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Nintendo joins Khronos Group as a contributor member.
- Thread starter jmga
- Start date
MrCunningham
Member
Probably nothing. But who knows? Maybe they will add support for Vulkan in NX?
But honestly, the Kronos group develops the OpenGL API as well as the new open graphics API Vulkan. Nintendo relies on a variant of OpenGL ES for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U uses OpenGL as well.
He's literally saying nothing. I'm not sure why'd think this is important.
Delusibeta
Banned
Nintendo will at the very least has access to Vulkan's code for when they create the NX's graphics API.
Boulevard Bob
Banned
What do they really have to offer?
Omega Kirby
Member
I have no idea what this means.
Thank you. This post best explains this news. Most of the posts on the first page were funny but confusing.
Interested to see what comes of this.
blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
The GLES (1.1) in the 3DS is a done deal - nintendo would hardly need a place on the steering committee for that. WiiU using OGL is news to me.
Vulkan, GLES (3 and up), OpenCL, WebGL/CL are the potential areas where nintendo might have a vested interest.
Kotaku: Zelda confirmed for PlayStation
Monocle
Member
Pretty much what I was thinking.
MrCunningham
Member
Well, OK. Nintendo probably doesn't officially use OpenGL for the Wii U, but I remember reading somewhere that they use a API that was based on OpenGL for the console.
But yeah, going forward, they probably rely on some of those open API's for their next console, and joining Kronos will probably give them extra perks like tech support. Vulkan seems like a good solution for their next console though, low level API with high performance and it meets the standards of current GPU's.
ashecitism
Member
WebGL
I will be honest, Nintendo tends to track technology that has been proven... as much as they might have an eye on Vulkan, I doubt that there would be much interest in the mid-term on a spec that has yet to be released yet (unless they have viewed it themselves prior to release). At this point, I would be surprised if the NX has Vulkan support...
It also a question of what kind of input would Nintendo have on a spec that has been mostly developed in their absence. I doubt it would be much.
I would think that given the general success of the Nintendo Web Framework, WebGL would have more of their interest and more of their input. It also tries into there mobile aspirations, given Andorid's support of that spec for the last few years now.
MrCunningham
Member
No, all Direct3D is proprietary to Microsoft and is only found in their products. Kronos offers the open source alternative to this. There is really no threat unless Microsoft decides to make all of their DirectX libraries open source and free for anyone to use.
Oh, that's true. It is probably more related to the WebGL stuff given that their upcoming NX console may be a handheld/ home console hybrid.
Let's imagine Nintendo has a game they want to make into a web game using WebGL but their conversion process would need an extension it doesn't support. They can bring this up with the rest of the group and get it put in the roadmap instead of waiting forever until someone else suggests it.
lol, Direct anything will never be a threat to OpenGL as long as it's only on Microsoft's product line
Obviously the first, the other tiers are useless for Nintendo.
Glad to have a new Nintendo insider thenLol my university is on that as well
Thanks for the reply. ....I think I get it now; makes sense.
Theanine3D
Member
If this leads to Nintendo consoles being easier to port to, it can only be a good thing.
Mihos
Gold Member
It doesn't mean shit. basically they agree not to sue each other if they use the tech that is being promoted through that group. It doesn't compel you to use any of it, and doesn't prevent you from using the same proprietary stuff you always have used if your proposed changes get rejected but the larger group (most common scenario).
The Open stuff could be the base of you whole design, or just some corner of a web browsing app that gets thrown out in beta. It's there and legally worry free if you want to use it, so big companies wanting to have it available and help guide it towards their own goals makes sense. Using the specifications helps with collaboration on joint ventures, like for 3rd party development on your hardware, but there is still no guarantees
whoh, how did I not know about this.
POWERSPHERE
Banned
I have zero idea of what this means but boy do I love logos!
Trust me. I'm a PhD
Member
Oh, snap! KU! 막걸리 대학교!^^ I didn't know my university was a member (then again, I have never been to the computer science side of things^^)!
AcademicSaucer
Member
I think he thought it was interesting that the owner of Phoronix would sign an NDA with Nintendo.
Because, in the grand scheme of things... it's one of the small victories that the Wii U has got. That being said, it has a few HTML5 games that have been ported to the system using it, and happens to be one of the few things that you hear from indie developers about the system.
All in all... not bad for a system pushed into the background.
Moving forward, one of the better things to do is extend the framework (and maybe look into being Blink-based than Webkit-based). As much as NWF does track WebGL 1.0(I think, it's rather simple WebGL-support at the least)... the GL has seen many improvements since then.
It means Nintendo might have finally seen the light.
They don't gain anything by developing proprietary APIs for their consoles anymore, because they don't aim at a technological advantage. Instead they alienate third parties, because it requires additional effort to port from e.g. OpenGL to a proprietary API.
My bet: NX will support Vulkan and OpenCL and maybe maybe webgl, but no full blown OpenGL spec.
They don't gain anything by developing proprietary APIs for their consoles anymore, because they don't aim at a technological advantage. Instead they alienate third parties, because it requires additional effort to port from e.g. OpenGL to a proprietary API.
My bet: NX will support Vulkan and OpenCL and maybe maybe webgl, but no full blown OpenGL spec.
Hero of Legend
Member
Isn't Vulkan full blown OpenGL, just the next step with low-level access like DX12/Mantle?
For those interested, the linux/vulkan thing comes from this thread on the phoronix forum:
http://www.phoronix.com/forums/foru...222-the-platforms-initially-supporting-vulkan
I still think Nintendo might have chosen AoSP as the OS for NX.
This is the guys profile who says he's under NDA: http://www.michaellarabel.com/michael.php
http://www.phoronix.com/forums/foru...222-the-platforms-initially-supporting-vulkan
I still think Nintendo might have chosen AoSP as the OS for NX.
This is the guys profile who says he's under NDA: http://www.michaellarabel.com/michael.php
MrCunningham
Member
Not really. Vulkan does combine elements of OpenGL and OpenGL ES into a new API built from the ground up. It has no backwards comparability with OpenGL. Vulkan ditches GLSL shader language for something called SPIR-V which works in a binary level to reduce overhead. Basically when Khronos started development on Vulkan, they wanted to start with a fresh new API and remove all the cruft and overhead of OpenGL.
Vulkan is actually built on AMD's (soon to be dead) Mantle, AMD handed the source codes off to the Khronos group. Khronos is still going to be developing OpenGL though, mostly for legacy reasons. But I doubt it will be getting as much attention from now on. Companies like Nvidia, AMD and Intel are already developing new video drivers for Vulkan. I think they will work alongside OpenGL.
ScepticMatt
Member
SPIR-V isn't binary at all. It is a immediate language (like e.g. Java). This is deliberate change from Mantle to allow better hardware vendor compatibility.
Diprosalic
Banned
seems like pretty much everyone is in it
The SPIR-V language is saved in a binary format, but it is not a binary executable.
You are correct saying that it is a intermediate (and most importantly platform-independent) language and cannot be executed directly like a compiled binary (.exe). It is not like assembler, because you wouldn't write it by yourself except for very simple testcases. From the SPIR-V whitepaper:
https://www.khronos.org/registry/spir-v/papers/WhitePaper.pdf
SPIR-V is generated for example from OpenCL sources or GLSL sources. The binary (but not yet executable) output can then be interpreted by the graphics driver independent of the graphics card itself. So it's not like java, but a little bit more like Java bytecode.
The Wiki page lists them as a contributor.