16th May 2006, 10:29 PM
So basically these are cards designed entirely around processing physics, with all manner of coding and circuits meant entirely to do that and nothing but. Of course games and/or the graphics layer of an OS have to be designed to use it.
http://www.ageia.com/physx/
Now there is one issue. They already are focusing on typical "game physics" and seem to be working towards full newtonian physics. Further since all the physics can be altered, things can get pretty cartoony or very hollywood if need be. Of course, if you want truly alien physics, you'll need to do things on your own and just use that ol' general purpose processor, but that's the price for originality in programming. I'd like to see exactly how far this can be taken.
However, I will make a prediction. Since physics ties directly into the graphics in a game, when these special "PPUs" become popular they will very likely do what "3D graphic accellerators" did, which is to say, be absorbed into a single graphics card. When 3D cards first came out, 2D cards still sold on their own and they basically linked together, in various ways, in order to provide the full experience. But, soon the steady incorporation of 2D into 3D engines, plus a few other factors, meant there was no reason to keep them seperate and every reason to combine them, so today's cards, and programming, see no difference between 2D and 3D. 2D games, after a little adjusting, are designed using 3D engines, and when someone really takes advantage of that fact, you end up with Four Swords Adventures.
I forsee the need for physics dedicated processing tying into future games, and the graphics processing to boot, in such an intermingled fasion that this too will be combined into a single card (with multiple chips). Once it's figured out, those two chips, and programming, will also tie into it. Keep in mind, simple physics can be done entirely using graphical processing.
http://www.ageia.com/physx/
Now there is one issue. They already are focusing on typical "game physics" and seem to be working towards full newtonian physics. Further since all the physics can be altered, things can get pretty cartoony or very hollywood if need be. Of course, if you want truly alien physics, you'll need to do things on your own and just use that ol' general purpose processor, but that's the price for originality in programming. I'd like to see exactly how far this can be taken.
However, I will make a prediction. Since physics ties directly into the graphics in a game, when these special "PPUs" become popular they will very likely do what "3D graphic accellerators" did, which is to say, be absorbed into a single graphics card. When 3D cards first came out, 2D cards still sold on their own and they basically linked together, in various ways, in order to provide the full experience. But, soon the steady incorporation of 2D into 3D engines, plus a few other factors, meant there was no reason to keep them seperate and every reason to combine them, so today's cards, and programming, see no difference between 2D and 3D. 2D games, after a little adjusting, are designed using 3D engines, and when someone really takes advantage of that fact, you end up with Four Swords Adventures.
I forsee the need for physics dedicated processing tying into future games, and the graphics processing to boot, in such an intermingled fasion that this too will be combined into a single card (with multiple chips). Once it's figured out, those two chips, and programming, will also tie into it. Keep in mind, simple physics can be done entirely using graphical processing.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)