How PhysX Makes Batman: Arkham Asylum Better

Mike, I think you should use correct words when publishing news. It should be "affect" instead of "effect".

@Rakkoon: Yeah, but doesn't this kind of thing keep updating regularly? Unless future home consoles become more like PC's (they are already like PC's to some extent) I see a problem arising due to confusion coming from the general public about updating their home console's hardware. You know how that went with Sega.

If home consoles due implement PhysX in the future it would be a one time deal meaning that the consumer would be force to be stuck with said version of PhysX yet PC's owners will continue to have the option to upgrade, so we may never catch up in the department unless.....damn, I'm back to square one.

@-MasterDex-: With regards to buggy games, nowadays, the same can be said about ("next-gen") consoles.

@Révolution: No, the video.

Rinaldus

@PoweredByHentai: Hell, as long as you have your DS3 plugged into the computer via USB, once you hit the PS Button, it won't boot up your PS3. Once you unplug it however... But it's hardly a big deal.

@Rob: You nailed the truth in the matter.

peterpanpiper2

@Révolution: I'm gonna side with Rob on this one. The demo was released on all platforms at the same time and the PC demo had PhysX in it, working flawlessly. It's simply the case of maximizing console profits before the PC pirates get the filthy hands on the game.

In my opinion a completely legit reason from the publisher perspective, but sadly makes us legit PC gamers wait a little extra.

@Xcite79: That's why I was always uncertain about beat-'em-up games on he PC. You'd have to get your audience to buy a controller while embracing a genre that they never tried before. (unless they already had a console)

Then again, once you have the controller in their homes, you have a ready audience for any future games in the genre. DMC4 was more for hardcore beat-'em-up players, but Arkham Asylum is the perfect way to introduce the genre to our crowd. What's next? Maybe one day we'll get Bayonetta. Or Viewtiful Joe on Steam!

mcderek3000

I thought that this was just another "sorry for releasing your version late" feature, but damn that looks good!

mcderek3000

That Batman should stop moving around like a slouch kicking up ground debris like that. He's wearing out his footwear. Raise those feet!

Steinin

@PSWii2008:

Unplug your PS3?

GtheMVP99

@Révolution: I imagine so, it can't be for lower resolutions and AA though.

-MasterDex-

@UFO: Damn! You're right too. I could have sworn I didn't see any AA in the settings. I think I may need glasses, lol.

Since it's built with UE3, I can't imagine it performing so well since I imagine what they're doing is forcing it through the settings.

I'm going to check it out right now.

-MasterDex-

@RobbieS: But Havok is so much better!!! Since it runs on both ATi and nVidia

AliShaikh

@Révolution: That's one thing I love about PCs, between components and cases from old builds, you have so many possibilities with whats there.

I currently have a MAME cabinet planned with old parts....It should be good enough to run SFIV on :)

-MasterDex-

@Shandy706: Ehhh, I don't know.....I can't see it performing well though.

*disclaimer: I like the PS3 but every system has it crux*

-MasterDex-

@Révolution: Hence why I quoted the whole comment in my reply.

Software physics is ok if you keep it in tune with what your system can handle, low physics works well and medium shouldn't be too bad. It can be taxing though.

@Naraishma: Oh yeah, I know but on any Cuda-enabled card, there's no point in forcing it.

-MasterDex-

Not that it was a huge thing, and not that it seemed much better in the trailer, but the cape and the way it moved was certainly kind of off.

ShineyBlueShoes

PS3 got PhysX too as they are using Nvidia chip, developer should implement it on PS3 version

tingyu

@-MasterDex-: I think the recommendation they make is for people maxing EVERY setting, including resolution at something crazy like 2560 x 1600. Then I believe them on that requirement. Otherwise, that's a lie.

1 GTX 260 can do full PhysX, 4xAA and 1920x1200 eaisily.

@XenoRaven: Also, over a grand is excessive. $750 will easily cover it, and you can use it for more than one thing.

@-MasterDex-: For that matter, spend a bit extra on the mobo and PSU, and you could overclock it.
$400 to:
Upgrade to a GTX 260
Upgrade to a Q9550 (Quad core, overclocked to 3.4 ghz)
Upgrade to 6 GB of memory.

BTW, as for cases, don't be afraid to drop $150 on a full tower case. They're not disposable, and you can use them for new computers and put the old one in a cheap case. My current PC is in a 6 year old case. (3 PCs and counting!)

That's from a 3 year old C2D system with a GeForce 8600.

@Laronvas: Wait... so what you're saying is that you're going to upgrade for SW:KOR, and if you had upgraded earlier, you could be enjoying cheaper, higher quality games on a more customizeable platform, but instead chose to wait? Why? Whatever 'math' you did doesn't sound very solid if it leads you to "I'm not upgrading now but I'm still going to upgrade AND buy a $300 console AND $10 more expensive games."

Moleculor

@Narishma: Mainly because the software PhysX is too slow for it. If you force software PhysX for Mirror's Edge, once you get to the part where glass starts breaking, your framerate drops like a rock.

Ugggh, first it was the nonstop minutia of the movie, enough of the useless details of the game.

The game it out. Play it. Isn't that better than reading about it?

@Narishma: Those PhysX cards are expensive. Even now it is cheaper to buy and dedicate a GeForce 8600 than it is to buy a dedicated PhysX card.

@eddie: There's software PhysX. It's just horribly slow, so the effects need to be dumbed down a lot.

@Rinaldus: Did you try disabling PhysX? It would put the quality around that of an Xbox game, but hey, it'll run.

@-MasterDex-: Not seeing said unapproved comment :/

@Rob: Code takes time to write. Physics are a very complex thing, and this is extra code, so expect delays.

If the developers offered you a choice of
A:
Buy the buggy game for $50 right now
or
B: Wait 3 small weeks for the Stable, polished version to come out at $50.
which would pick?

@Xcite79: Agreed, pretty much the same for Devil May Cry, can barely combo properly with keyboard and mouse.

@PSWii2008: You could always flip the power switch on the back of the PS3.

@-MasterDex-: While you are mostly correct, you CAN run PhysX in software on PC. There are some demos that are installed with the PhysX SDK that allow you to switch between hardware (if you have an nVidia GPU or PhysX card) and software. But most of the games that support it don't use the software version and just disable it if you don't have the hardware for it.

Narishma

@eddie: PhysX like Havoc and others is just a physics engine. It can run on anything with a processor, even a Wii or a PSP. But if you want it accelerated in hardware then you need an nVidia GPU (8800 or better) or a PhysX card but they don't make those anymore.

Narishma

@Xcite79: I did max payne on PC.... terrific games and worked fine. Same with MDK 2. I think it can work as long as the keyboard use requirements are low.

lanion

@-MasterDex-: I don't know if I could use my DS3 with my laptop in my room, since my PS3 is on the other side of the wall, and turning on the controller will turn on my PS3. Besides, I already play it tons on my PS3, with a big flat-screen HDTV!

@akumaserge: I was promoting the comment of an unapproved commenter and my reply to him.

It was to allow other users to see the unapproved comment since we no longer have the ability to approve and promote unapproved comments anymore.

-MasterDex-

@eddie: Physx acceleration via the GPU is only available on Nvidia GPus with Cude-enabled.

The engine itself can run on a 360 and PS3, albeit with less features and realism.

-MasterDex-

@-MasterDex-: If the PS3 tried to push PhysX in an of it's recent top games the frame rate would grind at single digits!

@Xcite79: So use the 360 controller, wired or wireless (if you have the wireless reciever). Or how about the DS3 or Sixaxis? They work. Wiimote? That works. There's also a plethora of thrid party controllers that work just as good.

Do you want to use the Warhawk controller or something?

-MasterDex-

It might be just me but if I was to play it on the PC then I would need a controller. I can't do third person games with a mouse and keyboard.

I'm confused...your cape on the 360 flows I think in the most natural manner I've seen in a game in recent memory. When you first get outside to protect your Batmobile in the beg. of the game, stand on the wood dock overlooking the city and ocean and you'll see what I mean...its pretty crazy.

stryder19

@-MasterDex-: ...Did you really need to promote your own comment?

akumaserge

@octalass: obviously, i didn't mean to

@vincet: i did....
how odd...

@-MasterDex-: yeah, i had plenty of AA in the demo. not to mention i can force it in mass effect, bioshock, and mirror's edge. :P

curly haired boy

@L___E___T: hey, free DLC and multiplayer, not to mention mods, better resolutions and graphics....that's definitely worth waiting for. Mass effect PC came out much later than the console version, but it truly is the definitive iteration.

i personally have no problem waiting for games. i usually wait for price drops anyway, not to mention that i've got an enormous backlog of games to fill in the time. ;)

curly haired boy

@Refused: And i don't know if it helps but at the start when it asked me for my resolution I said 1920x1080. It just seems to have ignored me.

@Refused: After you install the game a launcher.exe should of opened up that has the option to play the game or configure the video.

You can find it in the Edios program file too.

omgwtflolbbqbye

PhysX is a convenient excuse for the delay. But it is bullshit. There was nothing stopping them from adding that into the PC version and keeping both launches at the same time.

The delay is this new-found approach to fighting PC piracy by releasing the console versions well in advance of the PC release hoping people won't want to wait and will buy it for consoles instead of easily pirating it.

It has become a pretty common practice now for any game that doesn't have (worthwhile) online multiplayer features. Online multiplayer makes it more likely that people will BUY the game because online play will require a legit key and/or installation instead of a fake one and/or a cracked launcher.

@bradwart: said: I think that nVidia was supposed to be updating the RSX in the PS3 to allow for PhysX support, freeing up the Cell a bit more.

I get that but what would be the point. The RSX already struggles as it is and the Cell could handle a physics engine (it may have to be proprietry to it) much better than the RSX could...at least I imagine it could.

-MasterDex-

@BlooQKazoo: Same here. Two frames per second for the win.

Rinaldus

@Venny: Unless Nvidia changed their rules, PhysX is only available on Nvidia cards/GPUs. The 360 has an ATI GPU. PS3 on the other does have an Nvidia GPU(probably why Valkyria Chronicles uses PhysX). So maybe it's a mistake?

eddie

@Strangelove:

Here's a question..

What if all the PC delays were, you know, deliberate? How would that make you feel about PC gaming and the pros / cons it brings with it?

These things have a funny habit of evolving into what fits the industry if I can say that.

I played the demo on Steam, I really liked it. I ran into a problem though. There was no video settings that I could find, where are they or do they not exist?

I ran the game fine, very smooth but for some reason the resolution didn't go to 1920x1080 (my monitors) it put black strips on the sides and above and below about 3/4 of an inch into the monitor. How do I fix it, anyone know?

@-MasterDex-: Really? I downloaded the demo and the display settings menu most certainly does give the option of up to 16X AA.

@XenoRaven:

Blablabla. If you have the money why not? You know that some ppl can afford all consoles and a good PC? Continue bashing what you don't own.

@I Am Error: Yeah, apart from the generally better performance, higher resolutions, better shaders, and overall better graphics, there isn't a whole lot of difference.

Oh and buggy games. Can't forget the buggy games.

Still, I buy enough games that if a game is buggy I can leave it aside till it's sorted so that's a non-issue for me and why I love gaming on PC.

-MasterDex-

@enigma776: The real kicker is that you need 2 GPU one to do the GFX and the other to do the PhysX stuff, also there is 2 levels to the physX one requires a 9800GT as the PPU and the other requires only one card but the highest spec Nvidia card available.

It said that but I had no problem with running the physics acceleration and game through a single 8800GT - the older equivalent of the 9800GT.

-MasterDex-

@Paradox me: You can't do AA on UE3 engine. You need an 8 series or better and it must be Cuda-enabled to take advantage of the Physx GPU acceleration.

You can force AA on UE3 but it doesn't really like AA at all

-MasterDex-

@Kaminari: Hint: The Physx engine is used in PS3 and 360 games and is a CPU API like Derangel said (i.e. It uses the CPU to proccess the physics calculations).

Physx on PC is a different beast because it's only available via Cuda-enabled Nvidia GPUs and uses the higher parallelity structure for more powerful acceleration. It also needs to be coded differently because of the differences in the architecture between a GPU and a CPU.

-MasterDex-

My PC can't even run that video at a decent fps. I think if I tried to run this game it would shit itself and die.

@Greg Rassam: and FSAA way up is more of a selling point.

Considering that this is built on the Unreal Engine 3, you won't have AA at all...on any platform. Gotta love that brilliant engine!

-MasterDex-

@Laronvas: Really? I found all the fallacies to be in your comment. You clearly have no idea about the price of different components if your system upgrade will cost $700 just to run Batman.

Of course, even if your system is ancient, you'd still be able to buy a new system (keeping HDDs and DVD drives...possibly even RAM) for very cheap. All you need?

1 mobo with a PCI-Ex16 slot and support for a Core2Duo and DDR2, 2 gb RAM, 500w PSU and a halfway decent graphics card, maybe a case if the one you have isn't suitable.

Each item can be gotten for $100 or less if you look around. That's about $300/400 right there...average and that system should last for around 2-3 years as a gaming system. As a PC? Lovely thing, obsolence doesn't really happen, there'll still always be a use for it.

You're wrong. Face it.

-MasterDex-

@Strangelove: You and me both bud. After playing the AA demo on PC and had no frame drop when I forgot to pause Folding@Home, I have to wait for the PC version. The paper and flag effects are not game changing, but very cool. That's why you buy better hardware, right?

homernoy

@ToastyUterus: If the RSX is cuda-enabled then it should be able to have full physx support....why you'd want to run the physx off the RSX when you have the cell there though is a mystery.

-MasterDex-

@KillerBee: They also added volumetric fog that warps around Batman's body. I would hope that if anything PhysX would enable better death animations. Watching Batman's body contort when he gets beaten is kind of silly.

But yeah there isn't much the PhysX adds, at least not from this trailer.

Prosper

@Rotsujin: Go watch the actual physx video. There's plenty of stuff like fog that gets displaced as you walk through it and destructible environments that aren't in the console versions.

@Imin2Nuggets: It's a physics engine. Cuda allows Nvidia to use the GPU for physics calculations and to be more specific, the Physx engine.

Remember, before Nvidia bought Physx, the Physx engine had it's own proprietry PPU for physics calculations that you could purchase.

Also, boatware would mean it's useless but tests have shown an increase in performance with a decent card when running the physics calculations through the GPU. Nvidias folding@home program also works really well.

-MasterDex-

@Jekku: I have mine on my desk here and the logo is on there. Maybe a future update, like you suggested, but it's probably a less powerful version that powers the physics now, I'd guess.

@Jekku: No, it wouldn't be a mistake, it would have used the physx system but it's enhanced by the physx acceleration on any cuda enabled Nvidias GPUs and only realised through PC.

-MasterDex-

@Laronvas: Another mind twisted by the common perception that you have to upgrade your PC yearly. I bought mine over two years ago for $1,100 and it still plays the latest games.

Prosper

I was debating between getting B:AA for the PS3 or PC, what with the PhysX support and increased resolution.

But then the Best Buy deal came around, and to further dissuade me I couldn't run the demo at max settings (for me that's 1680x1050, no AA, everything on high) without a bit of stuttering, so adding in the PhysX will further dumb down the framerate. That and no idea if the Dualshock hack I use for SF IV PC would work for this.

Alas.

Prosper

Alas, the three-week-turned-three-month delay for Red Faction Guerilla on PC made me get Arkham on 360 instead. I'm still waiting for Red Faction on PC, though.

Man, I always get them on PC, but the delays are starting to be a major inconvenience for me.

@Mike Newlad: the software would need to be upgraded into the graphics drivers and such, but even then, what if the graphics card doesnt support physx, then it cant just be patched

@Imin2Nuggets: Say that again when you enable physx in "software" mode on an AMD Dual Core.

It's a little more than a gimmick and really, graphics cards are catching up to CPUS more and more and them taking the load off when they can always helps. Just look at Cuda and ATI's equivalent. Folding@home, etc.

They're not replacing CPUs but these graphics card "gimmicks" certainly help even out a budget computer.

masshuum

@Me_rock:

Yea.. but who wants to play a game in super slow-mo all the time x)

if there's one thing that arkham asylum needs, it's floating papers. nothing enhances gaming like loose documents.

@Ike_Skelton: That criticism would be unwarranted when they were marketing The Scarecrow Challenge Map "Dem Bones" in the first place; which you received if you pre-ordered the game at Gamestop. All there the last 7 seconds of the commercial.

So good job there, criticizing the marketing team to making a commercial that was relevant to what they were trying to market.

RiomStonn

It's odd because I think the PhyX logo is on the cover art (on the back) for the Xbox 360 version. I'd check but my brother has my copy of Arkham Asylum. Mistake or future update? Probably a mistake.

Physx is not a physics engine per se, it's just software that allows the GPU to handle physic calculations instead of having the CPU do it.

Considering how powerful CPUs are getting, it's useless bloatware courtesy of nvidia.

@Kenny: Mmmmm, I love colons!: There are so many holes in your comment if it was a boat it would have been sunk by time you hit Submit.

@Jyuu: But PhysX IS actually a software physics engine with platform specific optimizations/implementations (360/ps3-cell/gpu) and no different than Havok in that regard.

Actually, I don't think PhysX/Havok is that different in speed on any platform so Alan Wake could have used PhysX with littile or no difference (They use Havok now).

What I think makes people see PhysX differently from Havok is the fact that many PhysX games enabled more effects when having the PPU card present. But today, with both engines having GPU acceleration(?) they are pretty much equal.

Alexander Blom

@CustomFirmware: I wish I could promote all these awesome responses but alas I'm a dirty facebooker.

Greg Rassam

@Rakkoon: That's just what he tells people it's for. It's actually so he can get that cool billowy effect indoors.

FAHtastic

@Laronvas: Cry more. Upgrade every 3 years with not top-of-the-line cards for $3-400.

wox42

@Mike Newlad: I've heard the PS3 is a nightmare to program for, and thus often results in the Ghostbusters syndrome. I suppose it could, though.

wox42

if i had an nvidia card instead of an ati i would have waited for the pc version. i got the ps3 version with the joker challenge maps instead.

@Patriot Infinity:
I'll ignore Osteoperosis and respond to you.

Yeah, I just got bored for some reason. Going back to it this weekend.

@Laronvas:

What Kenny said. You don't need to upgrade every 6 months - 1 year you idiot. I upgrade once 2-3 and that keeps in touch with the latest games for around $250

@ddarkly: People=Shit!

SuprShin

@vincet: Twice...

That's pretty impressive.

@uchennaokafor:
Very few PS3 or Xbox 360 games run in native 1080p. Alternatively, you can go as high as your hardware allows on PC (for me that is 1920x1200).

tl;dr every game which has PS3/360 + PC releases can look better on PC than PS3/360.

Kicken

@Kaminari: Uhh..No. The PhysX on consoles is a scaled down CPU API versus the GPU API for the PC one.

Derangel

@LllusionX: Proud Commander of the Sony Attack Force Helghan!:

No, the cape is a little rigid in the PS3/360 version. It's not bad, but it's very obviously following a particular animation cycle.

Orian

When are we going to stop arguing about which platform is better and start talking about the actual games? Every comment is either "PC sucks!" or "Console sucks!"

For any pc gamer running ATI, this delay was a bunch of BS. Actually it still is even if they run Nvidia.

davincij

Considering that PhysX is supported in hardware by both the PS3 and the 360, do you really think that Rocksteady would have accepted to compromise their console versions by omitting physX support if that middleware engine really made such a difference in a game?

Hint: the answer is the name of a (in)famous doctor.

I thought Sony got Physx support a while back. Couldn't this be patched into the PS3 version?

Mike Newlad

@Paradox me: This is down to how the UE3 does AA and not the fact it has a Nvidia sticker on the cover. All UE3 games are the same.

The real kicker is that you need 2 GPU one to do the GFX and the other to do the PhysX stuff, also there is 2 levels to the physX one requires a 9800GT as the PPU and the other requires only one card but the highest spec Nvidia card available.

enigma776

@Laronvas:

Shhhhhh dont tell anyone but you dont have to constantly upgrade every 6 months, crazy I know!

KungFuZod

@KillerBee:
It is the same. PhysX is already in the console versions.

Rotsujin

@DigitalHero: Awesome

@Laronvas: You raise an interesting point and I have unsure about entering the hardcore PC game fold for years. Its just that I felt the markup and constant upgrade requirements ae hardly worth it when you consider the minimal graphical differences. I mean if one can name me a game that looks considerably better than Uncharted 2 then I am willing to take the dive but as of now I see little reason to spend excessive amounts for an unnecessary luxury.

The PC gaming golden age of yesteryear is long gone. We are no longer in the days that PC engines paralleled arcades in offering an experience with which home consoles simply could not compare. And with home consoles becoming ever cheaper and more accessible I think the downwards trend of core gaming on the PC will continue.

uchennaokafor

@MrMister: It looks amazing to me with PhysX on as well. It doesn't add anything gameplay wise but it's the detail and makes Arkham that much more dark and sinister. One of the best parts that I think shows it off is the part where the 3 henchmen have guns and you have to go behind them and that area is filled with steam so when you are pulling off stealth takedowns it looks really awesome and not as silly as it looks without the steam.

@DigitalHero: Well... play more? Idk about you, but I couldn't put this down once I got it. Also, playing as the Joker is a blast.

Patriot Infinity

@Kenny: Mmmmm, I love colons!: This point you make is why alot of people don't game on PC, but it's also the SAME reason alot of people still do. =-p

you know thats something that i honestly noticed within minutes of playing the game, i had past a steam vent that was obviously blowing air hard, and figured that if they were gonna make it noticable like that, then the cape should swing too, NOTHING, i was kinda heartbroken but playted through anyways, this game is fantastic regardless

Lets see...

Phenom II X4 940, 4GB G.Skill DDR2 1066, GTX 295, Zalman 9900CNPS, Stealth Xtream 700WATT, Antec 1200 case. I AM READY.

jikifreak

@artofwar420: This comment has effected me greatly.

@Laronvas: Blah blah blah blah blah too expensive cry cry. That's all I heard.

I upgraded my PC to be next-gen (i.e., more power than 360 and PS3 combined) for around 400 bucks. This thing will last for another 5 years easy.

@Alexander Blom:

It's the amount of debris though. Try a simple PhysX demo on a computer and watch it crawl down (even if you have a GTX275+ video card) as you create more objects on screen.

But in my honest opinion, the Ageia engine isn't too great. A lot of these physics things could be optimized to run well on software.
Look at Havok for example. It's able to run on software (CPU) really well and is still impressive.
Same thing with the physics engine in Alan Wake. It uses an entire CPU thread for the physics and is able to reproduce a tornado.

The Ageia engine in its current state with all the bells and whistles enabled would run like shit on non PPU/NVIDIA hardware due to the way it was made.
But that doesn't mean that the same level of physics cannot be reached on other physics engine running on Xenon/Cell/multicore x86 CPU. They just have to write it for those platforms, that's all.

@I Am Error: I hope the next gen of consoles will support this Physx stuff. It won't change gameplay in this game, but I can imagine a sequel in which you'd have to slice off the banners to see the bad guys, with the banners "realistically" floating to the floor, startling the bad guys, etc. etc.

@LllusionX: Proud Commander of the Sony Attack Force Helghan!: Looks pretty realistic on the PS3.

@m9105826: "The destructible walls and floors aren't in the console versions" I seem to remember having to break some walls to find stuff...

I used to be a fairly PC only gamer about 5+ years ago..as I started doing the math I quickly realized the PC was in a way throwing away money to keep the hardware upgraded to play Batman as pretty as I could on next gen consoles (360/PS3)

The industry has made it easier by abandoning PC games anymore so I really won't be looking back on keeping my PC in the low-tier of tech.

The next upgrade I do will only be for Star Wars: Knights MMO.

Point? I'm glad I rented batman for $8 and got tons of joy from it rather then spend $700ish to upgrade my out of date PC so I could play it with PhysX technology then Ebay the retail Batman to recoup some $$ after I was done with it since you can no longer trade in PC games to any corporate retail stores.

I love the PC for making me a gamer back in the 90's...but I don't miss it anymore for anything other then MMO's...and that will vanish once MS/Sony get a clue and enable full blow keyboard/mouse support for all console gaming.

That is an awesome reason to spend over a grand on a computer to play games that you can also play on a $200 console.

XenoRaven

I love how every time the PC version has physX in it they always add stupid out of place banners to show off the effect.

Don't worry It'll sell just because it a lil better, my bro couldnt wait to show me COD:WAW and how the water splashes up! Woohoo! Whatever makes you feel better I guess...

@FAHtastic: Maybe his cape has a fan hidden underneath it to keep it from tangling around his legs. A side-effect is that it also blows up debris, papers and sand.... in front of him. Hey it almost worked :)

@Rotsujin: DUBBED BEBOP IS AWESOME!!!!

uchennaokafor

@Ike_Skelton: Also, what about Killer Croc, Man Bat and Clayface?

freshmilk

@Jyuu: But, correct me if i'm wrong, the UT3 map pack was alot more than Batman with destroyable walls etc? Batman just has more debris etc, nothing that really affects gameplay.

Actually what annoyed me the most with Batman on the 360 was that (nearly) every prop in the game was static rather than dynamic like they are in most games today. Knowing now that PC will have more debris etc i guess it will also have dynamic props?

Bah, I wanted more dynamic stuff! Stupid marketing gimmick.

Alexander Blom

@Paradox me: Because he's talking in trekkie!

@Ike_Skelton: ima big batman fan, but never read any comics or followed the original story, i just watched the movies and from that i like batman in the world of fantasy and darkness more..... may the enemys be supernatural, but thats just me :)

btw: need to play this game at the max of gfx settings, damn, im sure its teh expierience.

dudehuge

@DigitalHero: grats?

AAA FFECCT AAAFFECT.

Affect.

I own this on PS3 and have only played 30 minutes of it.

Why does every PhysX demo need to have those plastic sanitary things (:34 in the video)? It kind of gives the impression that PhysX can't really simulate much.

yggdriedi

@Mad as a Hatter: You cared enough to respond...

@KillerBee: The destructible walls and floors aren't in the console versions, nor are the 1920x1280+ resolutions.

@Alexander Blom:

The engine is one thing, the extra things possible when the engine is unleashed to its fullest is another.
The Ageia pack for UT3 is really demanding and not possible on consoles.

Ageia maps:
[www.anandtech.com]

Standard maps:
[www.anandtech.com]

@Kickers: Troll

Dash_Stryker

@LllusionX: Proud Commander of the Sony Attack Force Helghan!: I have no idea, I don't have enough experience with men in capes.

"Why is a man in a cape talking to my father? Why is my father talking to a man in a cape?" - George Costanza

@Ike_Skelton: I really like the Burton movies, even more than BB and TDK.

freshmilk

@searanox: your like the people at the restraunt i work at (pizza hut) people moan about their food and complain it happens EVERY time they eat here, then why do they keep coming back??

ddarkly

@LllusionX: Proud Commander of the Sony Attack Force Helghan!: Because PCs offer superior features for people with adequate hardware?

searanox

@SG79:
So PhysX is supported on the PS3, not RSX technically. The RSX is of a previous HW generation than the HW NVIDIA supports PhysX on. The PhysX API can run in SW or HW. It's just if you have the appropriate HW that you can accelerate it on a GPU.

If I had to guess, they probably just tuned it to run happily on the Cell processor.

RobbieS

@searanox: I wish you weren't going to get band for this.

Dash_Stryker

@Ike_Skelton: In fairness, Ivy does has chlorophyll for blood and and can control plants.

FAHtastic

@JohhnyDamage: If this is the case in the game, then I retract my original criticism. However, I would now like to criticize the marketing organization who put together that commercial for misrepresenting the game as a whole by showing a scene from the game that is not representative of the game as a whole.

Ike_Skelton

@Ike_Skelton: Thats in the Scarecrow parts so its just basically his imagination!

tdk08

Even though I will enjoy the Physx on the PC version, playing this at 1920x1200 native with all the textures and FSAA way up is more of a selling point.
And for those who don't care about this article or whatever, we get it, you got it first on console, congrats.

Greg Rassam

@Kickers:
So...perhaps technical discussions should be left to those with...technical knowledge? Developers could write their own 'compute' shaders now via CUDA, OpenCL, or roll their own GPGPU stuff. The reason developers use PhysX or any API is for the ease of use.

Sure, they could write their own physics implemenation, but that's a lot of work. Alternatively, they could just use a physics solution like PhysX or Havoc. It's the same reason developers use UE3 or some other engine instead of writing their own.

Plus...Intel won't be shipping DX11 (or even DX10) caliber HW for quite a while. If you use PhysX, it can run on SW on the CPU if needed.

I guess your post got what you wanted out of it. Some rabble rousing that other people who have no clue about this stuff will cheer on. But it strikes me as detrimental to these sorts of conversations...

RobbieS

@Sandbox_Emperor: That's a point. When I walk on paper on the floor, I step on it.

Maybe Batman scuffs his feet?

FAHtastic

Can we have a link to a non-shit video?

Oh right, I forgot. This is Kotaku.

searanox

@Ike_Skelton:

What about when he teams up with the Uber Human (read: SuperMan) in the comins and everything?

televizor

@Sex_For_Pandas: I did notice Steve Blum doing almost every voice in the game.

And for the record, Blum is an argument FOR watching the dub, not against.

FAHtastic

@Jnas: you are too minute for me to care

@Jnas: you are too minute for me to care

@dudehuge: First batman movies? The ones made by Tim Burton? Those movies are horrible. Maybe you're talking about the original Batman movies? Yeah, I've seen the original with Adam West long ago. Seem like normal people in those from what I remember. Burton's Batman movies are pure fantasy and a horrible interpretation. Fucking Tommy Lee Jones does a song and dance number in one of them.

Penguin? Fat ugly guy. Mr Freeze? Dr. Victor Fries (pronounced freeze) in a cryogenic suit (air conditioned suit if you will), not some supernatural freak. Poison Ivy? Beauty who likes to poison people. TwoFace? Guy who got half his face blown off and lived to tell about it.

These people are not supernatural, not living dead, not anything of the sort.

Ike_Skelton

@Kickers: So what alternative do they have today? Since that's when the game is being released.

Not to mention that the whole computer world isn't going to automatically switch to Dx11 when the cards come out.

@Ike_Skelton: Yes, congratulations. You just described the other 95% of the game.

FAHtastic

@LllusionX: Proud Commander of the Sony Attack Force Helghan!: Oh, you mean the complete lack of standards, general poor quality of ported games (See: Guitar Hero 3), Windows "Lock-In" that comes with most games, DRM, Poor Quality Control, Graphics that vary by system, etc, etc?

Yeah, unless you're playing games that just plain work better on PC (RTS, FPS, Flash games), I'd recommend staying clear of PC games, especially ones ported from consoles (but not vice-versa)

@eatsleepdie: actually, the cape effects, water, etc, were all done with actual in game physics. I agree that they looked more natural with the game, but they were no mere animations.

@Kickers: I know! PhysX isn't good news for us ATi owners.

AliShaikh

That's all well and good, but the real problem here is that the game claims you need an nVidia 8 series GPU or better to enable Anti-Aliasing, at least it does in the demo.

PhysX is fine, that's all nVidia, but to claim you require an nVidia GPU for AA? C'mon now. That's definitely not cool.

@[www.nzone.com]

PissedPS3Fan

@Kickers: You do KNOW that DX11 is no physics engine, what it brings is just unified support for computing stuff on the GPU. Physics, medical research or whatnot. It's basically the same as CUDA.

So PhysX or Havok will not die. They will both (probably) get GPU support on all DX11 cards.

Alexander Blom

@Kickers: So, you think it'd be more appropriate if they released a game that requires a brand new, top of the line graphics card instead of just throwing in a feature that will have the same effect on lower end PCs?

NeoStarr HD

Other than the papers flying around on the floor (which I think would be annoying) and the cloth banner thing, it looks exactly the same as the 360 game I just played and beat.

@Kickers: do you own a gaming rig? do you even know what your whining about?
First off dopey, not everyone is going to have DX11. Some of us refuse to use Vista to get DX10, so so much for DX11.
So.... again, o you even know what Physx is or does?
The only people who would whine about this either havent a clue or dont play PC games

Ur-Lord-Crypy

The differences are too minute for me to care.

@Pult|Ost - Not Backwards Compatible: well I have an 8600 GT.
and it can run the demo at High settting, with extremely smooth framerate. and a lot of new games too.. it's not sissy. it's BADASS.

Krizstof

Wow this is just silly, this is only a gimmick to help sell the game on PC. Both the PS3 and the 360 could handle that with ease.
I guess the game was not even delayed because of this. The "PC exlusive" was probably just disabled in the console builds.

I mean, UE3 already uses PhysX.

Alexander Blom

@LllusionX: Proud Commander of the Sony Attack Force Helghan!: Because of a feature that was hardly used to begin with?

@NKato: Because ATI and the whole quack.exe scandal was any better. You might be able to get PhysX or something like it with DirectCompute in DirectX11 on the ATI 5800 series. Supposedly the CUDA equiped Nvidia cards are already certified for DirectCompute even though they are only DirectX10 cards.

SScorpio

@dreamparacite: Prototype was buggy and poor looking on everything it was on, in relation to most current gen games.

@stingjc: God damn right I didn't play it. When I saw Batman fighting against skeletons on the commercial, I was like WTF is this? Batman is a rich guy with lots of gadgets, against crazy people, not supernatural creatures.

Ike_Skelton

@Ike_Skelton: since he lives in the same place where a man can be defeated by the color Yellow, since he was killed but not killed by darkseid when his soul was put in a purgatory like dimension, since he lives in the same universe where an alien looks exactly like a human being only faster and stronger because of a yellow sun, should i go on? the DC universe is a weird place

Rav Gar

@Kickers: This

This is why i don't PC game.

Doesnt the cape flow "realisticly" on all versions of the game?

@televizor:
Game isn't out in Japanese.
The guy who did Spiegel's English voice played a guard in AA as well as Killer Croc.

@Sex_For_Pandas:
Serves you right for watching dubbed Bebop v(=∩_∩=)

Rotsujin

@Ike_Skelton: real world based hero ? say this to pinguin, mr freeze, poison ivy or even 2face. watch the first batman movies, they were all fantasy, and its good, bcuz TDK was shitty, overhyped by the actors but not by batman himself.

dudehuge

@stingjc:

lol

@Ike_Skelton: ...That was in his imagination. Pay attention.

@SG79: I never knew PS3 supported PhysX. Interesting. Are there any games that already support it on the PS3? I don't remember seeing any.

@Guitarzan2k5 loves donuts: riiiiight. I assume your rig can't handle it, which is the ONLY reason you would say that.

@Mad-Hobo: Which is basically the same card as the 9800gt which i have, so i'd say your perfectly fine with it.

@Ike_Skelton: Says the guy who obviously didn't play the game.

By Jove, you're right. It doesn't bring about the gameplay, it just changes it.

Anonononomous

@televizor: Don't be such a hater.

Seriously, they put physx in a new game?!? Physx dies when dx11 cards come out in September. No developer is going to use physx when they could just use the compute shader that will allow physics acceleration on all cards; AMD, Intel and Nvidia. The only way it will last beyond that point is if nvidia shoves money at developers, but all that will do is delay the switch, not stop it. What a fail.

@Ike_Skelton:
toxin induced hallucination. only happens 3 times in the entire game.

Rotsujin

@Ike_Skelton: You ever see Batman Begins? You see what the Scarecrows gas does to you?

Good to see NVIDIA babbling on about their GimX engine.

@MrMister: I want to get this for the PC but my first PC game purchase (on disc) in forever was Prototype and that thing was buggy and slow as hell. It was unplayable. I exchanged it for the 360 version (not 100% legit BTW but it was at gamestop) and it fixed the problems. I'm wary of buying another PC game because if its problematic/buggy and you open the plastic wrapping you CANT return it or even sell it back to them, only exchange it for the same broken game :c

dreamparacite

@peterpanpiper2: Correct. PhysX is Nvidia cards only.

When did Batman enter an alternate universe where skeletons can come to life and fight him? He's a real world based superhero, yet this videogame seems to have him fighting supernatural beings. WTF?

Ike_Skelton

@DJ-Pie-Safety:
And I think that my 8800gs alpha dog will just howl in pain for the last time whenever I get to play this.

TaMss

@I Am Error: If I had a PC capable of running the game well, I'd have gone with the PC version, hooked computer up to TV and played with a 360 pad. Best of both worlds.

Jogfrog

@Sex_For_Pandas:

So you bought the game in Japanese? Or are you one of those dudes that watch dubbed anime ?

televizor

i could play this on pc

HeavyMental

as nice as it looks...it doesn't make me want to get it for the pc.

sorry guys but fancy physics just doesn't wow me. Besides i hate batman, so this would be a rent at best.

@DJ-Pie-Safety: Im still rolling along with my 8800GT

Mad-Hobo

@Zallin: No, newer Nvidia cards (8800 onwards) natively support PhysX and will run whatever special effects along with running the game.

You'll need newer drivers though.

@peterpanpiper2: You can try, but most likely things will slow to a crawl. The...second level of Mirror's Edge, I want to say, had you running through an area with lots of glass while people shoot at you. The game ran fine with my 4850 until that glass started breaking...turning off PhysX fixed it up nicely.

@crabperson: Is it anything like the Incredible Machine series? cause those where amazing!

Mad-Hobo

As much as I loved AA (especially finding the riddles,etc.) I hated that everytime I talked to a guard I heard Spike Spiegel's voice. Made me even more sad when I kept on seeing those guards dead all over the place.

SPIKE DIES...over and over again....

@peterpanpiper2: You wont unless you add a Nvidia card to run PhsyX.

At least this game will use it more intelligently than Mirror's Edge. Yeah, ME did a lot of nice PhysX effects, but they were almost always behind you. It's a game about running away from the action for cryin' out loud!

That said, I also won't be seeing them because I didn't go Nvidia. I almost did after some driver fiascos years ago, but my newer 4850 has been much nicer to me.

it actually looks kind of annoying to have paper flying all over the place when youre simply walking across the room

My GTX 260 natively supports PhysX... I played the demo and noticed every little physics related detail and by god it's awesome.

MrMister

Do you need a dedicated physics card to get these effects?

mmmm textures

@peterpanpiper2: nope, PhysX is proprietary for Nvidia

I had already planned on buying the PC version. While its a nice improvement, I don't think any console players will feel left out because of this.

Relatively simple stuff, but cool nonetheless. PhysX isn't exactly robust.

I wonder if a PS3 patch will be released eventually since RSX does support PhysX. Though I'd imagine the version of UE3 used will be a barrier.

@spoonTRex: That is in the console game as well.....

@Danny Chen: Good to know! It's the OC version too, and I even bumped up the clock a little past that and it runs pretty steady for about 2 hours. 3 - 4 hours I usually have a few blinking textures/ random graphical glitches. Nothing major though.

DJ-Pie-Safety

I guess is worth it if you rather game on a PC/notebook but me I rather play action games on a console. There just isn't enough difference for me to want to choose the PC version over the 360. I feel it looks the same except for the all the added particle effects/debris flying about.

sadly the faked animations on the console version look better and match the stylized look of the game.

eatsleepdie

@DJ-Pie-Safety: non sense, it runs on Unreal Engine 3, so you're 9600GT will handle it fine.

Danny Chen

I have an ATI HD 4850. Does this mean I won't be able to get those physx effects at all or what?

peterpanpiper2

i played the PC demo, on my gatway fx laptop with 8800m gts nvidia card, core 2 duo 2.2, 4 gigs ram and it looked better than the ps3 version and the physx stuff was awesome (even on the low physx setting). anyone know why the ps3 box for this game says physx on the back?

jslizzle

Ugh. I guess I wasn't going to buy this game twice (getting it for PS3), but I missed the promotion for a free copy by 2 days. 2 DAYS.

All I got was Crazy Machines 2...
(don't even bother, looking it up is a waste of your time)

They're nice, but since PhysX was originally third party and then purchased by nVidia, I'm kinda annoyed. I don't want to consider purchasing nVidia hardware primarily because of their ethical conduct during that benchmarking scandal a few years ago.

@DJ-Pie-Safety:

Yeah I have a 9600GT too, and it runs the demo on high settings well. Enabling PhysX though would take too much of a hit on performance for that card, so I'm gonna keep-it disabled.

TheHeeyyy

@DJ-Pie-Safety: 9600GT? Really? That's a sissy card. My Laptop has a version of that and it's not a gaming laptop.

Just got done playing AA this weekend on a console, and yes...the PC version does look better. Nothing major, but everything looks a little sharper or more detailed.

DarthVegan

@DJ-Pie-Safety: Wrong, SLI FTW!

Yep, it's totally worth to wait 3 weeks for some small effects that my PC won't be able to handle!

@ArtemisFei:

Some of the PhysX effects were available in the PC demo.

TheHeeyyy

My card supports PhysX, and does almost all new games flawlessly, but I think it would burst into flames if I tried to play this.

I can always get another one for cheap and run it in SLi... 9600GT ftw.

DJ-Pie-Safety

@ArtemisFei: I don't think it was.

Is this in the demo on the PC version? Because I see some of the effects when I was playing it.

ArtemisFei

I love how most of the new effects are almost directly ripped from the PhysX enhanced Mirror's Edge. I mean, the plastic, see-through gate is completely out of place!

spoonTRex

Tarp physics!! Yiiieeeeah! It's Mirror's Edge all over again.