DirectX & OpenGL to open up low-level access

[DonPOETA]

Some great news ahead of GDC 2014

 

There is some pretty big news out there. AMD recently released mantle, a low level API that eliminates heaps of CPU overhead (draw calls). It now seems that both DirectX and OpenGL will follow that same route as AMD’s API. Over at this years GDC some slides where shown demonstrating that DirectX and OpenGL will start offering low-level access in order to reduce draw overhead. This should excite gamers with slower processors alright.

Below you can find some quotes from the DirectX and OpenGL presentations that will take place in GDC 2014:

When these optimizations kick in is still unknown and wether or not they will be able to compete with Mantle also remains to be seen of course. It will also be interesting to see if this will be a final DX12 feature, obviously available for Windows 8.1.

 

“In this session we will discuss future improvements in Direct3D that will allow developers an unprecedented level of hardware control and reduced CPU rendering overhead across a broad ecosystem of hardware.”

“For nearly 20 years, DirectX has been the platform used by game developers to create the fastest, most visually impressive games on the planet.

However, you asked us to do more. You asked us to bring you even closer to the metal and to do so on an unparalleled assortment of hardware. You also asked us for better tools so that you can squeeze every last drop of performance out of your PC, tablet, phone and console.”

“Driver overhead has been a frustrating reality for game developers for the entire life of the PC game industry. On desktop systems, driver overhead can decrease frame rate, while on mobile devices driver overhead is more insidious–robbing both battery life and frame rate. In this unprecedented sponsored session, Graham Sellers (AMD), Tim Foley (Intel), Cass Everitt (NVIDIA) and John McDonald (NVIDIA) will present high-level concepts available in today’s OpenGL implementations that radically reduce driver overhead–by up to 10x or more. The techniques presented will apply to all major vendors and are suitable for use across multiple platforms. Additionally, they will demonstrate practical demos of the techniques in action in an extensible, open source comparison framework.”

When these optimizations kick in is still unknown and wether or not they will be able to compete with Mantle also remains to be seen of course. It will also be interesting to see if this will be a final DX12 feature, obviously available for Windows 8.1.

Source: http://www.guru3d.com/news_story/directx_opengl_to_open_up_low_level_access.html

 

Thank you AMD! Too bad you wont make any money on yet another great contribution to the industry...again

[qwertywarrior]

i would like a move to openGL i do NOT want to keep buying a new operating system just to have a new version of DX

[Guest GRRigger]

*CLAP, CLAP, CLAP*

Well done. Awesome.

Now, windows 9  allready right? :U 

 

 

i would like a move to openGL i do NOT want to keep buying a new operating system just to have a new version of DX

 

SteamOS ?

[AlexGoesHigh]

nice but i bet that feature will be on DirectX 12 and (like always) will be exclusive to latest hardware and probably windows 9 and up only if its not released this year  <_<

[afa7336]

nice but i bet that feature will be on DirectX 12 and (like always) will be exclusive to latest hardware and probably windows 9 and up only if its not released this year  <_<

 

You mean like, to date, Mantle pretty much is exclusive to certain cards and older cards won't work?

[AlexGoesHigh]

You mean like, to date, Mantle pretty much is exclusive to certain cards and older cards won't work?

to put it in perspective if mantle was made by microsoft it would be only in r9 and r7 cards and windows 8 only, they have always done this whit directx, 11.1 is only for win 8 and geforce 600, hd 7000 and up, also the big difference is that mantle works on vista, 7 and 8, dunno about XP but i bet amd will make it for it at some point in the very near future 

[Anult]

Why hasn't this topic blown up yet on the forum?

 

This is probably the biggest thing to happen to PC Gaming in general for over a decade in terms of optimization.

 

It's the holy grail developers on PC have been waiting for!

 

[Misanthrope]

You mean like, to date, Mantle pretty much is exclusive to certain cards and older cards won't work?

 

Correct, do we want to pay not only for newer cards but for newer OS as well? Fuck that I'm waiting this one out on SteamOS no matter how many games I miss.

[pixeldensity]

well I guess mantle did it job in a way by getting M$ and Khronos to start upgrading their software to be more low level. 

Also didn't amd say they were going to develop a opengl extensions that was almost like mantle or something along those lines.

[Tr3vor]

So something this big happens and people just bitch about windows.

 

 

I think this is awesome, it was only a matter of time before this happened.

[ACatWithThumbs]

YEEEESSS Finally 
This will be amazing  
Thank you AMD!
 

[nicehat]

 

 

 

 

It looks like Microsoft has finally taken notice of the threat AMD's Mantle is to its DirectX API and is looking to revitalize it.

 

According to the Game Developer's Conference Scheduler, Microsoft invites attendees to come and check out the gains it has made in raw performance as well as new features. It will also massively cut back on the CPU bottleneck that some games have to deal with, making it a lot easier for developers.

 

"Come learn how future changes to Direct3D will enable next generation games to run faster than ever before," the address reads.

 

"In this session we will discuss future improvements in Direct3D that will allow developers an unprecedented level of hardware control and reduced CPU rendering overhead across a broad ecosystem of hardware."

 

In addition to  DX improvements, Microsoft is also hoping to tweak OpenGL to something more usable and with less driver overhead. In-fact, they are hoping to remove driver overhead altogether. It looks like many companies may be getting on board to help. Not only is there possible cooperation between companies like Microsoft and Sony, but old graphics rivals AMD and Nvidia too. Epic Games, Samsung, ARM and several others are all onboard, so we could see some big developments in OpenGL soon too.

 

" In this unprecedented sponsored session, Graham Sellers (AMD), Tim Foley (Intel), Cass Everitt (NVIDIA) and John McDonald (NVIDIA) will present high-level concepts available in today's OpenGL implementations that radically reduce driver overhead--by up to 10x or more. The techniques presented will apply to all major vendors and are suitable for use across multiple platforms. Additionally, they will demonstrate practical demos of the techniques in action in an extensible, open source comparison framework."

 

Sources:

 

Direct 3D Future

 

Approaching Zero Driver Overhead in OpenGL

 

Evolving MC Graphics platform

 

 

 

Now I dont understand why we would see AMD and nVidia coming together to promote DirectX. Both had/have their own APIs and both dont seem to want to play nice. nVidia would love nothing more than DirectX to invalidate Mantle, and AMD would be selling itself short by giving DirectX a nod. 

 

I certainly hope Direct X burns. They make improvements by bolting new features onto the same fundamental donkey once every 5-10 years. No matter how you dress it, Its still ass....

[TopWargamer]

Good. We deserve an upgrade. 

[Superarragon]

The more performance, the better! And I hope DirectX doesn't burn. Mantle requires extra work to be compatible with a game, it's only for GCN cards, and so many games are already made for DirectX. I'm not exactly sure why AMD would help either, but my guess is that AMD wants everyone to get the best performance possible.

[Vitalius]

Now I dont understand why we would see AMD and nVidia coming together to promote DirectX. Both had/have their own APIs and both dont seem to want to play nice. nVidia would love nothing more than DirectX to invalidate Mantle, and AMD would be selling itself short by giving DirectX a nod. 

 

I certainly hope Direct X burns. They make improvements by bolting new features onto the same funadmental donkey once every 5-10 years. No matter how your dress it, Its still ass....

I don't think the first paragraph is correct. AMD has already said they don't care if Mantle is widely adopted. They care if the industry is changed because of it. Whether that means a new, infinitely better, DirectX comes out, or Mantle becomes Dominant, or Nvidia comes out with something that beats both of them, it doesn't matter. Just so long as things change for the better. 

I agree with that second paragraph though. Fundamentally flawed is fundamentally flawed. Unless you start from scratch, there's really no point.

The more performance, the better! And I hope DirectX doesn't burn. Mantle requires extra work to be compatible with a game, it's only for GCN cards, and so many games are already made for DirectX. I'm not exactly sure why AMD would help either, but my guess is that AMD wants everyone to get the best performance possible.

Not enough extra work for developers to care, based on what the developer's summit had to say about it. AMD has said Nvidia could add Mantle support if they wanted to. Just like AMD could have added PhysX support if they wanted to.

[DoubleY]

This means we won't all be sucking AMD's dick to buy their GPU's just for Mantle. Nvidia all the way

[dragosudeki]

Why does it take Mantle for DirectX to improve on those areas. What I'm also expecting is that it will come only on Windows 9.

[AlwaysFSX]

Better not be 11.3 but instead it's 12 because they need to revamp this software baaaaaaad.

[TheNinjaNextDor]

YAY now we might not have to chose one over the other!

[flibberdipper]

This had better come out on Windows 7 as an update, or I'm gonna be TICKED.

[Suika]

Even if Mantle isn't that big of a game changer, AMD did push Microsoft to this, which is nice.

[Worth]

WWOOOOOOO !!!! Go nVidia

[Morpheus]

This means we won't all be sucking AMD's dick to buy their GPU's just for Mantle. Nvidia all the way

so you'll only be doing it to Nvidia then? 

[nicehat]

I don't think the first paragraph is correct. AMD has already said they don't care if Mantle is widely adopted. They care if the industry is changed because of it. Whether that means a new, infinitely better, DirectX comes out, or Mantle becomes Dominant, or Nvidia comes out with something that beats both of them, it doesn't matter. Just so long as things change for the better. 

I agree with that second paragraph though. Fundamentally flawed is fundamentally flawed. Unless you start from scratch, there's really no point.

 

Being a "nice guy" gets you in last especially in the cut throat world of business. I understand that they want to be the catalyst for change (no pun intended), but there is money involved here. There are no nice guys. AMD invested a lot of money into this API. They spent even more money on promotional BF4 bundles, Developer use guarantees, R&D etc etc. If they were really doing stuff for the good of the gaming community, they would have put a better effort into their Linux Catalyst Drivers. There should have been an overall greater drive towards Linux with the likes of Steam if they were really the saviors of gaming and eliminators of API overhead. That hasn't happened. There is a reason to AMD's madness.

 

My feeling is that they will either force nVidia to adopt it and licence it, or, negotiate g-sync to become open platform, in-turn handing the code for Mantle over.  

[DoubleY]

so you'll only be doing it to Nvidia then? 

Possibly. I am really considering getting a GTX 880 or 870 (when they come out of course)