[MUD-Dev2] [MEDIA] Intel Purchases Game Tools Firm Havok

[Peter Keeler]

Jon Mayo wrote:

>> 2) Why else does Intel want Havok? (I have some suspicions.)
> 
> Sometimes these companies scoop up products that have some synergy
> with their own. The success of Havok helps sell Intel's server chips
> as game designers find uses for the SDK on the client and on the
> server. The big deal is the server, doing physics server-side allows
> for CPU hungry dynamic worlds. I can only assume "cpu hungry" is of
> interest to Intel.

I've been going to a 500 person LAN party in Portland, OR called PDXLan 
for several years now; been to 6 events so far. Intel is the primary 
sponsor of the event and always gives a presentation part way through. 
Usually their presentation revolves around gaming and multi-threading in 
games, and how CPUs with multiple cores will make gaming better.

When I heard they had bought Havok, I immediately recalled they had said 
in their last presentation that they were pushing game developers to go 
multi-threaded to make better use of the dual and quad core CPUs that 
are hitting the market now. What better way to do that than to buy Havok 
and refit it to be highly multi-threaded? Then, when game developers use 
Havok, they get a physics engine that can make full use of those shiny 
new quad core procs without doing much of the heavy lifting themselves.

   Pete