Physx worth it ?

[abanziger]

I've seen many posts where people ask about how their card will do in physx, or if they should get a new card for physx etc etc

Is there really a point in getting a card just for physx ? I mean, doesnt it work just on 6 games ?

At least thats what I read here :

http://www.nvidia.com/object/physx_new.html

what are your opinions do you think this is really worth it ?

 

[jay_l_a]

Any technology that is vendor specific will usually die off (see EAX), it's the open formats that proliferate

 

[17seconds]

If you play one of those games, it's definitely worth it. Basically, those who have it, love it, and those who don't have it don't like it. If you caught any of last week's coverage of the updated Unreal Engine 3, you saw that PhysX is featured prominently, so I would expect to see a few more titles added to that list.

PhysX is one of the few features that is all about adding "fun" to your gaming, rather than increasing graphical quality. But consider there are other physics engines. Imagine playing Oblivion or Fallout 3 with Havok physics to be able to pick up objects and move them around. Imagine playing Battlefield Bad Company 2 without the Frostbite physics that allow for destructable trees and buildings. It's the same thing for PhysX, even if it's just a few games, you want those physics which not only enhance the graphics but add elements to a scene that are just not being rendered without PhysX capability. For me, it's like imagining playing Unreal Tournament 3 without body parts flying, vehicles exploding into bits of debris, and weapons flak bouncing off walls. It's just not as fun.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

THG 's review basically says "Once you turn it on, if ya hardware can handle it, you're not going to turn it off."

If ya trying to decide between say a 6970 and 570 at the same cost and the same total fps across a variety of games, one can do PhysX, one can't .... to me that's comparable to I can get two SUV's that cost the same, have same specs, mileage, features etc .... but one can do 4WD and one can't .... I'm only gonna need that 4WD a few days outta the year, but is sure gonna make a hell of a difference on the days that I do.

Bur I wouldn't wanna impose my likes / dislikes on you ...

I suggest you take a look at it and decide for yaself by watching this video.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/batman_arkham_asylum_physx_performance/page2.asp

I show it to folks when I'm asked to build them a system .... in the $250 and up GFX card category, since the GTX 5xx came out, that video has been one of the major deciding factors in their choices.

 

[ko888]

Any technology that is vendor specific will usually die off (see EAX), it's the open formats that proliferate

OpenGL, as its name implies, is an open standard. Do all games that run on the PC use it? Most games for the PC are coded to use the proprietary Direct3D.