The Ageia PhysX physical accelerator has been released

After some delay, the first chip capable of hardware accelerating the physical engine of certain games has finally hit the market.

We only reported a few days ago about NVIDIA and ATI physical accelerators plans, we can already provide you with up-to-date information on the subject. Ageia PhysX is the very first chip designed specifically to accelerate the physical engine of games. According to its manufacturer, a unit called the PPU (Physical Processing Unit) will soon become at least as important a part of our computer as the GPU was in the mid-XNUMXs.

Ageia does not make separate cards from its tiles, we will expect this from other manufacturers. PhysX will also be available on the significantly delayed Sony PlayStation 3.

With physical processing units, it will be possible to display details that have hitherto been almost unimaginable in computer graphics. Environmentally responsive raindrops, more lifelike flames, a fully interactive environment - we will expect these first and foremost.

PhysX-based devices are already available for purchase from Alienware and Falcon Northwest, but ASUS and BFG cards will also be available next quarter. Like graphics cards, physical cards will be in the lower, middle, and upper categories. These are expected to cost between $ 100 and $ 400.