NVIDIA nTeresting Newsletter - 21 September 2012

In this Issue

· Borderlands 2 has launched and NVIDIA PhysX helps the PC stand above the rest.

· Dell's new high-density PowerEdge servers use Tesla GPUs to crunch data.

· As the latest additions to TegraZone, Fort Courage and The Bard's Tale mix great graphics with biting humor.

Back to the Borderlands

It's time to go back to Pandora. The highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed Borderlands game is out!

Borderlands 2 follows the story of four new Vault Hunters as they fight to free Pandora from the clutches of Handsome Jack, the brilliant, charismatic, and utterly despicable CEO of the Hyperion Corporation.

And if you play Borderlands 2, the platform of choice is the PC.

"Here's the thing. A good PC port isn't about adapting a game to our platform so that it can match or narrowly beat the consoles. It's about allowing what's destined to be the best version of the game to reach its full potential by harnessing vastly superior CPUs, GPUs, storage, controllers, displays, and networking. The difference between the console and PC versions at this point is rightfully going to be a massive, multi-generational gap.

Borderlands 2 may fall into that latter category. I think it probably does. But there was never any question which version of this precision-oriented shooter was going to be the best one. The question was only how well it would embrace that fate."

Playing it on a GeForce PC will allow you to take advantage of FXAA, as well as NVIDIA PhysX, which will completely change your gameplay experience.

"One of the flagship features of Borderlands 2 is the amazing PhysX particle effects made possible by running the PC version of the game off of NVIDIA graphics cards; specifically, the newer 600 line. I ran Borderlands 2 off of a GTX 660 overclocked to 110% power, with all settings set to high, and PhysX set to high. The difference is astounding."

Top developers like Gearbox choose PhysX, powered by NVIDIA's GeForce graphics cards, to achieve the most realistic and immersive environmental interactions and physics simulations.

"I played the PC version, and can attest that the game's comic-book art style has never looked crisper, and I was pleased to see all the additions Gearbox put in such as an FOV slider, more resolutions and other performance enhancers. NVIDIA's PhysX technology adds wonderful interactions with cloth, snow, enemies, and the environment."

NVIDIA loves PC gaming and we continue to work side by side with developers to improve the PC experience, as Jim Saunders, director of VFX and technical art at Gearbox Software, discusses in this interview:

"Although creating PhysX particles is like a fun mini-game in itself, a key requirement was that we didn't want to author a significant amount of PC-specific PhysX content. NVIDIA not only came up with a code solution to dynamically swap out our particles with PhysX equivalents, it also implemented its own changes and authored the majority of PhysX content. We really only offered cursory art direction and feedback. The NVIDIA guys know their tech and did a great job implementing cloth, so for us it was easy!"

Rev3Games has a video review of the PC vs Console versions here, so you can see the difference for yourself. Watch the first 20 minutes of the game with PhysX turned on here.

PC gaming is alive and well. It is thriving in Pandora. Get Borderlands 2 free with your purchase of a GeForce GTX GPU.

Dell Servers Go Tesla

Dell announced a new line of high-density PowerEdge servers for a range of high-volume, enterprise HPC, "big data" and hosting applications.

"Dell is releasing a revolutionary hardware platform today designed for the Big Data and Cloud Computing marketplace. The PowerEdge C8000 is the only platform available with the option to mix and match compute, storage, and GPU in the same 4U shared infrastructure chassis."

Dell will ship initially with Tesla M2090s, but later will support the Kepler-based Tesla K20 GPU accelerators.

Hear more from Armando Acosta, Product Manager at Dell in this video or read about it on our blog.

TegraZone Titles That Tickle The Funny Bone

Two great Tegra-optimized games launched this week with much fanfare and humor. The Bard's Tale took it back to the old school giving life to the classic early computer and console franchise. You are the Bard, a selfish rogue weary of pointless sub-quests and rat-infested cellars. Through song you summon magical characters to join you on your quest for coin. This hilarious romp down memory lane has reviewers not just cackling, but singing the praises of Tegra processors:

"Exclusive graphics that are optimized for Tegra devices, so grab them now to show off what your device can do."

"There are lots of moments that literally made me LOL when playing the game."

"The dialog is hilarious and sells the game pretty much on its own."

In Fort Courage, you're bored at school and as you fall asleep in class, you dream of hiding out in a fort deep within a dinosaur jungle, sneaking into a forbidden monster lab, and hacking into a robot factory on the surface of Mars! Armed only with your wits and imagination you must defend against waves of relentless enemies. Protect yourself with an arsenal of awesome toy weapons and cool power-ups. The laughs didn't stop with The Bard's Tale as a number of outlets have noted the laugh factor along with Fort Courage's addictive nature:

"Fort Courage is also full of humor, goofiness and straight up fun."

"The cutesy cel-shaded graphics look pretty good, and it's a surprising stylistic change for the developer."

"It just might be your next addiction."

If you're feeling nostalgic or have a desire to fend off prehistoric dinosaurs, killer robots and Martians, be sure to head over to TegraZone and check out The Bard's Tale and Fort Courage.