below and shoots the minigun, while the Spider Mine comes in from the left side of the screen, walking towards Dominator, then jumps and explodes, blowing him out of the view.
 * There's a version where the alien spider attempts to eat soldiers but the logo falls on him and presses him to death.
 * There's a version where a hooligan tries to pull the logo, then he calls his friend and together they take the logo.
 * There is a rare version with only the eye and the name in the logo, and the symbols fly inside the logo.
 * From 2006-2007, a new version was introduced with the current logo, “The way it’s meant to be played” is in a different font, and two curved white lines were added in between the words. This version was short lived as the 3rd logo replaced this version quickly.

FX/SFX: Full CGI effects. The UT2004 variant is rendered by the Unreal Engine 2.5.

Music/Sounds: A short synth note, then a woman whispering the company name.

Availability: Seen on many games like Painkiller, Hitman Contracts, Fahrenheit, Freedom Fighters, and the PC version of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game.

3rd Logo

(March 22, 2006-2013-February 26, 2014)

Logo: The concept is similar to the first logo; the differences are the rectangular shield and the current logo is used (which has a different font).

FX/SFX: Same as the 2nd logo.

Variants: In Metro 2033, the logo appeared still as a black powder drop on the floor.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 2nd logo.

Availability: Seen on many PC games from this era.