main reason I am lokoing forward to early pixel shader cards being the minimum spec is that for an artist it's a lot more fun to make the stuff look like you want it to. Working on something thats 2 years behind the mainstream (not cutting edge)can be frustrating, particularly when your used to pixel shader engines, and the benefits that the most simple shaders have.
A lot of effects can be done in blitz without shaders but require a lot more effort, less speed (and blitz isn't that fast) and a lot of incosnistencies limiting how you can use them, plus R&D in how to best implement the tricks in a way thats useable in a game rather than a tech demo.
Shader 1.x stuff is still pretty usefull and would do a great deal in the way of giving artists more flexibility in the lighting, shodow and blending department. But I think you need a Geforce 3 to use them, which is still not low end in low end gameing market.
A lot of effects can be done in blitz without shaders but require a lot more effort, less speed (and blitz isn't that fast) and a lot of incosnistencies limiting how you can use them, plus R&D in how to best implement the tricks in a way thats useable in a game rather than a tech demo.
Shader 1.x stuff is still pretty usefull and would do a great deal in the way of giving artists more flexibility in the lighting, shodow and blending department. But I think you need a Geforce 3 to use them, which is still not low end in low end gameing market.