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Forums - Gaming Discussion - No GLNext - Vulkan is here to solve OpenGL's issues

Source:

https://www.khronos.org/vulkan

 

 

Graphics and compute belong together

Vulkan is making it happen.

The next generation graphics API from Khronos.

Vulkan is the new generation, open standard API for high-efficiency access to graphics and compute on modern GPUs. This ground-up design, previously referred to as the Next Generation OpenGL Initiative, provides applications direct control over GPU acceleration for maximized performance and predictability.
Industry standard APIs like Vulkan are a critical part of enabling developers to bring the best possible experience to customers on multiple platforms. Valve and the other Khronos members are working hard to ensure that this high-performance graphics interface is made available as widely as possible and we view it as a critical component of SteamOS and future Valve games.
Gabe Newell - Valve
  • Direct control over GPU operation, with minimized driver overhead for maximum performance
  • Multi-threading-friendly architecture to increase overall system performance
  • Designed to be used in a wide variety of devices including mobile, desktop, consoles, and embedded platforms
  • Uses Khronos’ new SPIR-V™ intermediate representation for shading language flexibility and simplified drivers (see more on SPIR-V here)
  • Extensible layered architecture enables innovative tools without impacting production performance while validating, debugging, and profiling
  • Simpler drivers for low-overhead efficiency and cross vendor portability
Help shape the future of graphics. Khronos wants you to get involved!


The Need for Vulkan


Vulkan Explicit GPU Control

Vulkan delivers the maximized performance and cross platform portability needed by sophisticated engines, middleware and apps


Cross Platform Challenge


Vulkan Multi-threading Efficiency


Vulkan Language Ecosystem


Vulkan Status

Rapid progress since June 2014

  • Significant proposals and IP contributions received from members

Participants come from all segments of the graphics industry

  • Including an unprecedented level of participation from game engine ISVs

Initial specs and implementations expected this year

  • Will work on any platform that supports OpenGL ES 3.1 and up

Working Group Participants



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It will be interesting to see how much they can solve existing issues and how much developers will use it for their games!



There's an article on Anandtech that tells more about it

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9038/next-generation-opengl-becomes-vulkan-additional-details-released

The interesting parts (at least for me), are that Vulkan is completely new and not based on OpenGL (so not compatible with it) and that it is based on Mantle:

Khronos has confirmed that AMD has contributed Mantle towards the development of Vulkan, and though we need to be clear that Vulkan is not Mantle, Mantle was used to bootstrap the process and speed its development, making Vulkan a derivation of sorts of Mantle (think Unix family tree). What has changed from Mantle is that Khronos has gone through a period of refinement, keeping what worked in Vulcan and throwing out portions of Mantle that didn’t work well – particularly HLSL and anything that would prevent the API from being cross-vendor –  replacing it with the other necessary/better functionality.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.

Will be the next standard. I think that will be used also for PS4.



So mantle is dead? and Vulkan.. just when Spock died..too soon.. too soon



 

Face the future.. Gamecenter ID: nikkom_nl (oh no he didn't!!) 

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This is very exciting. I can't wait to get my hands on it.



I predict that the Wii U will sell a total of 18 million units in its lifetime. 

The NX will be a 900p machine

Is this a competitor to Dx12?



aLkaLiNE said:
Is this a competitor to Dx12?

Yes



I predict that the Wii U will sell a total of 18 million units in its lifetime. 

The NX will be a 900p machine

Sully_The_Best said:

Will be the next standard. I think that will be used also for PS4.


It most probably won't . They already have their own API and a self-made driver for PS4.



walsufnir said:


It most probably won't . They already have their own API and a self-made driver for PS4.

I vaugly recall a graph a week or so ago.. hmm  ;)