Vulkan will miss year-end target but release is still imminent

[HEXUS]

The specification is complete, it's just undergoing legal review and polishing.

Read more.

[Wozza63]

Hope this replaces DirectX. Hate companies that don't share where stuff should be shared.

[DemonHighwayman]

I too hope this replaces DirectX. I really don't want to change from windows 7 to be able to have the best looking graphics available in my games (or perhaps I should have said 'I don't want to change to windows 10).

[maxp779]

I also am rooting for vulkan, it needs to replace direct X so I can eventually move to linux on my gaming rig. Every other computer/thing in my house is already linux.

[Percy1983]

Not fussed if it replaces directx or not, I will just use which ever is best.

They will push each other to be better so its a win either way.

[shaithis]

They will push each other to be better so its a win either way.

Or one will kill the other, it will be interesting to see how it pans out and how portable code is between DX12 and Vulkan.

Shame Vulkan has been delayed, although I still beleive that unless steam/AMD crack the issue of linux performance, Vulkan may be dead in the water, I fully expected steamboxes to drive the uptake of it.

[DanceswithUnix]

Or one will kill the other, it will be interesting to see how it pans out and how portable code is between DX12 and Vulkan.

Shame Vulkan has been delayed, although I still beleive that unless steam/AMD crack the issue of linux performance, Vulkan may be dead in the water, I fully expected steamboxes to drive the uptake of it.

Not Android?

[shaithis]

Not Android?

Not really, it's not like the Android platform has had issues releasing games without it.

[scaryjim]

... it's not like the Android platform has had issues releasing games without it. ...

No, but I do wonder how much the possibility of doing a direct Android port will factor in the thinking when developing future AAA titles. A single API to hit PC, steam machines and mobile gaming? Could be very tempting.

Not to mention that Vulkan on ARM-based devices really opens the possibilities in terms of gaming hardware. SteamOS for ARM? Vulkan for Windows 10 Mobile? Vulkan everywhere...?

[DanceswithUnix]

Not really, it's not like the Android platform has had issues releasing games without it.

But improvements to both performance and battery life should make it very popular and perhaps make Android games consoles finally happen. That would create a big pool of programmers who know Vulkan.

OTOH, the few machines in this house that have Windows 10 on them are not DX12 capable, two of the Windows 7 machines are Vulkan capable. It could well be Windows 7 that drives Vulkan uptake.

[iranu]

I hope this lives long and prospers because I'd like to see gaming on Linux really take off and become a competitor to Windows for gaming.

[shaithis]

But improvements to both performance and battery life should make it very popular and perhaps make Android games consoles finally happen. That would create a big pool of programmers who know Vulkan.

OTOH, the few machines in this house that have Windows 10 on them are not DX12 capable, two of the Windows 7 machines are Vulkan capable. It could well be Windows 7 that drives Vulkan uptake.

Windows 7 ain't going to drive any future gaming APIs.....it's mainstream support ended 11 months ago. It's lifetime is limited and we all know Microsoft are going to scare-monger as many 7 users onto 10 over the next 12 months.

[Corky34]

Windows 7 ain't going to drive any future gaming APIs.....it's mainstream support ended 11 months ago. It's lifetime is limited and we all know Microsoft are going to scare-monger as many 7 users onto 10 over the next 12 months.

Personally i would disagree, despite Microsoft's efforts people seem to be clinging to Windows 7 and if they have the use of a 'similar' API to DX12 without upgrading i think they will take it, it would also make the transition to Linux easier come EOL of Windows 7, although it's yet to bee seen how many people follow through with preferring to use Linux over Windows 10.

[azrael-]

No, but I do wonder how much the possibility of doing a direct Android port will factor in the thinking when developing future AAA titles. A single API to hit PC, steam machines and mobile gaming? Could be very tempting.

Not to mention that Vulkan on ARM-based devices really opens the possibilities in terms of gaming hardware. SteamOS for ARM? Vulkan for Windows 10 Mobile? Vulkan everywhere...?

I wholeheartedly agree with this. The factor that Vulkan is multi-platform just might entice developers to use it in favour of DX12. And we shouldn't forget that Vulkan is the next iteration of OpenGL, so it's mostly a question of when rather than if the transition to Vulkan will occur on everything Linux-based, including but not limited to Android.

And yes, as Shaithis puts it, Microsoft will do its utmost to scare people into "upgrading" to Windows 10, but resistance to this seems to be stronger than anticipated. I, for one, intend to stay on Windows 7 for as long as I can, and I'm doing all I can to keep people I know from installing Windows 10.

[DanceswithUnix]

Windows 7 ain't going to drive any future gaming APIs.....it's mainstream support ended 11 months ago. It's lifetime is limited and we all know Microsoft are going to scare-monger as many 7 users onto 10 over the next 12 months.

I'm not saying Windows 7 or Microsoft is driving anything, quite the opposite. If users of W7 do nothing more than a usual upgrade their graphics driver in a few months time, they will have Vulkan. Doing almost nothing gets them the main advantage of Windows 10. I am not going to underestimate the average user's ability to procrastinate!

[lumireleon]

let us not forget OPEN-GL it is also a free API