[Jason Vines]

Dedicated video accelerator cards for computers have been on the market a while now. These cards have allowed for much better computer graphics as time has progressed.

Recently, AGEIA introduced another kind of card to aid computer generation of worlds: the PhysX. Whereas an NVidia GeForce 7800, for example, concentrates on graphics, the Physx helps with gaming physics. According to the web site, the PhysX accelerates:

Quote

• Universal collision detection
  
• Finite element analysis
  
• Soft body dynamics
  
• Fluid dynamics
  
• Hair simulation
  
• Clothing simulation

If the PhysX inspires physics cards to take off, the way the Voodoo did with graphics cards, then game developers will be able to make the worlds they create much more interactive and realistic. The next Unreal engine reportedly will take advantage of this.

The only bad thing about physics cards would be needing to worry about and pay for another category of computer hardware.

EDIT: ATI is working on incorporating physics acceleration into its graphics cards, so maybe in the long run, we won't have to worry about buying separate physics and graphics cards, after all.

This post has been edited by Jason Vines: 05 January 2006 - 03:32 PM