Hardware accelerated physical effects is probably one of the hottest topics around at the moment and since AGEIA launched its first PhysX expansion card both NVIDIA and ATI have presented their own physics solutions Everyone wants a piece of the cake and nobody wants to be left behind. While many claims this is just a fad, we’ve now received more evidence saying that it is most likely just a matter of time before the real effects start kicking in. ExtremeTech has published an article that says that Microsoft is planning to integrate support for physics into its DirectX API (Application Program Interface). This information comes from Microsoft which has been advertising openings for the “Direct Physics” team.
Exactly what Microsoft is planning to do is a bit foggy, but just the fact that it is emplying people in this field, and that it started doing so already in August of 2005 probably says a little of how far it has come.
“This team is responsible for delivering a great leap forwards in the way game developers think about integrating Physics into their engines. Physics and real time, accurate simulation is a key part of the next generation gaming experience, bringing increased realism, greater immersion and more interesting experiences.” – Microsoft om deras Direct Physics team.
We are looking foward to hearing more about Microsoft’s plans and welcome the fact that physical effects are taken seriously by both the game and hardware industry.
