Batman: Arkham Asylum slips on PC

By Robert Purchese Published 6 August, 2009

Realistically, thanks to PhysX inclusion.

Eidos has pushed the PC release of Batman: Arkham Asylum back to 18th September.

The date arrives as NVIDIA confirms PhysX support for the game, which enables thick fog to spew down corridors, cobwebs to cling and tear, and office paper, cans and littler to leap into the air as Batman swoops on his prey.

And that's not all: wall tiles will chip, stone pillars will crumble, and broken glass and debris will tinkle and crunch around Batman's rubber boots.

To enable that you need an NVIDIA graphics card (GeForce 8-series or newer), the latest drivers and the Games for Windows - Live game.

PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Batman: Arkham Asylum launch on 28th August.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (50) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • andymale #1 3 years ago

    So it won't work with ATI cards ? I have PhysX in Trine and it works perfectly with my ATI card.

  • ZuluHero #2 3 years ago

    Aww dammit - i was thinking of getting the PC version as well :(

    So does this make the very resonable recommended PC specs even higher? These are the ones release a while ago:

    ---Minimum---
    o CPU: Intel single core 3 Ghz or AMD equivalent
    o Memory: XP = 1 GB, Vista = 2GB
    o GPU: Shader Model 3 NVidia 6600 or ATI 1300 or higher

    ---Recommended---
    o CPU: Pentium D 3Ghz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (Dual core)
    o Memory: XP = 2GB, Vista = 3GB
    o GPU: NVidia 7900 GT or higher
    Edited by 1 at 06/08/09 @ 15:16

  • the_dudefather #3 3 years ago

    'I'm sorry sir, but the Pc version is delayed'
    'WHERE IS IT!!!
    'I...I.. Don't know, I swear!'
    'SWEAR TO ME!!!'

  • john_silence #4 3 years ago

    Alert! Neither Cryostasis nor Mirror's Edge work on my ATI-equipped PC - the only two games not to work among the last thirty or so I've bought, and the only two to boast advanced PhysX effects. No amount of tweaking or patching resolved this. Hell, even GTAIV and Arma II launched without issue! If there's any kind of Radeon part within your PC, I'd advise trying to run a demo first - *or something*.
    Also, don't you love how they just delay the game for an entire platform just to implement a feature only a fraction of the userbase has access to/cares about?

  • Salaminizer #5 3 years ago

    @john_silence: it's just an excuse. I think they are afraid of piracy, which is interesting because it uses GFWLCRAP and the last version apparently has the day 1 protection, something like that.

    edit: actually, Red Faction: Guerrilla and Section 8 come out in the same day, so I take back what I said.
    Edited by 1 at 06/08/09 @ 15:51

  • StooMonster #6 3 years ago

    Cool, I will buy this on PC now.

  • UncleLou #7 3 years ago

    So does this make the very resonable recommended PC specs even higher? These are the ones release a while ago:

    Only if you want to use PhysX - in which case you can expect quite a performance hit. Sacred 2 and Mirror's Edge's framerates go down a third (not to a third, mind) with enabled PhysX effects, at a guess (on my PC).
    Edited by 1 at 06/08/09 @ 16:11

  • Darren #8 3 years ago

    @john_silence - I thought all games worked with ATI graphics cards regardless of whether PhysX support was included or not? Doesn't the game detect the card in use and just remove the PhysX effects if you don't have the required hardware? I mean that's the sensible thing to do, right, rather than restrict your sales? Besides, the specs posted by ZuluHero for Batman Arkham Asylum lists ATI cards in the minimum spec after all?

    As for this game, it's yet ANOTHER delayed PC game to join all the others (Resident Evil 5, Red Faction Guerilla) so it really shouldn't have surprised me. I was half expecting it anyway to be honest after the long wait we've had for FUEL and Bionic Commando for example. Sucks to have to wait but I guess it's only three weeks.

    Although I have PhysX capable hardware, I've yet to see a game that actually makes impressive use of it to the extent that it adds to something worthwhile to the game. They didn't do much for Mirror's Edge IMO and Cryostatis as a game was beyond awful anyway so no amount of fancy effects was ever going to save it or do anything for the otherwise lousy graphics (mostly sparse, bland, box-like rooms). I can't see it adding much, if anything, to Batman Arkham Asylum but we'll see.

  • Freek #9 3 years ago

    They can't add anything beyond small graphical touches, otherwise the game does become incompatible with a large section of the market.

  • UncleLou #10 3 years ago

    I quite liked what they did with Mirror's Edge - it wasn't that much, but it helped to "animate" (no pun intended) the somewhat sterile world a little.

    Most obvious use is in Sacred 2 - lots of leaves blowing in the wind, enhanced spell effects, falling rocks, etc. It's quite nice.

  • ZuluHero #11 3 years ago

    @unclelou

    What kind of thing did they add in Mirrors Edge then?

  • byron_hinson #12 3 years ago

    @andymale - it has Physx in Trine, but won't use it without a nVidia card

  • andymale #13 3 years ago

    @byron_hinson

    thanks mate, too bad then. :)

  • Optimaximal #14 3 years ago

    This 'PhysX' delay is a load of bullshit - I know for a fact that PCZone already have their review copy because I have several of their reviewers on my Steam Friends list and one of them was playing it the other day and was even complaining on Twitter when his save games disappeared.

    They're worried about the whole 'piracy cannibalises console sales' problem and obviously have no faith in the newly implemented day-zero protection offered by GFW:Live.

  • UncleLou #15 3 years ago

    @unclelou

    What kind of thing did they add in Mirrors Edge then?

    Glass splittering realistically (and shards raining down), tarpaulins tearing up and fluttering in the wind (flags, too), that sort of stuff. With/without comparison video here. Nothing major, it just adds a little detail to the world.

  • Hypercube #16 3 years ago

    So are the extra touches that PhysX brings to the game going to be absent from the 360 and PS3 versions then?
    Was going to get this on console so I can see it on a large TV, but now I'm not so sure - I'm upgrading my monitor anyway, so perhaps I'll just hunch that little bit closer to the screen...

  • john_silence #17 3 years ago

    I do indeed suspect this is a lie and they just aren't through with the porting and optimization; and they'd rather say "we're adding something exclusive to the PC version" rather than "oh well, all of our sales come from the console market anyway so why should we bother with your goddamn beige boxes".

  • Mooglepies #18 3 years ago

    Delay is probably so potential day 0 pirates on PC mightbe persuaded to pick up the console versions instead. Depressing.

    At least it's only a 21 day wait though.

  • Jonathan_Fakenham #19 3 years ago

    Batman slips on PC, realistically due to PhysX.
    Ah man, that subtitle was genius.

  • ZuluHero #20 3 years ago

    @unclelou

    Ohh that was kind of nice, I think I was most impressed by the shrink-wrap plastic and the tarp that you mentioned. I’m guessing you can just run through them as well - you don't have to shoot your way through it right?

    Is the slow down when its ON deliberate or a consequence though? ;)

  • bluem4gic #21 3 years ago

    Haha I laugh at their statement I laugh

    They must think we were born yesterday

    I believe this zero day protection mechanic that they have put in the game is a bit silly

    Are you telling me if I get my copy of the game from shopto a few days early I can't play it till the day of release

    Why don't they do that for their console games? People pirate console games just as much as the PC releases

    Stupid move

    * runs off to steam
    Edited by 3 at 06/08/09 @ 17:29

  • UncleLou #22 3 years ago

    Damn console gamers, stealing games when there's also a PC version, I knew they're to blame. :p

    Anyway, even if it's to combat piracy, it's only a few weeks, and they're adding stuff. Fine by me.

    Is the slow down when its ON deliberate or a consequence though? ;)

    I think you'll find they slow down both sides of the video to show off the effects. ;) The framerate as such is definitely noticable lower though with PhysX enabled.

    And yeah, you can jump through the tarps.
    Edited by 1 at 06/08/09 @ 18:44

  • uiruki #23 3 years ago

    I rreally liked the extra PhysX effects in Sacred 2, the backdrops seemed a little sterile without them.

    On a related subject, isn't one of the features proposed for DirectX 11 pretty much providing graphics card processing like this at a universal level?

  • hiddenranbir #24 3 years ago

    These effects aren't possible on 360 and PS3, right?

  • Sharzam #25 3 years ago

    @ andymale

    if using ATI card your pc has to use a software based physix system, you can still fully use it but it uses your CPU to process it. if you have a modern Nvidea card then the physix system is done on the GPU and is hardware based so uses less power and it is more realstic.

    @hiddenranbir

    Correct, they cant even come close
    Edited by 1 at 06/08/09 @ 20:34

  • TheTingler #26 3 years ago

    (shakes fist in the general direction of Square Enix) Noooooooo!!

  • smelly #27 3 years ago

    meh.. fluff.

    Im sure these things will make the game play LOADS better.

  • absolutezero #28 3 years ago

    Aye bull fucking shit its because of PhysX.

    No PC version = No choice but to buy the console version if you want it on Day 1. The console version just happens to cost more money.

  • Darren #29 3 years ago

    I've just tried the PS3 demo and it is awesome, it's going to be so hard resisting one of the console versions while waiting for the definitive PC version.

  • Jdoki #30 3 years ago

    @Darren
    Agreed. Just played the PS3 demo myself. Was pleasantly surprised how much fun it is.

    Only downside to me is the use of the Unreal engine. Has that plasticy look of Gears of War, and rather static environments. Developers need to give Epic the finger and move on to better engines and middleware solutions.

  • Darren #31 3 years ago

    Yeah, the characters do have a plastic sheen to them but I think it works well here since the game seems to mirror the comics/cartoons art style rather than the photorealism of the movies. I think the game looks really nice myself, something of a surprise when so many Unreal Engine 3 games (IMO) tend to look very bland and samey. It's the best use of the engine since Gears of War 2 I reckon.

    Didn't notice any of those annoying texture pop in issues either which tends to give UE3 away so had I not seen the Unreal logo on the loading screen I wouldn't have even known what engine it was using. I reckon the PC version will be a real visual feast with DX10, AA and AF support.

  • Gearskin #32 3 years ago

    I asked about that whole texture thing recently... won't be seeing any of it here. They've tampered with the engine. In single player it's one load, game streams from that point without any issues

  • Seoh #33 3 years ago

    Wouldn't it make more sense to patch something like this in at a later date since it was so close to release? this just encourages me to buy it for my PS3 rather than wait for PC.

    At least its just 2 weeks.

  • smelly #34 3 years ago

    @Svpamm1 : Cant figure out if you're taking the piss or you really are quite possibly the most dumbest little dumbshit dumbtard i've ever read on here.

    I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now.

  • smelly #35 3 years ago

    >PhysX also impacts pretty hard on the frame rate

    Surely the whole point in having physics in hardware is so that it DOESNT effect the framerate?!?

  • Darren #36 3 years ago

    Batman Arkham Asylum PC demo is out now, it's referred to as v1.2 and is 2 GB in size. It can be downloaded from here:

    [link url=http:/ /www.fileshack.com/file_download.x/14922#
    ]http://ww w.fileshack.com/file_download.x...[/link]

    I suspect other sites like GamersHell.com will get it shortly too.

  • UncleLou #37 3 years ago

    >PhysX also impacts pretty hard on the frame rate

    Surely the whole point in having physics in hardware is so that it DOESNT effect the framerate?!?

    Er, the Nvidia cards don't have dedicated PhysX hardware, but the physics are calculated on the GPU, whose processors are allegedly much better for that sort of thing, instead of on the CPU, and so there's a much smaller impact on the framerate.

  • neems #38 3 years ago

    2Gb demo? Ouch.

    For me, the aforementioned Mirror's Edge features the best utilisation of UE3 going - stunning looking game, and runs beautifully. Although I don't use the physx stuff, as it makes my GPU cry (or my CPU, even with quad core). That's why I'm so very pleased that another game has been delayed to implement a feature that nobody needs, and few people want (I'm looking at you, Dirt 2).

  • muscleblade #39 3 years ago

    I want the (probably best) 360 version. Console games usually works best on consoles.

  • ChaK #40 3 years ago

    I'm so very bored with that.

    When PC version doesn't get delayed for piracy reasons, it's for stupid ones.


    Look devs: WE DO NOT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT PHYSIX.

    Now just implement it through a patch as everybody just do anyway !

  • sneetch #41 3 years ago

    @ChaK
    Look devs: WE DO NOT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT PHYSIX.

    Now just implement it through a patch as everybody just do anyway !

    Welcome to Internet News this morning's top story: a random man has decided what we care about!

    We'll have more on that in a few minutes but first over to Tammy for the traffic. Tammy.

  • lunnyt00n #42 3 years ago

    Just downloaded the demo from Nzone and have to say that the game is really good. Good stealth and great combat, and the dark humour of the joker is ever present throughout.

    Superhero games aint usually my thing, but this will be purchased on day 1

  • ChaK #43 3 years ago

    @sneetch : sure I'm random and I'm just expessing badly what I think.

    But, fact is devs ALWAYS release games and then patch it, it's weird their's delaying a game for what...5/10% of PC gamers that care about physix? (which btw I think i'm over-estimating)
    Edited by 1 at 07/08/09 @ 12:30

  • absolutezero #44 3 years ago

    Protip its not being delayed because of PhysX or piracy. Its being delayed so it can make more money through console sales. Publishers also love that console is a closed platform with no way to tinker with the games. Unlike the completely open way in which the PC works.

  • Gearskin #45 3 years ago

    Didn't someone say earlier that the PC version is pirate proof anyway? Due to GFW?

  • sneetch #46 3 years ago

    @ChaK
    @sneetch : sure I'm random and I'm just expessing badly what I think.

    But, fact is devs ALWAYS release games and then patch it, it's weird their's delaying a game for what...5/10% of PC gamers that care about physix? (which btw I think i'm over-estimating)

    I think you're likely to be just pulling numbers out of the air and presenting them as facts because it suits you to believe that very few people care (because you don't care and so "logically" neither does anyone else), but that's besides the point. Personally, I think that physics don't make the game but a decent physics engine can add a huge amount of immersion to a game. For example, good fog effects will be damn near required for a Batman game: it's a bit of a let down if Batman just pops into view after "stepping out" from behind some crappy grey blob.

    Who knows why they have to delay it to include PhysX? For all we know the default physics engine on the PC version is just plain broken or damn near non-existent and this extra time is required to prevent floating objects or fix crappy effects?

  • Darren #47 3 years ago

    There are ways around GFWL, Gearskin.

    I always buy PC games (honest!) but I use NoDVD hacks to circumvent the need to have the disc in the drive. They all work with the GFWL games I have: Viva Pinata, Gears of War, FUEL, etc. yet I'm still signed into LIVE so if they work with the originals then they'll certainly work with illegally downloaded copies as all you'd need to do is replace the original game executable with the cracked one.

  • obscured021 #48 3 years ago

    I like physx, it adds alot more flash to the games, the answer for slower frame rates is to get a cheap 8xxxx or 9xxxx card and run the physx on it, when i up graded to a 295gtx I put my old 8800GTX ultra in for physx and my frame rates went up by about 10-25% which was about 10-20 FPS depending on the game

  • sneetch #49 3 years ago

    @obscured021
    I like physx, it adds alot more flash to the games, the answer for slower frame rates is to get a cheap 8xxxx or 9xxxx card and run the physx on it, when i up graded to a 295gtx I put my old 8800GTX ultra in for physx and my frame rates went up by about 10-25% which was about 10-20 FPS depending on the game

    Oooh. Good idea. I'm getting a new PC soon (economy willing), I'll hold onto my old card for that.

  • IronCladChicken #50 3 years ago

    ATI really need to get their hardware driven havok engine sorted out.