| Machiavellian said: This really just sounds like a direct API to the AMD chip which would be no different if Sony did the same thing for their chips. Basically what this means is that developers have 4 APIs to choose from. This API, Direct X, OpenGl and whatever Nvidia bring to the table. |
Or, nVidia might just support Mantle, it's Open source remember.
Direct X and OpenGL are high-level API's, they are designed so that any developer, regardless of financial position and experience can easily tap into it's feature set, of course it does come with a performance penalty.
Mantle is a low-level API, where it's closer to the metal and requires longer development times to make it work, but comes with a minimal performance impact.
This is also the same choice console developers get too, they can "tap into" a high level API, like Direct X on the Xbox or OpenGL on the Playstation or they can use a low-level API similar to that of Mantle to extract maximum performance.
AMD isn't out to replace Direct X or OpenGL, they are just giving developers a choice, remember developers requested this from AMD, AMD didn't do it to ruffle everyone's feathers.
If nVidia does support Mantle, then that's only going to mean great things, if you go by history though, nVidia hasn't really supported many of AMD's "Open-Source" technologies untill it was included into Direct X. (Like AMD's 3dc texture compression.)
--::{PC Gaming Master Race}::--
