NVIDIA Corporation introduced today the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GPU family that consists of the flagship GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800. The new GeForces are meant to be true next-generation parts boosting a 16-pipeline architecture, an updated DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 feature set and an important addition of capabilities in terms of video processing. NVIDIA has also secured an ample number of partners to work with, here's a list.
Looking at figures from gaming benchmarks, you can tell NVIDIA has made sure there is a tangible gap between past performance leaders and its new GF6800 processor. But don't take my word for it and visit some of the reviews floating around the net: Anandtech, Tech-Report, Hexus, NVNews, Hardocp, HotHw.
Expect newer games and drivers optimizations to improve the 20-50%+ margin the 6800 Ultra currently enjoys against previous leaders, the real battle will come however once ATI's X800 is unveiled... and I'm not talking about speed only but feature-set, drivers stability and of course, price!