AMD: PhysX Is Only Used Because Of Cash Incentives [AMD Product Manager Retorts That Game Developers Only Use NVIDIA's Physics Processing Technology For The Cash]

While NVIDIA’s PhysX technology is cutting edge in terms of computer gaming graphics, AMD isn’t very impressed. An AMD product manager of developer relations says that developers only add PhysX compatibility to their games because of cash and marketing incentives from NVIDIA. He says, “They’re not doing it because they want it; they’re doing it because they’re paid to do it.”

PhysX started out as an independent company that produced standalone physics processors for games that were sold on PCI cards that would (ideally for them) be in every gaming computer along with a dedicated video card. While gamers weren’t keen on buying another $150 card for improved physics in their games, NVIDIA purchased the company and has incorporated their hardware-based processing technology into their graphics cards.

Very few computer games released these days are PhysX-enabled. The ones that are will have enhanced in-game physics. However, according to AMD senior manager Richard Huddy, these developers really don’t care about PhysX, they’re just in it for the cash. Huddy sat down with website THINQ and said some pretty damning things about NVIDIA’s PhysX technology.

Huddy, who handles developer relations for AMD (and ATI, AMD’s graphics card subsidiary and long-time NVIDIA rival), said: “I don’t know of any games company that’s actually said ‘you know what, I really want GPU-accelerated PhysX, I’d like to tie myself to Nvidia and that sounds like a great plan.” AMD is upset because users who are using ATI graphics card will not have their games enhanced by improved hardware-based physics rendering from NVIDIA cards.

According to Huddy, deals to include PhysX in games are being sold to the game publishers as marketing deals where NVIDIA will assist in marketing the game and provide cash, in return for PhysX support in the games. Huddy says only Epic Games, developers of the Gears of War and Unreal, had a genuine interest in adding PhysX support.

While Mr. Huddy predicts proprietary technology like PhysX will go away (a point he plans to make at a session at this week’s Game Developer’s Conference), Intel’s Havok FX technology was supposed to be an open-standard for hardware-based physics processing. ATI showed a few prototype cards that featured Havok FX physics processing but no ATI cards have been brought to market with this technology. Unfortunately, for ATI, Intel gave up on releasing their Havok FX physics middlewear.

This leaves NVIDIA and their PhysX technology as the only choice for gamers and developers who want hardware-based physics in their games.