Playing Demos on PhysX
Even though we can't benchmark CellFactor or Hangar of Doom in any useful way, they can't be left out when talking about the usefulness of PhysX hardware. It is very clear that using the AGEIA PhysX technology in a game can yield some impressive results. It is just as clear that current production games, while adding compelling visual effects, suffer a performance penalty that is difficult to justify.What we don't know is just how much more physics a PhysX card and do than the CPU or GPU already in every computer. We just haven't found a real world scenario in which to test the same large physics load on both the CPU and the PPU. None of the games that support PhysX include the ability to enable advanced physics features in the absence of hardware. The one small demo we do have that can run in either hardware or software mode does show a good improvement with hardware, but this test diagnostic app isn't designed as a performance analysis tool (nor is it a real world example of anything).
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Now that the CellFactor demo is downloadable, there is a little more value in picking up the hardware. Even though there is only one level to play with, the CellFactor demo is quite enjoyable in a multiplayer situation. It's not $300 USD worth of goodness, but it is a step in the right direction. It is rather impressive on a technical level, but with the full version of the game nowhere near release, the success of PhysX can't rely on CellFactor. We have a short video (3.7MB) available, although you might prefer the 400 MB video available on the CellFactor web site.
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Hangar of Doom is a demo based on Epic's UnrealEngine 3. This engine will power Unreal Tournament 2007, as well as a whole host of other games. Currently, UT2007 won't be requiring the PhysX hardware, but that shouldn't stop licensees from being able to take full advantage of it. While this demo isn't as complex as CellFactor, it demonstrates some neat ideas about the destructibility of objects in a game (planes fall apart when shot down). Again, we have a short video (2.1MB) available for download.
If you would like to try grabbing all six videos (13MB including the two from the original PhysX article) using a BitTorrent client, you may find that to be a faster solution (depending on how many people are seeding the files). Just download the torrent file if you're interested.
Unfortunately, even though these demos are very interesting and compelling, developers are not targeting levels of interactivity on this scale for the near future. With the current multiplayer trend, it doesn't make sense for developers to allow gameplay to rely on hardware that many users won't have. It isn't possible to have different gameplay in multiplayer environments. Effects are a different story, and thus the first games to support PhysX do have a tacked on feel to them.
Truly innovative uses of the AGEIA's technology are out there, but we are stuck with a chicken and egg problem. Publishers don't want to require the hardware until a large install base exists, and end users won't buy the hardware until a good number of titles support it.
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segagenesis - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - link
I feel so tempted to bring up the old cliche "The message is clear..." when you word it like that :)Really why is there not more "WTF" here? A better analogy to what you describe is the old "Hardware Decelerators" that say the S3 Virge was. And for $300? Damn, next thing we know they will be sub-licensing Patty-On-Patty technology from Burger King with a dual core physics processor for only $600! *groan*
They have the right idea here but this is some of the poorest execution possible in convincing people you need this product.
Magnadoodle - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - link
Calling this a physics decelerator seems just perfect. I wish anandtech would use some biting humour now and then. But that would mean degraded relations with Asus and BFG.Oh well, let's just get nostalgic about the days of unconstrained journalism and reread those old 6% Pcgamer reviews.
abhaxus - Friday, May 19, 2006 - link
When I got my original voodoo 1 card, the first thing I did was plug it in and run a few timedemos in GLquake... surprise surprise, it was actually a few FPS slower than I was running in software mode. Of course, I was running software mode at 320x240 and GL at 640x480 and the game looked incredible.I haven't seen a PhysX card in person but the trailers for cellfactor look very impressive. With PhysX being taken advantage of throughout the design and coding process I can't wait to see what the final results are for new games... of course, new drivers and a PCIe version will help too.
That said... I really think that this card will eventually turn out to be only for people that don't have a dual core CPU. Seems like most everything could be done by properly multithreading the physics calculations.
Nighteye2 - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - link
It's perfectly possible to remain be critical while remaining polite. Biting humour is unnecessarily degrading and does not add any value. Even 6% ratings can be given in perfectly polite wording.DerekWilson - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - link
We certainly aren't pulling punches, and we wouldn't do anything to preserve a relationship with any company. If we make someone angry, we've still got plenty of ways to get a hold of their product.I hope we were able to make it clear that CoV giving similar results to GRAW gave us pause about the value of PhysX when applied to games that just stick in some effects here and there. We also (I hope clearly) stressed that there isn't enough value in the product for consumers to justify a purchase at this time.
But we weren't overly hard on AGEIA as we could be for a couple reasons. First, CellFactor and HangarofDoom are pretty interesting demos. The performance of them and the possibilities presented by games like them indicate that PhysX could be more useful in the future (especially with its integration into UE3 and other game engines). Second, without more tools or games we just can't determine the actual potential of this hardware. Sure, right now developers aren't making practical use of the technology and it isn't worth its price tag. But it is very premature for us to stamp a "decelerator" label on it and close the case.
Maybe we will end up calling this thing a lemon, but we just need more hard data before we will do so.
Magnadoodle - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - link
Yes, I understand your point of view, and I don't think you're pulling any punches or being biaised. In fact, a biting review would be more biaised than anything. I was just remarking that this would have made a perfect occasion to have a bit of fun with AGEIA and drag them through the dredges. I nostalgically recalled the quite biting and humorous style PC Gamer put into their 6% reviews. PC Gamer never was a pantheon of game reviewing, but they didn't have to be nice to nobody (actually to "nobodies", because they had to be nice to big corporations). My point was more about the lack of wits and style in web publications these days than about anandtech being biaised. Not that anandtech has bad writers, just that it's more scientific than sarcastic.Anyway, good review Mr. Wilson and keep up the good work.
Seer - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - link
Im also wondering about this claim that the driver update increased framerates. In all but two of the tests, the avg fps was either the same or a decrease. The largest increase was 1 fps, totally within the margin of error. (I'm talking about the GRAW tests). So, um, yeah, no increase there.