PhysX - Gaining Steam or already forgotten?

[Acanthus]

Epic Games: UE3
Emergent Entertainment : Gamebryo
Artificial Studios : Reality Engine
Eclipse Engine : Bioware
Saber Interactive : Saber 3D

Gamebryo is a big name engine, its used in quite a few games and updated frequently, i believe it is to be used in the up and coming warhammer mmorpg.

Unreal Engine 3 everybody knows about, this is supposed to support physx from the ground up, meaning its built right into the engine and not just "tacked on". Theres a ton of companies on board with UE3 including the giant developer everyone hates, EA games.

The Eclipse engine might be a big deal if Mass Effect is as good as it looks. Bioware makes decent engines like the base Aurora Engine for the 1st Neverwinter Nights.

And that is about where my knowledge on the product tapers off.

How is driver support?

How long until we see a PCI-E version?

Is there a faster version on the way?

Are there any updated reviews with how the card runs in enabled titles nowadays?

I only remember the disappointing numbers in GR:AW.

 

[aurareturn]

It needs to get to the Renderware engine.

 

[Schadenfroh]

I thought Mass Effect was console only? How are you going to get a PysX into a 360

and the only info I can find on the "Eclipse Engine" is from 2004, that was before Bioware got bought out.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
I thought Mass Effect was console only? How are you going to get a PysX into a 360

and the only info I can find on the "Eclipse Engine" is from 2004, that was before Bioware got bought out.

I think they have software physx in mass effect.

 

[Acanthus]

The PhysX API has both software and hardware modes.

Just like Gears of War is a PhysX enabled title.

 

[Roguestar]

Where did Havok disappear to these days?

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Where did Havok disappear to these days?

http://www.havok.com/content/blogcategory/29/73/

 

[Roguestar]

Phew. I've just not heard a peep from or about them in aaaaages .

 

[43st]

I'd say it's as good as dead. Multicore processing seems to be what developers are working on, Alan Wake for example.

At least the Killer NIC seems to work.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: 43st
I'd say it's as good as dead. Multicore processing seems to be what developers are working on, Alan Wake for example.

At least the Killer NIC seems to work.

Thats the thing with the Ageia API, it supports both, without seperate coding paths.

The PhysX card is supposed to perform better, however.

 

[0roo0roo]

everything i've read about it so far makes it look like a total dud. gpu's will eventually take over anyways. its one too many swipes at the wallet for pc gaming.

 

[Kirby64]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
The PhysX API has both software and hardware modes.

Just like Gears of War is a PhysX enabled title.

To add to that, some of the titles for Wii games are PhysX enabled. I believe Red Steel is one such game.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
everything i've read about it so far makes it look like a total dud. gpu's will eventually take over anyways. its one too many swipes at the wallet for pc gaming.

Theres 2 problems with that from a hardware standpoint though.

1. GPUs are huge to begin with, adding more die space just isnt a good idea.

2. You will then have physics and graphics sharing the same memory bandwidth, which imo, is even worse than sharing cpu functions and system memory bandwidth.

Are there really no updated reviews on this? Maybe we can send someone a PM and see if they think a PhysX revisited article would be a good thing?

Im sure they still have a card in the lab somewhere.

 

[Roguestar]

A physics processor is just yet another highly threaded coprocessor. The need for these dwindles as per more CPU cores and with more powerful GPUs and possibly multi or multi-core GPUs.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: 43st
I'd say it's as good as dead. Multicore processing seems to be what developers are working on, Alan Wake for example.

At least the Killer NIC seems to work.

it works like a $50-$70 server nic.....

 

[Smartazz]

Didn't Havok help devolop the Quantom Physics on the new Nvidia 8 Series?
Not only does Alan Wake use all four cores if avilable to it, but apparently Crysis works the same way.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
A physics processor is just yet another highly threaded coprocessor. The need for these dwindles as per more CPU cores and with more powerful GPUs and possibly multi or multi-core GPUs.

You apparently did not read the thread.

Also GPUs have been "multi core" by design for years now.

 

[Roguestar]

Don't cry just because I added my two cents.

 

[Markbnj]

Microsoft built PhysX into their recently released Robotics Studio 1.0, to handle the physics calculations for environment simulation.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Don't cry just because I added my two cents.

So do you think now that we have 4 cores we can eliminate the need for video cards too?

 

[Noubourne]

PhysX isn't dead, it's ahead of its time.

I'll buy when 3 things happen:

More game support (or just ONE that I want to play that it actually is shown to improve framerates in)
Sells for less than $200 (that's my magic number)
Uses PCIe

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Don't cry just because I added my two cents.

So do you think now that we have 4 cores we can eliminate the need for video cards too?

Did I say that? Did I say that at all? Is it even in the same league as what I said? Or are you trying to argue with me by changing my point and making it absurd? We don't have nearly as many physics calculations in games these days as we have graphical calculations, as evidenced by the fact that you can run games without a dedicated physics processor, but good luck to whoever tries to run FEAR without a GPU. So just because I think that the amount of physics calculations we do doesn't warrant a dedicated physics processor especially with the spare processing power and threaded FPU power we have left over (extra cores and GPUs) doesn't mean anything about my thoughts on any other subject.

Enjoy your straw man argument.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Noubourne
PhysX isn't dead, it's ahead of its time.

I'll buy when 3 things happen:

More game support (or just ONE that I want to play that it actually is shown to improve framerates in)
Sells for less than $200 (that's my magic number)
Uses PCIe

Im pretty much in the same boat, im just waiting for the "killer app" that raises the bar with physics.

Cellfactor almost made me jump, but i really want PCI-E.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Roguestar

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: Roguestar
Don't cry just because I added my two cents.

So do you think now that we have 4 cores we can eliminate the need for video cards too?

Did I say that? Did I say that at all? Is it even in the same league as what I said? Or are you trying to argue with me by changing my point and making it absurd? We don't have nearly as many physics calculations in games these days as we have graphical calculations, as evidenced by the fact that you can run games without a dedicated physics processor, but good luck to whoever tries to run FEAR without a GPU. So just because I think that the amount of physics calculations we do doesn't warrant a dedicated physics processor especially with the spare processing power and threaded FPU power we have left over (extra cores and GPUs) doesn't mean anything about my thoughts on any other subject.

Enjoy your straw man argument.

Its not a strawman argument. The physics calculations in current games are a kin to software rendering back in the day. A dedicated physics processor allows ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE more complexity into physics calculations.

Realistic fire, Bullets flying through glass, Fluid Dynamics, Flight dynamics, Even bullet trajectories and far better hitboxes, all require physics processing.

Software rendering has failed these things in almost every case.

We have 7 channel sound, thousands of light sources that can cast arbitrary light on objects, 512MB of textures allowing near photorealistic textures. We cant seem to get water quite right, or fire, or glass, or hitboxes, explosions, and overall game immersion.

In todays games, we are lucky to have a few boxes we can move around, or cans we can shoot off of a countertop.

 

[Roguestar]

I agree, physics means a lot in game terms and more than people give credit for. It's a pity people don't take it as seriously as photo-realism. I'm waiting for photorealism so the graphics industry runs out of steam and we start concentrating on other areas of gameplay at last.