Valve, EA, and Unity To Unveil New Graphics API at GDC

[desprado]

The successor to the OpenGL graphics application programming interface (API) will be revealed at a panel at the Game Developers Conference taking place on March 5 in San Francisco, PC Gamer has reported.
The panel is titled, "glNext: The Future of High Performance Graphics (Presented by Valve)" and will include developers and engineers from Valve, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, and Unity Technologies. It will unveil an "upcoming cross-platform graphics API designed for modern programming techniques and processors" which is Khronos Group's successor to OpenGL.
Not sure what all the graphics settings in PC games are for? We put together a guide to help you out.
The panel will present a technical breakdown of the new API as well as show off live demos with real-world applications running on glNext drivers and hardware. GameSpot will be present at this year's GDC, so be sure to stay tuned to the site for breaking news as it rolls out.

Source
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-ea-and-unity-to-unveil-new-graphics-api-at-g/1100-6425086/

 

[frozentundra123456]

Wonder if it will take off like Steam OS and Steamboxes have.

 

[Silverforce11]

Wonder if it will take off like Steam OS and Steamboxes have.

OpenGL already dominates, just not the PC front, but mobiles, its the one.

Given that Unity engine is the most well known cross-platform engine, its no surprise it will support glNext.

 

[ronbo613]

"High performance graphics" sounds great, but since Valve/Steam has been giving me "no performance graphics" for the past month or so, I would be more impressed if Steam actually responded to requests for customer support.

PR BS.

 

[Ancalagon44]

Headline is misleading. This is not a new API developed entirely by them, they are presenting the next version of OpenGL on behalf of Khronos.

 

[blastingcap]

Sometimes it feels like Valve doesn't make games anymore. Where is Half Life 3?!?!!? Portal 2 is nice and all but come on.

 

[SPBHM]

I would love to see OpenGL becoming the main PC API like it almost was some 15 years ago, but I don't see what advantage they can offer for windows games over DX12 to convince the game developers, let's wait and see... if EA supported glnext the way the did with Mantle it would be a good start, also, if steamos materializes, or at least Valve starts using glnext on windows for their games....

 

[frozentundra123456]

OpenGL already dominates, just not the PC front, but mobiles, its the one.

Given that Unity engine is the most well known cross-platform engine, its no surprise it will support glNext.

Well, I was only pointing out that Valve has hyped a lot of things recently, and seems to be delivering on them very slowly if at all.

 

[3DVagabond]

Anything that doesn't require Windows is a step in the right direction. It needs to work though and it needs to be supported. We'll see.

 

[Lonyo]

Anything that doesn't require Windows is a step in the right direction. It needs to work though and it needs to be supported. We'll see.

That's true, to the extent that it doesn't require Windows AND ALSO doesn't require Steam.
SteamOS was terrible because it just meant getting Steam games on Linux for the most part. Anything independent of Steam that relates to gaming on non-Windows is fine, otherwise you're just trading one lock-in for another, and I'm more comfortable being locked to Windows than to Steam, since Windows doesn't control my games.

 

[dacostafilipe]

Showing demos, makes the "glNext is Mantle" rumours more and more viable. Khronos is not known for pushing stuff fast ...

As an OSX user, this makes me happy, because I'm mostly CPU bound. (Yeah, I know that Apple will take year to support glNext ... sadly)

 

[S.H.O.D.A.N.]

Wonder if it will take off like Steam OS and Steamboxes have.

Neither of those have been released, so it's kinda hard to gauge if they "took off" or not.

And glNext is still Khronos group, not just Valve. So the real question is, will the new iteration follow the faults of the previous one, or have Khronos, as a group entity, came to a better understanding of what a modern API needs to make an impact in game development.

 

[zebrax2]

Color me surprised ID isn't a part on this. They are one of the few that still use OpenGL on Windows. What happened to them anyway?

 

[S.H.O.D.A.N.]

The lost Carmack I guess.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

I just bought an R9 270 to use current feature sets and get more performance over my 6870. Hopefully I'll not be locked out already.

 

[n0x1ous]

Color me surprised ID isn't a part on this. They are one of the few that still use OpenGL on Windows. What happened to them anyway?

The lost Carmack I guess.

Yeah GL was always because of Carmack. Now he is gone and id has the former engine guy from Crytek so I wouldn't think they would be using GL anymore on PC.....

 

[fleshconsumed]

No Half Life 3 - don't care...

 

[Stuka87]

I would love to see OpenGL becoming the main PC API like it almost was some 15 years ago, but I don't see what advantage they can offer for windows games over DX12 to convince the game developers, let's wait and see... if EA supported glnext the way the did with Mantle it would be a good start, also, if steamos materializes, or at least Valve starts using glnext on windows for their games....

OpenGL has never been the main PC API to my knowledge (unless you want to count Macs). 3dFX owned the market during their time with Glide, and once 3dFX started to die, DirectX took its place.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Not sure why anyone would advocate OpenGL besides for the cross platform part. Its an API in deep bureaucratic claws. And honestly, without DirectX to keep them someone busy. I doubt OpenGL would have advanced much at all.

When you have a bunch(11) of companies all with their own agenda. Then it tends to be better if a 3rd company takes the decissions.

 

[Arachnotronic]

No Half Life 3 - don't care...

With all of the money Valve is making from Steam, do you really think they care about HL3?

 

[Paul98]

Good to hear, I will be interested to see what sort of performance difference there is between DX12 and nextGL

 

[Blitzvogel]

With all of the money Valve is making from Steam, do you really think they care about HL3?

They might if they think they could make alot of money off a new HL.

 

[tynopik]

OpenGL has never been the main PC API to my knowledge (unless you want to count Macs). 3dFX owned the market during their time with Glide, and once 3dFX started to die, DirectX took its place.

OpenGL was the 'main' one people cared about because Quake 2 was Open GL and all the benchmarks were of Quake 2

 

[NTMBK]

Note that the "EA engineer" that the article mentions is Johan Andersson, one of the key minds behind Mantle. I'd expect the new API to follow the same design and conventions as Mantle (and DirectX 12).

Bring on the low-overhead APIs! :thumbsup:

 

[Headfoot]

Note that the "EA engineer" that the article mentions is Johan Andersson, one of the key minds behind Mantle. I'd expect the new API to follow the same design and conventions as Mantle (and DirectX 12).

Bring on the low-overhead APIs! :thumbsup:

If anything it will be good for cross API consistency