BFG Ageia PhysX Card

[pbmaster]

You have to admit that is pretty neat though.

 

[Grings]

Thats ridiculous, what next, phase change X-Fi's?

 

[Steve O B Have]

I think the reviewer has missed something fundamental about the PhysX card and the implementation within games.

The simple fact is that until the PhysX card makes a ground breaking impact on game play, not just on aesthetics and effects but a real impacting next generation style impact, it will remain as a luxury item for the enthusiast with too much money.

There will be no games developer worth their own pennies that will create a game that is solely reliant on something like the PPU. They simply will not sell the units to justify taking the risk on a 'nice idea' like the PhysX card.

In my opinion it is going to take a totally revolutionary game to launch the PhysX card, a game that is truely next gen in its game play not just additional particle effects, and unfortunately I don't see UT3 or any number of half produced free games (there is a reason why they are free) from Ageia bringing that about.

Where do I think that they could really succeed? If they did whatever it took to integrate the PPU into a medium to high end set of graphics cards or motherboards. Currently Ageia is missing the proverbial barn door in trying to do it themselves. The Author mentions that he thinks that the PhysX card is coming into it's own and that there are a whole raft of new games coming out that supports the hardware. How many of those games actually gain a major difference in gameplay when untilising the PPU? Very very few if any - why? Because game houses want to sell games not cut their own legs off before they even get started.

/Rant Over.

 

[Wayward]

I think the reviewer has missed something fundamental about the PhysX card and the implementation within games.

The simple fact is that until the PhysX card makes a ground breaking impact on game play, not just on aesthetics and effects but a real impacting next generation style impact, it will remain as a luxury item for the enthusiast with too much money.

There will be no games developer worth their own pennies that will create a game that is solely reliant on something like the PPU. They simply will not sell the units to justify taking the risk on a 'nice idea' like the PhysX card.

In my opinion it is going to take a totally revolutionary game to launch the PhysX card, a game that is truely next gen in its game play not just additional particle effects, and unfortunately I don't see UT3 or any number of half produced free games (there is a reason why they are free) from Ageia bringing that about.

Where do I think that they could really succeed? If they did whatever it took to integrate the PPU into a medium to high end set of graphics cards or motherboards. Currently Ageia is missing the proverbial barn door in trying to do it themselves. The Author mentions that he thinks that the PhysX card is coming into it's own and that there are a whole raft of new games coming out that supports the hardware. How many of those games actually gain a major difference in gameplay when untilising the PPU? Very very few if any - why? Because game houses want to sell games not cut their own legs off before they even get started.

/Rant Over.

You make a good point but you're forgetting one thing. None of the game houses are betting anything on the PPU. All games that can use it also work just fine without it (except for Ageia's own Cellfactor). They can market to the general gamer population, while still appealing to those with the PPU. It's an optional feature, nothing more.

 

[Steve O B Have]

You make a good point but you're forgetting one thing. None of the game houses are betting anything on the PPU. All games that can use it also work just fine without it (except for Ageia's own Cellfactor). They can market to the general gamer population, while still appealing to those with the PPU. It's an optional feature, nothing more.

Well no - I didn't forget that:

There will be no games developer worth their own pennies that will create a game that is solely reliant on something like the PPU. They simply will not sell the units to justify taking the risk on a 'nice idea' like the PhysX card.

My point is as long is it is just an 'optional feature' it will not take off.

 

[W1zzard]

i remember when people said 3d accelerators will be a niche product for just a few gamers

 

[Steve O B Have]

i remember when people said 3d accelerators will be a niche product for just a few gamers

I'm not suggesting that it will never take off, just that in its current form it will not. It has to become of a higher necessity. As it stands the PPU is just not making enough difference to the gaming experience to be an overly valid addon. I'm not writing it off just yet.

I for one would love to see physics take a greater roll in gaming - why can't I take out a lowly wooden door with a weapon that will take out a tank? Makes no sense does it? I just believe that Ageia have it wrong and their marketing department are going about launching their product in the wrong way. They should be working to get the PPU integrated but they just keep on plugging away on their own.

 

[unsmart]

I think you make a good point about marketing. There one size fits all approach is whats holding them back I think. what if ATI only had the hd2900, not to many can justify that expense to play 3D games. They need to target a broader market from low to high offering a varied degree of physics and mem. I'm sure this is probably a limit of the architecture that hopefully will be dealt with in the future. It would be nice if they could integrate this in to the southbridge though. Also if they could run some other apps[ like folding or encoding ] on it when ideal that would make it more worth while.

 

[happita]

I'm not suggesting that it will never take off, just that in its current form it will not. It has to become of a higher necessity. As it stands the PPU is just not making enough difference to the gaming experience to be an overly valid addon. I'm not writing it off just yet.

I for one would love to see physics take a greater roll in gaming - why can't I take out a lowly wooden door with a weapon that will take out a tank? Makes no sense does it? I just believe that Ageia have it wrong and their marketing department are going about launching their product in the wrong way. They should be working to get the PPU integrated but they just keep on plugging away on their own.

ATI and Nvidia have been working on the physics thing on their cards for a while now and I actually think their getting somewhere. By the time more than a few games are supported by the AEGIA's PPU, graphics cards will have already integrated their own physics within them.

One thing I find disturbing is that the PPU negotiates frame-rates when the physics card is in use, that right there is already reason enough for a person to not want one.

 

[Wile E]

ATI and Nvidia have been working on the physics thing on their cards for a while now and I actually think their getting somewhere. By the time more than a few games are supported by the AEGIA's PPU, graphics cards will have already integrated their own physics within them.

One thing I find disturbing is that the PPU negotiates frame-rates when the physics card is in use, that right there is already reason enough for a person to not want one.

I'll gladly take a hit in fps, if it provides more eye candy, so long as it retains a playable framerate. Who cares if you go from 100fps to 50fps? Still perfectly playable.

 

[Ketxxx]

100 > 50FPS is massive. Agreed some FPS hit isnt terrible, but drivers \ game code should be optimised far better than that.

 

[cdawall]

got to agree with ket on that 50fps is around the change i got from going from a ti4200 to a 7800GS both oc'd thats a MASSIVE difference although once you get past 25-30fps your really cant tell as much esp. if the game is coded right MOH airborne plays ~15-25FPS on my PC and looks just as good as it does @ the same res on my uncles C2D 6850 and dual 8800GTS 640 system and he got upwards of 60-70FPS with my settings

 

[Solaris17]

got to agree with ket on that 50fps is around the change i got from going from a ti4200 to a 7800GS both oc'd thats a MASSIVE difference although once you get past 25-30fps your really cant tell as much esp. if the game is coded right MOH airborne plays ~15-25FPS on my PC and looks just as good as it does @ the same res on my uncles C2D 6850 and dual 8800GTS 640 system and he got upwards of 60-70FPS with my settings

agreed...i ghet like 30 fps in oblivion its not 60 but i cant detect it

 

[Wile E]

100 > 50FPS is massive. Agreed some FPS hit isnt terrible, but drivers \ game code should be optimised far better than that.

That's not my point, tho. I was using a theoretical example. My only point is that the fps drop doesn't matter if the game is still perfectly playable. The only way the fps hit would matter is in benchmarks, or if it lowers the fps to the point where the game becomes unplayable.

 

[KNIFE-APEX]

yes it looks great the graphics!!!!!!!!!! instead of bringing out new cards as mutch as you pay for cards why this not on videocards!!!!!!!!!!!! they are expencive as it is now and going from 500.00 to like 600.00 now if not more or less....crazyness look i do enjoy the realism of whats out... great job ageia

 

[Morgoth]

eh...