News - AMD Mantle API embraced by Cloud Imperium, Eidos & Oxide

[HEXUS]

Oxide Games will also demo its Mantle enhanced 64-bit Nitrous engine at APU13.

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[[DW]Cougho]

Interesting, I didn't think we would see other developers picking this up until we had seen what it can do with Battlefield 4.

Big name developers too, this could actually take off..... I had my doubts.

[Noxvayl]

It is great to see this getting support. I would like this to be manufacturer agnostic though so all gamers can benefit from it rather than just AMD customers.

[Rapp]

Looks like things are on the up for AMD, this combined with being used for the console could mean some better ports to PC.

[Pleiades]

Nvidia & AMD should cross-licence each others exclusive properties. Also there should b world peace & cheese for all.

[DemonHighwayman]

I can't see it being a huge success if games makers need to use both mantle and direct x. I'm really excited by the prospects for it but AMD need to let other GPU manufacturers get in on the action or it will be a failure. And if AMD are hoping to destroy Nvidia with Mantle they had better think again, Nvidia are too successful at present to go down because of a new API.
I mean even if AMD limited other brands to 5x more draw calls and licensed it for free, then keep the magic 9X to themselves for now - that would alleviate the problem.

[herulach]

Does this not smack of Glide to anyone else? Funny how we're not gaming on Voodoo 25 now though eh?

[kalniel]

It is great to see this getting support. I would like this to be manufacturer agnostic though so all gamers can benefit from it rather than just AMD customers.

It is an open standard (or will be). But whether nVidia think it's worth making their GPUs compatible or not I don't know.

And yes, Glide - very much. Difference this time around is consoles are doing it like this already.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

If Star Citizen will use Mantle,that means Crytek must be onboard too as the the game uses CryENGINE3.

So,that means DICE,Activision and Crytek will be using Mantle.

[Dooms]

All looking good and as its open there is nothing stopping nVidia from using it (except pride )

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

All looking good and as its open there is nothing stopping nVidia from using it (except pride and prejudice )

Gets coat\.

[scaryjim]

Does this not smack of Glide to anyone else?

Did any of the game consoles at the time use Glide?

The general consensus is that Mantle is based on, if not identical to, the low level graphics API for the XBOne. Since the hardware in the PS4 is very similar, it's hard to imagine that the low level API for the PS4 will be very different. So all the AAA game developers will already be using Mantle, or something as near as makes no difference, for their console games.

Since the standard will (theoretically) be open, nvidia (and intel, for that matter) can write a Mantle driver for their cards if they like. That means you'd have all the latest consoles and the vast majority of gaming PCs (and all PCs, if Intel join in) supporting a low level API which allows game developers to tap in to more of the potential of the hardware.

Of course, where this all boils out for me is that the big advantage of consoles was always their low level API. You could make a console with lower end hardware and still make great games for it because you had much better access to the potential of the hardware. If PC games can get the same level of hardware access as console games, that really shifts the balance of power - we could potentially see the PC versions being the target development, with console versions being scaled down versions to fit into console hardware. And we will see PCs matching and far exceeding the performance of consoles, because they will be able to run game code as efficiently as consoles do.

How much of a game changer it is will probably depend on whether nvidia get on board or not, but the more big name developers come out and say they'll be using Mantle, the harder it will be for nvidia to ignore it. Things were already getting interesting: but this announcement really gets the ball rolling...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The thing is though,the sub £100 graphics cards and APUs will probably gain the most from Mantle IMHO. Imagine if a Kaveri A10 got another 30% boost in framerates from using it??

[Dooms]

Bypassing direct X should make mantle more linux friendly as well correct? good news for steamOS

[theanalyzer]

Next TR on mantle, cool stuff. Hope mantle kicks off.

[crossy]

Bypassing direct X should make mantle more linux friendly as well correct? good news for steamOS

Fair point - although if that IS the case then I'm pretty darn sure (cynic mode on) that TWO crack teams of lawyers will be looking long and hard at it for potential IP abuses. I'd guess NVidia would love to spike Mantle, and if it looks to make Linux more attractive then you can be darn sure that Microsoft will want it killed too.

Makes me smile though since the availability of Direct X has long been touted as a key advantage of Windows over Linux. I'm quite happy to use either.