AMD make a bold move: Mantle

Can't claim to understand it but it seems they're offering devs who program for the XBO and PS4 (both using AMD APUs) another choice to using DirectX when creating PC games.

I haven't read that article fully but I'm wondering if this will factor in Steam's OS ambitions to move away from a reliance on Windows and DirectX as an API? We need intelligent geeky people to tell us the answer really and unscramble the confusion.

Death to the PC. Long live the PC!

It reads as though it will allow PC developers to circumvent some of their OS specific overheads and code at a lower level. If it is embraced it should mean superior visual performance. I think they have been hinting at this ever since the console reveals. On many forums, PC elitists have spent an awful lot of time decrying the next generation consoles' new shared memory architecture. AMD have mentioned the availability of the same for PC's "later in the year", so I suspect November 14th we will find out exactly where all this is heading.

Great news for consoles if DICE has already embraced Mantle with Fostbite 3. It may help the PC pull further ahead, but could also greatly aid porting games between platforms which can't hinder multi platform developers' ambitions any.

Death to the PC. I'm developing my own platform, with blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the blackjack...

In reply to a post by mrnelster:

It reads as though it will allow PC developers to circumvent some of their OS specific overheads and code at a lower level. If it is embraced it should mean superior visual performance. I think they have been hinting at this ever since the console reveals. On many forums, PC elitists have spent an awful lot of time decrying the next generation consoles' new shared memory architecture. AMD have mentioned the availability of the same for PC's "later in the year", so I suspect November 14th we will find out exactly where all this is heading.

Great news for consoles if DICE has already embraced Mantle with Fostbite 3. It may help the PC pull further ahead, but could also greatly aid porting games between platforms which can't hinder multi platform developers' ambitions any.

Death to the PC. I'm developing my own platform, with blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the blackjack...

That was my reading, exactly.

Well I understood the gist of it, sorta. So, people are moaning about shared graphics/system memory in the new consoles? I haven't followed the news.

The thing with Mantle is you'd need a compatible AMD gfx card and the first two have just been announced I think. Might make sense to go with AMD in future though the majority of PC gamers are using Nvidia cards according to Steam's latest hardware survey. (52% NVIDIA 33% AMD/ATI)

The mrnelster platform seems to have promise. Let me know when it's available.

And is there a finance bundle

In reply to a post by astateoftrance:

Of course the price will drop over time, all technology does. That does not mean the price at release is bad value at the time. Sony are selling the PS4 at a loss - how can something sold at a loss not be considered good value?

Fair enough if you want to wait for the console to be cheaper, theres nothing wrong with that, I am just disagreeing with you saying it is not good value.

I agree the controller is priced too high.

of course if I think of it another way eg. comparing to a tablet, next gen consoles then look great value, as tablets I find waaay overpriced

Honestly its down to personal opinion mine is just how it is. But I will admit if at least 2-3 of the launch games ha dme excited I probably would have ordered one. But because the launch games dont do anything for me I will wait for the price to go down, I probably will buy a ps4 at some point tho since final fantasy 15 is been made for it.

I wont be buying a steambox tho of course as my pc is fine for steam games.

what really got my attention from the spec announcement is the fact all the steamboxes will have 3 gig of video memory.

Thats quite a leap from various PC specs, eg. my PC has 1 gig of video memory and most games are designed to run with less then that. Its then possible (especially if the steamboxes do take off) that min spec for steam games skyrocket up to 3 gig of video ram.

Edited by Chrysalis (Sat 12-Oct-13 19:09:05)

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

I wont be buying a steambox tho of course as my pc is fine for steam games.

And there is nothing to stop you installing steamOS as a dual boot either just to try it out.

Having looked around at small pc parts I cant see how valve are going to implement the steambox - prices are so volatile particularly for graphics cards.

Have you ever got anything positive to say except talk about your beloved PC that has little in the way of software on it to be truly beneficial.

Gaming has evolved mate,and so have many Gamers on here,sadly your still clubbing women,dragging your knuckles on the ground and living in the Stone Age

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

what really got my attention from the spec announcement is the fact all the steamboxes will have 3 gig of video memory.

Thats quite a leap from various PC specs, eg. my PC has 1 gig of video memory and most games are designed to run with less then that. Its then possible (especially if the steamboxes do take off) that min spec for steam games skyrocket up to 3 gig of video ram.

Go buy a Playstation 4 then...Welcome to the 21 st century

I presume they are getting ready for 1040dp gaming and detailed graphics.