kumquatq3 Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 (edited) http://gear.ign.com/articles/697/697450p1.html I highly recommend the videos. Pretty neat. Edited March 23, 2006 by kumquatq3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokishi Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 (edited) Awesome and I want one. EDIT: I told you about this a year ago Edited March 23, 2006 by Bokishi Current 3DMark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Soon we will not have powerful CPUs, just a central hub that deals with all of the independent processors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Hades Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 So this is suppose to work concurrently with my CPU and video card? How would it improve on games like KotOR 2 or NWN 2, or even Planescape Torment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Likely not at all. Just like how a 3D accelerator did nothing for Quake (until Carmack made GLQuake) when they first came out. The game has to have code to take advantage of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Hades Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Okay, so its worthless unless some developer decides to use it then will only help out with giving us even more useless eye candy. Got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 (edited) Eye Candy? I suspect it will be as worthless as 3D accelerators and high end sound cards. EDIT: I didn't see you say NWN2 in there. It's much more likely that it will support it compared to the other two games you listed. Edited March 23, 2006 by alanschu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angshuman Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Soon we will not have powerful CPUs, just a central hub that deals with all of the independent processors. Does anybody know exactly how unemployment insurance works? :ph34r: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Hades Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 (edited) WAITAMINUTE! I did say NWN 2. Edited March 23, 2006 by Judge Hades Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Soon we will not have powerful CPUs, just a central hub that deals with all of the independent processors. Does anybody know exactly how unemployment insurance works? :ph34r: <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The central hub will point you to a processor that can answer that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Hades Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 This set up could work if all the satellite processors are compatible with the central hub, but would they need to be compatible with each other to work properly or only with the hub which governs the instruction protocols? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirottu Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Hmm... Depends how soon this comes popular, but it could be strike against PS3 and XBOX 360. This post is not to be enjoyed, discussed, or referenced on company time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 This set up could work if all the satellite processors are compatible with the central hub, but would they need to be compatible with each other to work properly or only with the hub which governs the instruction protocols? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I wouldn't think they'd need to be working well with each other. It's just offloading instructions off of the CPU. The Aegis card will perform all of the expensive physics calculations so the CPU won't have to. This leaves the CPU free to do other work (like AI). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokishi Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Time for an AI card! Current 3DMark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meshugger Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 What's wrong with a CPU with several threads? No need for a central hub then: One handles the geometry, another handles the A.I. and another one handles the physics and so on... "Some men see things as they are and say why?""I dream things that never were and say why not?"- George Bernard Shaw"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man."- Friedrich Nietzsche "The amount of energy necessary to refute bull**** is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it." - Some guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 (edited) Well, that's pretty much what we have. Though a graphics chip (for example) has an advantage in that it is geared directly for graphics, and won't suffer from being a general purpose processor. It's entire purpose is to perform the intense vector calculations, and can benefit from the nature of graphics programming by gearing the chip on the graphics card to be particularly strong at it. There can also be an advantage with respect to memory. The memory architecture of a main system is much more static. Graphics cards were able to implement DDR RAM, as well as widen the pipe (to 256 bit), as well as ramp up the speeds of the RAM, while system RAM has remainined relatively static. The graphics card also does not have to share its memory. This can be a double edged sword though, as unused video memory is not particularly usable (IIRC, I think Apple made a bit of a hack to get the graphics card to pick up some of the cycles for running Mac OS X, but I'm not 100% sure....it is not common though) by the rest of the system. Even then, it would lose much of its speed advantage as it would then have to go through the system bus (which may be fast enough with PCI-Express). I think decentralizing the threads helps from a cost aspect as well. People on a budget can more easily mix and match parts. Even with a multicore processor though, there's still something that brings the information together. The processors are just closer together :D Edited March 23, 2006 by alanschu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowstrider Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I have seen AGEIA physics in action in a few games and haven't been thoroughly impressed. The City of... series of games use AGEIA, and the physics is pretty bad. After defeating an NPC they can tumble over, but sometimes they bend over and they look like they're dropping to give push-ups with their arms still supporting their torso. Anyone have any examples of good physics with AGEIA? I know there aren't many games out using it. Anyone played Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumquatq3 Posted March 23, 2006 Author Share Posted March 23, 2006 (edited) Unreal Tournament 2007 (and, one assumes, all those games being made with that engine) and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter are some of those to announce support for this card. http://gear.ign.com/articles/697/697757p1.html Other developers coding games specifically for the PhysX processor include: Sigil Games' Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Microsoft Game Studio's Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends Black Element Entertainment's Alpha Prime Metropolis Software's INFERNAL This is just the beginning. AGEIA plans to be able to announce 100 games that will support the PhysX processor in the coming months. My first thought was "cool" then: "****, another couple hundred added to the cost of a new computer in the future" Edited March 23, 2006 by kumquatq3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuraiGaijin Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 (edited) Not everyone with a PC NEEDS a CPU that can handle all that ... some people need CPU's that can provide maximum performance and add-in processors that can handle specific "grunt-work" ... which is why VGA's (and in the short future, Physics accelerators) will continue be popular among gamers (especially) and professionals (scientists, engineers, etc.) who need the extra CPU cycles to handle number-crunching other than graphics and physics. Think "Twister" ... the premise was they couldn't simulate, so they had to measure ... now, maybe they could simulate (wouldn't make for much of movie, though). Could revolutionize all sorts of engineering fields (or at least make them more afforable) ... aerospace, auto, architecture, etc., etc. Now, the possibilities for gaming are pretty amazing ... I don't know if current flight sims can accurately depict flying through turbulence ... this should make it possible. Also, flying a space sim through a constantly-changing asteroid field (think Empire Strikes Back) or a capital ship blowing up into a million pieces (instead of a handful of chunks) or realistically ricocheting bullets or shattering glass. Of course, game designers will have to embrace the technology to make it marketable ... I look forward to that. edit: hmm ... should have read page 2 ... I agree that using this amazing physics computing capability to more realistically simulate a dead enemy is a waste (cool, and probably satisfying, but a waste) ... make gameplay more realistic, yes - make violence more realistic ... not necessary. Edited March 23, 2006 by SamuraiGaijin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I have seen AGEIA physics in action in a few games and haven't been thoroughly impressed. The City of... series of games use AGEIA, and the physics is pretty bad. After defeating an NPC they can tumble over, but sometimes they bend over and they look like they're dropping to give push-ups with their arms still supporting their torso. Anyone have any examples of good physics with AGEIA? I know there aren't many games out using it. Anyone played Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sounds to me like it'd be more the game code than the card itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blodhemn Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Hmm... Depends how soon this comes popular, but it could be strike against PS3 and XBOX 360. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> According to what I've read, the PS3 will incorporate Ageia PhysX technology as well. Though it probably wont be as advanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowstrider Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Sounds to me like it'd be more the game code than the card itself. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm not so sure. I have yet to play a game with AGEIA physics which really wowed me. It just seemed to be "okay, so enemies ragdoll less than realistically." You can't drag them, or even bump into them. *Shrugs* It is possible that games aren't taking advantage of all its features, but that could be because the features themselves suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metadigital Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Sounds to me like it'd be more the game code than the card itself. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm not so sure. I have yet to play a game with AGEIA physics which really wowed me. It just seemed to be "okay, so enemies ragdoll less than realistically." You can't drag them, or even bump into them. *Shrugs* It is possible that games aren't taking advantage of all its features, but that could be because the features themselves suck. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I find it hard to believe that adding physics will make a game worse. Must be poorly implemented, either with bad use of code, or poor hooks to programme with. I'd bet the former. OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WITHTEETH Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I'm very turned off by the price. Sound cards went up $30 pucks, video cards are now costing 4-5-600 at release, and now they want to come out with a $300 with 128Ram. Im ambilevant about the cause of these price hikes. Nice gaming rigs are becoming for the super rich... Always outnumbered, never out gunned! Unreal Tournament 2004 Handle:Enlight_2.0 Myspace Website! My rig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metadigital Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Depends. A CPU now can cost over OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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