VIDEO: PC version of Mirror’s Edge features hardware PhysX

Posted at: 2:40pm 19th November 2008 by Ben Hardwidge

This time there’s a reason why the PC version has been delayed over the console versions

If you’ve become an envious green-eyed monster after seeing the shelves full of Mirror’s Edge boxes for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the shops, knowing that the PC version won’t be out until next year, then we’ve got some news that might ease your pain. Rather than making a poor man’s port from the console versions for the PC game, DICE has decided to massively improve the PC version of Mirror’s Edge, which will include hardware PhysX acceleration.

Owen O’Brien, senior producer at DICE, explained the move, saying that '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.' Nvidia’s vice president of its GeForce desktop business, Ujesh Desai, added that the PC version will feature ‘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.’

As such, owners of GeForce 8-series cards and above will be able to enable the PhysX effects in the game with hardware acceleration. Nvidia says the PhysX will include ‘real affects of wind, weapons impact, and in-game movements.’ As well as this, Nvidia claims that ‘everyday 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.’

It sounds as though PhysX is going to change the way in which the game works quite a lot, and that we’re not just talking about eye candy. Hence, we’re not entirely sure how this will affect gamers with non-PhysX hardware. We put the question to Nvidia, who pointed out that you can still enable PhysX in software, but it will be slower because it will run on the CPU. We’ll let you know more details about this when we have them.

Penned by British games journo (and former Custom PC hack), Rhianna Pratchett, Mirror’s Edge tells the story of Faith; an acrobatic courier who delivers confidential information via the city rooftops and aerial skyways to avoid being detected. Nvidia describes the PC version as ‘eye-popping’ and we’re looking forward to having a play on it. In the meantime, check out the new trailer for the PC version below, which shows some of the PhysX effects in action.