Maybe this was Mantle's real goal, to help push the GPU industry as a whole forward
All the Windows 8 FUD is really unfounded. You can pretty much banish the Metro interface from existence and get 8 to 7's functionality and usability with a few minor tweaks.
As someone said though, under-the-hood they're all very similar, so yeah, an exclusive API at this point would be pure marketing. I'd expect that of Microsoft with D3D but not AMD/Mantle or Khronos/OpenGL.
3 low-level APIs? Sounds like we've regressed a bit.
I think the real goal of Mantle was to give AMD an edge, like most companies making for profit innovation.
Was G-Sync created to push universal framerate adaptation? Likely not.
Also, some games do have Win8 specific issues.
It sucks that you have to use these unofficial method. Also, some games do have Win8 specific issues.
With low level DX11 and OpenGL drivers + multiple vendor support isn't Mantle pretty much useless now or no?!
Metro still sucks with a keyboard and a mouse. MS realized this and you'll see more of that later this year.
Luckily you can install classic shell for free and make windows 8 into a much faster windows 7. Most people who go to use their new laptop to horror don't know of classic menu software though, and it takes them awhile to realize they can start typing the software they want to start.
So MS sits on their ass doing fuck all until they have some actual competition? Business as usual I suppose.
This is great.
EDIT: It won't be that great, if these new DirectX features are Windows 8 exclusive.
Mantle am cry?
Why then does the quote say...
I doubt they are talking about the Wii U or PS4
Begun, the war against Mantle has.
It should be reminded that the benefits of Mantle were almost entirely limited to cases of lower end CPUs.
The whole point is to reduce CPU load so the GPU can stretch its legs. Slower CPUs are going to see more benefit.
With low level DX11 and OpenGL drivers + multiple vendor support isn't Mantle pretty much useless now or no?!
Well, even if Mantle doesn't catch on, at least it likely lit a fire under the right asses for DX and OGL to improve.
Mantle has a much better chance of catching on than OpenGL and it is much younger.
I don't think so, considering OpenGL is familiar and already hardware agnostic. Mantle still only supports new GCN-based cards, and requires Vendors (Nvidia and Intel) to make software or even hardware changes to ensure compatability.
I think it was AMD subtley backing away from trying to beat Intel in the consumer CPU market. They have been 1-2 steps behind Intel since the Athlon 64 X2 era, and decided if they could get the focus away from CPU performance entirely, they could make gains in the consumer market. It had the added benefit of making their GPU's more appealing, but their GPU sector has continually been the one part of their company doing well.
This is good news for the PC as a platform, but it still depends on developers using the optimizations, and especially using newer versions of DirectX. Outside of Frostbite 3 there still isn't really an engine out there built from the ground up to take advantage of DirectX 10/11. It probably won't be for another year or so when new titles developed for the next-gen consoles start to trickle out their DirectX 11 ports.
OpenGL is actually the most commonly used 3D API on the planet, just like Linux is the most commonly used operating system. Only a tiny fraction of the computers out there are PCs, not even all of those use Windows, and even on Windows PCs, the vast majority of pro applications and quite a few games use OpenGL instead of DirectX.Mantle has a much better chance of catching on than OpenGL and it is much younger.
Sure, your points are true but where is the developer support and enthusiasm? Mantle has that, OpenGL does not at the moment.
Unreal 4 is DX11+ only iirc, the latest version of Cryengine is pretty good at taking advantage of DX11+ hardware and Crysis 3 was DX11 only, then there are a couple small ones like Bitsquid. On the upcoming side there is Nitrous Engine, Snowdrop/Disrupt (The Devision/Watch Dogs), and Luminous Engine is built around DX11 as well tho it remains to be seen if SE actually release anything built on it on PC.
Probably a silly question, but does all low-level access require specifically developing a game with that in mind, or could future optimizations in Directx / OpenGL generally improve their performance in games (specifically older games from before these updates)?
All the Windows 8 FUD is really unfounded. You can pretty much banish the Metro interface from existence and get 8 to 7's functionality and usability with a few minor tweaks.
As someone said though, under-the-hood they're all very similar, so yeah, an exclusive API at this point would be pure marketing. I'd expect that of Microsoft with D3D but not AMD/Mantle or Khronos/OpenGL.
I don't think so. If I remember correctly, sessions are usually available for download after the event is over, but most aren't free.Are these being live streamed?
Couldn't you already achieve this with OGL via extensions? I mean Steam Dev Days talks and Carmack mentioned it too. But good news nontheless.
going to be for DX12 cards only, i guess?