Well, I think it is key that so many different graphic chips can be used to run the A1 in standard desktop mode. What is not clear is which ones will be supported under Nova, but I'd place my bets on the big 3: ATI, nVidia, and Matrox.
Of course, the older 3D chips that are already supported will remain, but it's doubtful they will concentrate on 3D for most of these old chips, as most wouldn't be worth it. The thing about Nova is it will be more like DX9 in it's support for pixel and vertex shaders and all of those modern functions within the newer chipsets. Those older 3D chips wouldn't be able to use that anyway, although they could still be used in a limited way.