best PhysX game?

[alizee]

So, for a few reasons, I have an 8800GT sitting around in addition to the 9800GTX that I have in my box. So, I was thinking of installing it and hopefully seeing the best eye-candy that PhysX can offer me. So, I have three questions:

1. I have a P45 board with an extra PEG slot, it's not SLI capable. Will having two GPUs in there be a problem for PhysX? It's obviously not going to be SLI. My PSU can handle it (I was running 2x 3870s in crossfire, 625W Enermax Modu 82+ with 4 6/8-pin PCIe power connectors)

2. If nvidia PR were to show me a game that really showcases PhysX, which game would that be? Mirrors Edge?

3. Is there a game where it adds to the story or immersion factor? What game would that be?

Thanks, it's kind of hard to find very much information that isn't just PR BS and fanboys being excited. Since I have the hardware just sitting around, I thought it would be a good idea to really see first hand what it would (and wouldn't) do for me.

 

[Keysplayr]

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2217300&enterthread=y

 

[nosfe]

they touted cryostasis as the big thing for physx though i haven't seen anything other than the techdemo from that game yet

 

[Fenixgoon]

the best PhysX game is the one without PhysX. so far, i think PhysX is just a gimmick to sell more games, just like better graphics. Until people can *really* do something with it, I don't care that a tree rustles 50% more accurately or a grenade blows the top of a can off slightly better thanks to PhysX.

 

[LumbergTech]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
the best PhysX game is the one without PhysX. so far, i think PhysX is just a gimmick to sell more games, just like better graphics. Until people can *really* do something with it, I don't care that a tree rustles 50% more accurately or a grenade blows the top of a can off slightly better thanks to PhysX.

you're going to have a very long time to wait then, they put the type of physics you are talking about on hold

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: LumbergTech

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
the best PhysX game is the one without PhysX. so far, i think PhysX is just a gimmick to sell more games, just like better graphics. Until people can *really* do something with it, I don't care that a tree rustles 50% more accurately or a grenade blows the top of a can off slightly better thanks to PhysX.

you're going to have a very long time to wait then, they put the type of physics you are talking about on hold

Red Faction 3 is supposed to be coming out in June... I wouldn't say that's a very long time. Then again, that's not PhysX.

But you're right, there's no doubting hardware physics as such as with PhysX has incredible potential, but until a marketable majority of systems are capable of running a minimum requirement, we'll only get superficial efforts and very little substance until that time (of which it might not even be PhysX we're using, although that seems unlikely).

 

[GaryJohnson]

2. If nvidia PR were to show me a game that really showcases PhysX, which game would that be? Mirrors Edge?

GRAW also I think, they made a very big deal about the physx support in GRAW when it came out.

 

[aka1nas]

Originally posted by: GaryJohnson

2. If nvidia PR were to show me a game that really showcases PhysX, which game would that be? Mirrors Edge?

GRAW also I think, they made a very big deal about the physx support in GRAW when it came out.

GRAW2, the first GRAW has a horrible hodgepodge of Havok and PhysX.

 

[ja1484]

Ah yes, GRAW2.

Use your PhysX powered machine for slightly more realistic exploding dumpsters.

PhysX is worthless right now, and will continue to be for a while.

 

[Cadop]

Mirrors Edge. Awesome game.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: Cadop
Mirrors Edge. Awesome game.

That game sucks, no offense.

 

[mwmorph]

Your cards will work fine in non SLi mode. The 8800gt is overpowered to be a dedicated physics card, but eh, if you have it sitting around...

As for game changing physics you'll see that... never as long as the physics standard is proprietary. As much as Microsoft is given crap, without Windows, its associated libraries and DirectX, we would still be running programs like we were in the dark ages, where your word processor would come on 1 disc while another 30 discs would contain ever printer driver just for that program.

There will never be a game that uses physics to change the core gameplay and experience unless just about everyone has access to it. Its market suicide otherwise.

Heavy accurate physics calculation only runs smoothly in multi nvidia gpu systems where you can spare a card for dedicated physics calculations. Otherwise you end up with Mirrors Edge, where performance drops by 25% if you turn on GPU phys X on a single card GTX260-216 core. Non Sli dual Nvidia card systems account for maybe 5% of the market and that's being extremely generous with my guess.