- Mar 24, 2013
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Yesterday, AMD revealed Mantle, an API with which developers can access graphics hardware more directly, and one that Microsoft and Sony could end up being "downright hostile" toward, according to a tweet from id Software co-founder and Oculus VR CTO John Carmack.
The idea behind Mantle is to give developers low-level access to the native language of AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture, thereby easing the process of optimization for the company's Graphics Processing Units. The theoretical advantage is that, as opposed to high-level APIs like OpenGL and Direct3D that allow broad optimization over a wide swath of GPU hardware, developers can customize their products specifically for AMD hardware.
Coupled with Valve's announcement yesterday that the company will be "working with multiple partners" to create hardware running the Linux-based SteamOS , AMD's announcement which may offer developers the kind of hardware optimization options that exist when developing for hardware-locked consoles may create tension between Microsoft, Sony and AMD because of next-gen hardware.
http://www.polygon.com/2013/9/26/47...ld-be-hostile-to-amds-mantle-api-carmack-says