AGEIA @ Game Developers Conference

[PAGETITLE=PhysX SDK for Playstation 3] It has been announced this morning that the PhysX SDK will be available for the Playstation 3 by months end. We will have more info from the GDC as it becomes available. AGEIA PhysX SDK for PLAYSTATION3, Optimized for Cell Processor, to be Available on March 31st Multithreaded AGEIA PhysX SDK Version 2.4 OffersFully Parallelized Performance on PLAYSTATION 3 MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. March 21, 2006 - AGEIA Technologies, Inc., the pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games, today announced that the latest version of AGEIA PhysX SDK version 2.4 will become available to registered PLAYSTATION 3 game content developers on March 31, 2006. The AGEIA PhysX SDK is highly recognized for its extensive physics functionality and multithreading capabilities, which are uniquely suited for the multicore architecture of the Cell processor adopted on PLAYSTATION 3. The latest AGEIA PhysX SDK version 2.4 is optimized for the Cell processor, adding mind-blowing physics action to the high-definition graphics of PLAYSTATION 3 titles. In the 2.4 release, several components of the AGEIA PhysX pipeline have been offloaded from the PPU of the PLAYSTATION 3 to the SPUs; developers can fully control the component deployment. This has resulted in a 50% reduction in maximum PPU load, leaving more room for game code and smooth frame rates. "Real-time physical simulation is the new frontier in computer entertainment, and the PLAYSTATION3 will lead the way with the help of AGEIA PhysX technology, said Dominic Mallinson, Vice President of US R&D for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "Our collaboration with AGEIA will provide PLAYSTATION3 developers with another powerful tool enabling the creation of amazingly rich and realistic interactive entertainment." The debut of the PLAYSTATION 3 is one of the most anticipated launches in the history of games, and were extremely pleased that AGEIA PhysX technology will be a part of it, said Manju Hegde, founder and CEO of AGEIA. With AGEIA PhysX technology available for PLAYSTATION 3, PLAYSTATION 3 content creators will have the tools they need to create a new era in action-packed, physics-enabled games. About AGEIA AGEIA Technologies, Inc., is the pioneer of hardware-accelerated physics for PC games and has developed the worlds first dedicated physics processor, the AGEIA PhysX processor. The AGEIA PhysX processor powers massive and pervasive real-time interactive worlds that for the first time obey the laws of classical physics. AGEIA provides a world-class cross platform software development kit to simplify advanced physics programming for the PhysX processor, as well next-generation gaming consoles. AGEIA is changing the face of gaming by working with more than sixty leading developers and publishers to deliver the next generation of physically immersive entertainment. The company, headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., is privately-held. For more information visit http://www.ageia.com/. AGEIA and PhysX are trademarks of AGEIA Technologies, Inc. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other products are trademarks of their respective companies. If you wish to discuss what we know so far, or the GDC in general, feel free to post in our related thread. [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=AGEIA Thoughts] San Jose, California March 22, 2006 The past 24 hours here in San Jose have been hectic to say the least. In that time, I have met with representatives from Ageia about their upcoming PhysX card. For those of you that have been living under a rock, the introduction of dedicated physics chips/cards into the gaming community has the potential to change the entire status quo in this industry. The premise is easy for anyone to grasp really. The dedicated PPU (Physics Processing Unit) has been designed to take the physics processing load off of the all ready strapped CPU and allow the CPU to handle AI and let the graphics card get its render on. Ageia likes to compare the current state of the gaming industry to the state of the industry we had back in the 90s. 3D cards were just coming onto the scene and those cards then had a profound impact on the direction of the industry. Today I had the honor of sitting down with Ageia brass and going through a few demos as well as a long presentation of the specs of the cards. While most of this was typical marketing, there was a lot of information that I think you all will be interested in. In this meeting, I was able to speak with Curtis Davis and Andy Hess who are the President/COO and Director Content Acquisition respectively. They explained what exactly this card can do and then proceeded to show me, in demos, what this card will allow you, the gamers, to do. I saw interactive demos where hundreds of objects, all acted as they should when thrown into other objects. Just seeing hundreds of objects on a screen, moving around and bouncing off of other items was awesome. Ageia has Asus and BFG on board to deliver the cards to you and I in retail stores in the coming quarter. Also, Ageia-based cards will ship with PCs from Alienware and Falcon Northwest. You can now purchase these high end gaming PCs, equipped with the Ageia PPU online at Alienwares website. All in all, I am excited about the possibilities of introducing PPUs onto the computer scene. I feel that the potential is with out a doubt there, and with the long line of game developers on board with Ageia, the skys the limit for this company and ultimately, end users like you and me. Check back soon for more information on the developments of Ageia as well as the daily on goings of the GDC. Edit: You can check out the next page for the press release from AGEIA today. -Greg King [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=AGEIA PhysX Launch Info] AGEIA Brings First Dedicated Physics Processor To Market; Launches New Age in Interactive Gaming AGEIAs PhysX Processor Available Now in Select Dell, Alienware and Falcon Northwest Gaming Systems; Games Coming From More Than 60 Leading Software Developers and Publishers MOUNTAIN VIEW and SAN JOSE, Calif. March 22, 2006 AGEIA Technologies, Inc., the pioneer in hardware-accelerated physics for games, today announced the availability of its PhysX processor, the first physics processing unit (PPU) designed to power pervasive real-time physics in PC gaming. With immediate availability from the worlds leading gaming system and personal computer manufacturers Alienware, Dell, and Falcon Northwest, the AGEIA PhysX Accelerator brings true physics interaction on a massive scale to serious gamers for the first time. AGEIA PhysX Accelerator add-in boards from leading board manufacturers ASUS and BFG will be available in wide distribution in May of this year. The AGEIA PhysX processor, with its massively parallel interactive PhysX engines, has been specifically designed to accelerate dynamic physical motion and interaction in games at a scale and quality far beyond what has previously been possible. Exciting new games optimized for the hardware-accelerated physics provided by the PhysX processor will feature complex characters, objects and environments that fully interact based on real-world, real-time properties. With the PhysX accelerator installed in their PCs, gamers can now have different experiences every time they play a game. For example explosions will be in real-time and specific to the interaction of objects, not just replays of the same animation over and over again. Now game objects can smash, bounce, deform, shatter or explode and cause a different chain reaction every time, depending on physical laws such as force, speed, volume, pressure, or density. AGEIA is charting new territory by bringing dedicated physics hardware to market that delivers the real-time physics gameplay that gamers and developers alike have been clamoring for, said Manju Hegde, CEO at AGEIA. With the PhysX accelerator board in these new PCs from Dell, Alienware and Falcon Northwest, gamers now have future-proof systems for a fast-growing library of great games that exploit their power. More than one hundred games designed for and supporting the AGEIA PhysX processor are in development from over 60 leading software developers and publishers. Game developer and publishing partners include UbiSoft, Cryptic Studios, NCSoft, Epic Games and Sega, among many others. "Dell continues to be committed to delivering breakthrough technologies for our gaming customers," said Joe Curley, director of Dimension and desktop XPS product marketing, Dell Product Group. "By offering AGEIA PhysX technology in Dell XPS desktops, including the limited-edition XPS 600 Renegade, our customers can play more immersive and realistic gaming content then ever before." Alienware systems have won numerous awards for outstanding gaming performance by incorporating components and technologies that are at the very forefront of innovation, said Frank Azor, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Alienware Worldwide Product Group. By now equipping our gaming systems with AGEIAs breakthrough PhysX technology, Alienware is delivering to customers an even higher level of gameplay that immerses them in the most realistic gaming environments possible. The realism that the AGEIA PhysX Accelerator adds to gaming is astounding, said Kelt Reeves, president of Falcon Northwest. "I think the PhysX processor has the potential to be as important an add-in to PC gamers as a Creatives Sound Blaster is today. Completing the Gaming Power Triangle The AGEIA PhysX processor completes the new Gaming Power Triangle consisting of the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU) and PPU to balance the excessive computing demands of game logic, graphics and physics. Within this triangle the CPU thinks and orchestrates to drive game artificial intelligence and logic, the general purpose GPU renders and displays to deliver beautiful 3D imagery, and the third leg of the triangle, the new...

AGEIA @ Game Developers Conference

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Rob Williams