Mass Effect 2 PhysX System Software Error Message

If you are running the latest version of the Nvidia© PhysX™ System Software you will receive the following error message when you try to launch Mass Effect 2:

Failed to initialize the physics system. Please ensure you have an updated version of the PhysX System Software installed. 

It took me nearly forty minutes to figure out what the problem was and then the compatible version of PhysX. This problem occurred for me when I installed a new video card and updated my drivers. My DVD player on my tower is not operational and I can not access the Mass Effect 2 specific PhysX files on the disk. If you are also experiencing this issue then here is a solution.

1. Uninstall your old PhysX System Software. It may be listed under Nvidia or PhysX.
2. Download PhysX System Software v9.10.0513. You can download it here.
3. Launch and install PhysX_9.10.0513_SystemSoftware.exe

Here is another possible solution. If you have your disk available you can uninstall the existing Nvidia PhysX version and install from the setup that came with the Mass Effect 2 DVD disk.

Getting a Playstation 3 Controller to Work on Windows XP

Notes about this walkthrough...

I tried several solutions and I couldn't get mine to work for some reason. I had the required Sixaxis driver installed and it still wouldn't work until I tried Motionjoy. Download the program directly from their site, it's freeware. If you want the version I downloaded you can find it below in the downlaods section. I hope this works for you. If not there may be other solution, keep trying!

Installation Instructions

1. Launch the program "DS3 Tool"
2. Open the "Driver Manager" tab
3. Check the box for PLAYSTATION(R)3 Controller (it may be a named USB port instead)
4. Now click the "Install All" button and restart your system when prompted.
5. It may take a few minutes so be patient!
6. When your system re-initializes open your "Control Panel" then "Game Controllers"
7. On the "Game Controllers" window choose "Properties"
8. You can use this window to test the controller and see if it's functioning.

Using the controller with an emulator...

I was able to get my controller working with an old-school SNES emulator. You can download it below.
After you get your controlelr working you can launch the emulator "snes9x" and map PS3 buttons to the games functions. Go to Input->Input Configuration. I threw in my favorite old-school game too below. :D

Download Links

snes9x-1.53-win32 - Emulator
SNES Rom - Super Mario All-Stars
MotioninJoy_060004_x86_signed2

You may need 7zip, a free archiving program, to extract the files.