Introducing the worlds First Physics Accelerator...

[Alf]

Ageia has annouced the industrys first add-in physics accelerator due to arrive for the 2005 holiday season. It will fill an expansion slot and take on the increasingly heavy workload of calculating physics behaviors, including objects collisions, particle effects, and the animated "bones" in characters and more.
Named PhysX ( how original ) will most likely have 128MB off GDDR-3 memory and will be offered in both PCI and PCI-E. Ageia says that a deticated physics accelerator to handle in game physics will help shoulder the burden currently handled by "overstressed" CPUs. Ageia has reportedly already signed up 15 developement teams to intergrate its physics API into upcoming A-list games. Most notable is Epic Games which plans on using the technology for the upcoming Unreal 3 engine. Company reps say the price will vary from $100 to $400 ( not sure what that is in pounds) and will come out by the end of the year.
What do you think of the technology? Do you belive that is will really help or will it be a total flop (not you floppybootstomp )? I wanna here what you think!

Personally i just may get one, seeing how it supposed to take some heat off my CPU, i feel torn... will future games really use so much physics that they bog down CPUs enough to merit a add in card to do the work? I kinda interested, i wish to see how this develops.
Check the details at www.ageia.com

 

[Alf]

Also, the PhysX accelerator's custom-designed processor can handle 100 times as many physics calculations as todays fastest CPUs!!

 

[crazylegs]

Well where is it Alf ...we should of had something like this years ago..

 

[Techy]

isn't that what a GPU does?

 

[crazylegs]

isn't that what a GPU does?

My thoughts exactly....

 

[Alf]

Hey dont look at me, check out the site

 

[Alf]

Now that i think of it, the GPU does the graphics and all that, CPU does enemy AI, generates sound (sometimes), and calculates Physics... so by adding a card that calculates physics for the CPU, thats sure to take the burden off the CPU, right? the GPU just shows you the "aftermath" that the CPU calculated... something like that.

For expamle, todays fastest CPUs are only capable of crunching the numbers for several hundred bones at one time.
Also Ageia claims that with a physics accelerator, you could perform up 50,000 "bones" simultaneously. (Ageia claims not mine ) and supposely making more advanced effects like lifelike clothing, tissue, and hair simulation possilbe.

 

[CSUnited14]

Very interesting so will it be pointless to upgrade cpu further then they are now. If we can upgrade the phys x why would we need to upgrade the cpu. just make them monsterslet them take the load and make better devices im a noob speaking hahaa dont mind me but good points all im learning here.

Post the site i wanna know more Yum

 

[Alf]

Its up above