Gamertell

After reporting its first ever billion-dollar quarter, Silicon Valley-based chipmaker Nvidia has announced planes to purchase chipmaker, Ageia.

While Ageia’s might not be a household name, the company was responsible for the world’s first dedicated physics processor in 2006. The chip was designed to handle real-time physics calculations for more impressive and diverse visual effects in games. Ageia’s PhysX software is also currently being used in all three current generation consoles.

Terms of the deal…

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Physics are a really important aspect of any game whether it is a platformer, an RPG or a first-person shooter. Our world and every kind of interaction we have in it are ruled by the laws of physics so any kind of world that intends to resemble our own must abide by those same rules.

Applying physics to a game represents a challenging task because it involves a series of very complex rules and calculations that must happen very quickly in order for the world to react and behave realistically. Huge amounts of computational power are needed for this task so in the world of computers where resources are never enough, administering the hardware available to any gaming machine is essential.

Ageia Technologies, a company dedicated to the production of physics processors and engines, recently announced its PhysX Mod-Kit for Unreal Tournament 3 on the PC. This kit will allow modders and developers to create new levels for Unreal Tournament 3 that employ Ageia’s advanced physics engine allowing for fully destructible environments with lifelike debris and particles, realistic explosions and a full fledged tornado thrashing through the level. All the debris and particles from the explosions behave realistically and are affected by the forces around them, including the tornado’s vortex, which will pull them in turning them into deadly projectiles. The mod kit will also include new weapons and multiplayer capabilities.

Ageia’s PhysX Mod-Kit for Unreal Tournament 3 can be downloaded for free from Ageia’s webpage, but PhysX Accelerator hardware, which starts at around $99, is required for a smooth play. These are the system requirements:

• OS: Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista
• Processor: 2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6400 or equivalent
• System RAM: 1 GB
• Video Card: NVIDIA 7900 GT or equivalent
• Hard Drive Space: 1 GB free
• Physics Card: AGEIA PhysX 100 Series*
• PhysX Driver: AGEIA PhysX System Software version 7.09.13 or newer

* The AGEIA Extreme Physics Mod requires an AGEIA PhysX Accelerator to run at a sustainable playable frame rate on most systems.

This sounds like great news for all UT fans and from the looks of a video on Ageia’s webpage (the tornado looks awesome) it should be great news for any fan of gaming. It seems weird when there’s a wall that resembles tinfoil and when you shoot a rocket at it, it doesn’t even get bent. Destructible environments add a layer of realism and help in creating a more enjoyable experience. Technologies like this drive gaming further by creating a more realistic world and giving the player a more immersive experience.

Read [Digital Battle] Also Read [Gamedaily] Download [Ageia]

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