PCPerspective gives you their thoughts and impressions of the AGEIA PhysX processor after getting a little hands on action with an AGEIA equipped gaming system. They also have posted some videos that show the benefit of a PhysX PPU.

In Ghost Recon, the differences between having a PhysX card and not having one are not as dramatic as I had first hoped they would be. Honestly, it would be a hard sell to most users to ask them to pay as much as $250 extra for a product that performs only what we saw here. There is no doubt that in our videos we see a much more complex system of physics at work -- the sparks and car descruction are more detailed, the amount of "rubble" from shooting the ground or buildings is definitely more complex and realistic and the various particle systems (dirt and smoke) are more impressive -- but are they $250 more impressive? Probably not, but with other titles such as Unreal 2007 coming out with even more advanced usage models on the PhysX PPU the market will eventually get there.

Our time with the Cell Factor demo showed what a true PhysX game could potentially look like, and it is impressive. The amount of interactivity shown in our videos is unrivaled in any other title out now or that I have seen in development. Unfortunately, this puts developers in a bind -- do they create a unique title like this and require a PhysX card to play it, thus cutting out nearly all of their market initially, or do they stick to "effects physics" like we see in GRAW that don't push the envelope? It's the same issue that AGEIA and company have been having to address with developers since the technology was first announced last year.

miglaugh> Ghost Recon obviously used the PhysX shit as a plug for Ageia and didn't really take the time to use it fully; just to add some little effects. The building isn't even getting deformed or destructed at all in that shot, just random debris is spawning from nowhere.

I watched those videos and I was not impressed at all. Atleast not $300 impressed. I'm sure developers will find a way to scale physics effects, but I really don't see this PPU thing taking off. Maybe with the Alienware crowd.

I don't see myself getting of these in the near future and will probably wait till a newer card comes out or some competition.

Ghost Recon obviously used the PhysX shit as a plug for Ageia and didn't really take the time to use it fully; just to add some little effects. The building isn't even getting deformed or destructed at all in that shot, just random debris is spawning from nowhere.

What we need is a cross between Red Faction, GTA, and something with good bullet time, like max payne. That way we can have an exspansive city to play with and destroy, cool slow-mo to make the destruction look even cooler, and ofcoarse total freedom.

Get to work ppl...