Nvidia Offers PhysX, Apex Support for PlayStation 4

Not to let AMD have all the PlayStation fun, Nvidia said on Thursday that Sony's upcoming next-generation console will support the chip maker's PhysX and APEX technologies. This will allow for collision detection and the simulation of rigid bodies, clothing, fluids, particle systems and more in games offered on the new platform.

"Great physics technology is essential for delivering a better gaming experience and multiplatform support is critical for developers," said Mike Skolones, product manager for PhysX at Nvidia. "With PhysX and APEX support for PlayStation 4, customers can look forward to better games."

Nvidia calls its PhysX physics modeling system "the world's most pervasive physics solution," allowing developers to design real-time, real world effects in games. The physics simulation engine was originally developed as NovodeX by Swiss company NovodeX AG but was acquired by Ageia in 2004, which was later purchased by Nvidia in 2008.

The APEX dynamics framework builds upon PhysX by allowing developers to create "intricate" physics-enabled environments. "They can expand the quantity and visual quality of destructible objects, make smoke and other particle-based fluids integral to game play, and create life-like clothing that interacts with the character's body to achieve more realism in their games," Nvidia said.

PhysX and APEX are designed to work on a variety of CPU architectures, but Nvidia points out that they're best accelerated with CUDA architecture-enabled Nvidia GPUs, GeForce 8-series or higher. The PlayStation 4 uses a custom APU designed by AMD and Sony which uses Radeon graphics instead.

The PlayStation 4 is scheduled to hit the market this holiday season, but Sony will likely show the actual console this June during E3 2013.

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