While ATI launches new hardware, rival Nvidia today released a new set of drivers that adds support for AGEIA's PhysX physics acceleration technology to the existing GeForce 8, GeForce 9, and GeForce GTX 200-series cards.

The new drivers are part of the free GeForce Power Pack, which also contains a PhysX-enabling mod for Epic's Unreal Tournament 3, the full version of NetDevil's physics-heavy title Warmonger, and a few tech demos, including a fluid simulation.

In addition, the drivers add PhysX support for the PC version of GRIN and Ubisoft Paris' Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. The functionality comes after Nvidia announced plans to acquire AGEIA earlier this year, with many developers since pledging support.

Left, Warmonger. Right, Unreal Tournament 3.

"Seeing really is believing and is the reason why we compiled all of this great PhysX content into a free download," commented GeForce GPU general manager Ujesh Desai. "We can't wait for our customers to jump in, get wet, and tell... Read more

Hardware manufacturer Nvidia is set to add PhysX support to several lines of its graphics cards on August 12, according to Tech Report.

Nvidia GeForce 8, GeForce 9, and GeForce GTX 200-series cards will support the new physics acceleration initially.

PhysX began as Ageia Technologies' attempt at a dedicated hardware physics processor. The idea of an expensive physics processing card never took off, and Nvidia purchased Aegia in February of this year, announcing that it would directly incorporate Aegia's technology into its line of cards.

Game support for PhysX includes released titles such as Epic's Unreal Tournament 3. Users can download the free PhysX Mod map pack, a collection of three UT3 maps that show off special effects such as twirling tornadoes and particle-based hail.

Nvidia claims that PhysX support is also being added to upcoming projects like EA DICE's Mirror's Edge, Creative Assembly's Empire: Total War, and Gearbox's Aliens: Colonial Marines and Borderlands.

Early benchmarks predictably indicate that turning on the flashy PhysX effects will cost users several frames of performance.

For a look at a PhysX-enabled UT3 map, check out the video below. ... Read more

Hardware manufacturer Nvidia, which just purchased physics technology developer AGEIA, is porting AGEIA's PhysX engine software to run on its GeForce 8 cards, according to The Tech Report.

During a financial call, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hseun Huang revealed that the ported engine will bring enhanced physics capabilities to all of the company's existing GeForce 8 cards, as it will be programmed in CUDA.

"Finally [developers are] able to get a physics engine accelerated into a very large population of gamers," explained Huang. "[It's] just gonna be a software download. Every single GPU that is CUDA-enabled will be able to run the physics engine when it comes...Every one of our GeForce 8-series GPUs runs CUDA."

At the time of the AGEIA purchase, Nvidia noted its intent to integrate PhysX support into its products, but did not specify any details. In light of today's revelation, Huang expects to see increased sales of the Nvidia cards, especially to those equipped with SLI slots.

"It might, and probably will, encourage people to buy a second GPU for their SLI slot," he said. "And for the highest-end gamer, it will encourage them to buy three GPUs. Potentially two for graphics and one for physics, or one for graphics and two for physics."

Hardware manufacturer Nvidia today announced its plans to acquire physics technology developer AGEIA, with the company stating it will integrate AGEIA's PhysX technology into its future line of GeForce graphics cards.

"By combining the teams that created the world's most pervasive GPU and physics engine brands, we can now bring GeForce-accelerated PhysX to hundreds of millions of gamers around the world," said Huang.

Founded in 2002, AGEIA made a name for itself by inventing the Physics Processing Unit (PPU) chip, the world's first dedicated hardware physics processor for personal computers. The company also develops physics software, boasting a list of over 140 games across multiple platforms that utilize PhysX technology.

"Nvidia is the perfect fit for us," added AGEIA CEO Manju Hegde. "They have the world's best parallel computing technology and are the thought leaders in GPUs and gaming. We are united by a common culture based on a passion for innovating and driving the consumer experience."

Processor manufacturer AMD was rumored to be eyeing AGEIA for purchase in November, but had since denied the claims. Competitor Intel picked up physics software developer Havok last September.

The deal is all but final, with only customary closing conditions in the way. More details of the acquisition will be available following Nvidia's quarterly conference call on Feb 13.

Now available at FileShack is Warmonger - Operation: Downtown Destruction, the free Unreal Engine 3 powered multiplayer shooter from Auto Assault developer NetDevil.

The 437mb download includes six levels featuring a wide array of destructable objects and buildings. An AGEIA PhysX accelerator is required to get the most out of this game, however it will run without one.

Warmonger, Operation: Downtown Destruction Update Interview on RPG Vault asks team leader Chris Sherland for the 411 on this PhysX powered shooter.

GamersInfo.net is where you can find a Warmonger: Operation Downtown Destruction, offering hands-on impressions of the PhysX accelerated shooter.

After last week's slightly abbreviated show, Episode 10 runs a little longer than usual, clocking in at a little under an hour and a half. Chris Remo, Chris Faylor, and Carlos Bergfeld are joined by Nick Breckon, checking in from Japan as he prepares to take on the Tokyo Game Show.

Topics include the wackiness of Japan, Tokyo Game Show, Team Fortress 2 and The Orange Box, Super Smash Bros. Brawl going online, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on Wii, Warmonger and AGEIA PhysX cards, Peggle, and superhero video games ranging from average to bad.

Reader mail sparked discussion on the role of originality in video games, as well as crucial entries in the gaming pantheon. Keep sending in your comments and questions to shackcast@shacknews.com.

Play or download the podcast now, browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg, or check out the full breakdown. ... Read more

Independent developer NetDevil's oddly named physics-intensive FPS Warmonger, Operation: Downtown Destruction arrives on PC via digital distribution on October 16.

"Warmonger offers a unique environment for fans of FPS games, where no place is safe, and seeking good cover is a challenge rather than a given," said lead producer Chris Sherland. "Test sessions leave a player with a strong emotional reaction to this...it's downright scary to play!"

Powered by Epic's Unreal Engine 3, the game features destructible environments thanks to its use of the AGEIA PhysX technology. In all, Warmonger contains five different weapons and six different maps.

Today's announcement neglected to mention exactly where gamers will be able to acquire the game, though the game's official site will likely provide more information as its release approaches.

"Warmonger's real-world, real-time properties offer gamers... Read more

There's a preview of Warmonger, Operation: Downtown Destruction on IGN this evening, offering impressions of the AGEIA PhysX powered first person shooter.

Ten Ton Hammer has been updated with a Warmonger - Operation: Downtown Destruction preview, checking out this AGEIA PhysX powered shooter at a recent NetDevil press event.

FiringSquad has a preview of the ridiculously titled Warmonger, Operation: Downtown Destruction, the AGEIA PhysX powered action game. The article offers 8 player CTF impressions.

NetDevil's upcoming LEGO-branded massively multiplayer game will be known as LEGO Universe, Denmark-based licensor LEGO Group has revealed. Announced this March, the game will be NetDevil's third MMO following the RPG-flavored space-centric Jumpgate and last year's vehicular action-oriented Auto Assault. NetDevil is also the company behind the AGEIA-sponsored, PhysX-powered destructible shooter Warmonger, Operation: Downtown Destruction.

According to today's announcement, LEGO Universe will be a "child-safe" but full-scale MMO containing the range of social and community ... Read more

Independent developer NetDevil (Auto Assault, Jumpgate) yesterday announced the opening of a new office based in Louisville, CO. To commemorate the event, the studio will be hosting an open house on June 22nd, allowing invitees a first look at their upcoming games. The date coincides with the company's 10th anniversary.

"The opening of our new offices will help us expand our capabilities, make way for new talent and growth, and give the NetDevil family, our partners, and our ... Read more

WarCry's Razorwire site has a Warmonger, Operation: Downtown Destruction Q&A up, asking NetDevil's Scott Brown about this Unreal Engine 3 powered shooter that makes use of the AGEIA PhysX PPU.

Due out today is Artificial Studios' and Immersion Software & Graphics' CellFactor: Revolution, a free FPS with a catch--you need a PhysX card to fully take advantage of the game. While I wasn't able to review the final build, I did have a chance to chat with Julian Castillo, the game's lead designer, to find out more about what the game has to offer. For those readers interested in the game's technology, read our interview with Ageia's Adrian Jones.

Shack: I was able to learn a bit about how the concept for how CellFactor: Revolution was born from producer Adrian Jones, but I'd like to learn a bit more from the man who conceived the idea. Can you tell us more about how the concept came about?

Julian Castillo: Well, initially, CellFactor was my thesis work. I was planning to make a little single player shooter with maybe two or three levels with a nice boss or something at the end, but my judges said a pure entertainment game wouldn't make it as a good thesis work, so they said to me that I needed to make a game with a deeper background. I reject the idea at first, but later I thought it would be a cool idea to base the game in something bigger. So I took my inspiration from "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, a book so full of images, characters and atmospheres that would be a very good start for a video game.

CellFactor: Revolution, the PC FPS due out early next month, has an interesting gimmick: It's free, but players will need a PhysX card if they want to play more than two of the game's available levels. For those without a PhysX processor, will it be worth the upgrade? I spoke with Ageia's Adrian Jones, producer on CellFactor: Revolution, to find out more about the game's development, its requirement of a PhysX card, and just why such a processor is needed for the game.

Shack: Many gamers feel that CellFactor: Revolution isn't actually "free," since a PhysX card is necessary to fully take advantage of all that the game has to offer. How would you say that the use of a PhysX processor compares to an engine such as Source that has been highly optimized for physics? In other words, why not just use a pre-existing game engine instead of essentially mandating a PhysX card purchase?

Adrian Jones: It's interesting. The Source engine... it's not an apple-to-apples comparison. The Source engine has done a good job of giving programmers a good interface to physics. The game programmer can do a lot of things with PhysX. Psi Power is a lot like [Half-Life 2's] gravity gun, but the gravity gun can't pick up and smash thousands of objects around the game world simply because the processor doesn't have the horsepower. It's very possible to take the Source engine and modify it to use the PhysX card and have the best of both worlds. The PhysX card just enables very, very rapid calculations.

1UP has been updated with a CellFactor: Revolution preview, going hands-on with the AEGIA PhysX powered first person shooter which will be released for free this May.

IGN has a CellFactor: Revolution preview up, offering brief hands-on impressions of this PhysX powered shooter that's due out next month.

AGEIA today announced that the multiplayer shooter CellFactor: Revolution, originally announced as a retail game, will be released for free May 8. Most parts of the physics heavy game will require a PhysX PPU, but people without such a card (which is...almost everyone) will be able play two levels against AI enemies.

The game will automatically detect players with a PhysX card, offering them the option to progress through the single-player campaign mode that includes three "extreme PhysX" levels. PhysX users can also challenge humans and AI-enemies in four LAN-based multiplayer modes. Gamers who do not have a PhysX processor will be able to fight artificial-intelligent controlled enemies in the multiplayer "skirmish" modes, in two environments. The extreme PhysX levels were designed to spotlight physics gameplay with a purpose. For example, oil leaking from a barrel may be an indicator of its volatile nature, a spider web twitch can indicate nearby movement, lava can be psionically harnessed to deflect or smother enemies, and particle beams can be used as weapons.