UE3 evaluation/ProDG/PhysX/Havok in PS3 SDK

[wco81]

What is the license on this middleware?

Typically per unit, flat fee or a combination of both?

Do middleware licenses add significant development costs or revenue/profit participation?

I think someone expressed skepticism that the physics middleware at this time are tailored to the SPEs. But presumably that's planned?

Also, if the same physics middleware are used on both X360 and PS3, what are the chances that in porting games, this middleware will transparently support the XeCPU cores or the SPEs? IOW, will multiplatform games be able to exploit the hardware (the cores or the SPEs) with minimal porting efforts, since they're using the same or comparable tools?

 

[Carl B]

What is the license on this middleware?

Typically per unit, flat fee or a combination of both?

Do middleware licenses add significant development costs or revenue/profit participation?

I think someone expressed skepticism that the physics middleware at this time are tailored to the SPEs. But presumably that's planned?

Also, if the same physics middleware are used on both X360 and PS3, what are the chances that in porting games, this middleware will transparently support the XeCPU cores or the SPEs? IOW, will multiplatform games be able to exploit the hardware (the cores or the SPEs) with minimal porting efforts, since they're using the same or comparable tools?

To your first question, I believe that this deal with Sony is large enough that it would be structured completely outside of their norms for licensing; so we really don't know. Normally it would add significant development costs though. More than developing your own physics engine though? Probably not.

And tailoring them to SPE's is planned, though who knows how far along they are.

Your last question I can't answer, except to say that with the terms of these agreements with Sony, it seems that Sony would have rights to further customize their 'version' in order to optimize performance on the SPE's.