5 December 2008
Josh

Mirror’s Edge PC version uses NVIDIA PhysX Technology (new physics engine)

Good things come to those PC gamers who were willing to wait before they picked up Mirror’s Edge. The PC version (release date: January 13th, 2009 in America) will be coming with support for NVIDIA’s PhysX technology to give the game more realistic physics effects than any other version. By far.

Watch this video of Mirror’s Edge for PC below to get an idea of the physics involved:

With the NVIDIA PhysX physics engine, the world of Mirror’s Edge comes to life with real affects of wind, weapons impact, and in-game movements. Every-day objects within the game become part of the overall experience. Cloth, flags, and banners can now impact weapons and players; ground fog interacts with the player’s footsteps; explosions fill the air with smoke and debris; and weapon impacts are enhanced with interactive particles.

“Faith’s world in Mirror’s Edge is visceral, immediate, and very dangerous; it is imperative that the gameplay reflect this level of urgency,” said Owen O’Brien, Senior Producer at DICE. “NVIDIA PhysX technology affords us the ability to bring a totally new level of immersion to the game, and by doing so, gamers can truly become part of the world.”

On the PC, PhysX technology harnesses the power of CUDA, NVIDIA’s general-purpose, parallel-computing architecture, to handle 10-20 times more visual complexity than what’s possible without a GeForce CUDA-enabled GPU. And unlike competitors’ solutions, which do not offer hardware-scaling capabilities, only PhysX technology leverages the best of both CPU and GPU architectures to deliver the ultimate, immersive, user experience. With over 100 million CUDA-compatible GeForce 8 Series and higher GPUs shipped to date, PhysX technology has the largest installed base of general-purpose, parallel-computing processors to run on.

“If you love intense combat scenes, fast-paced chases, and sky-high adventures then Mirror’s Edge is the game for you,” said Ujesh Desai, vice president of GeForce desktop business at NVIDIA. “Gamers will appreciate the greater freedom of movement, including sliding under barriers, tumbling, wall-running, and shimmying across ledges—all within an environment that is dynamic and immersive, delivered in part by our PhysX technology”.