AMD and DICE have just announced a new graphics API called Mantle it aims to reduce the CPU overhead and improve graphics performance with 9x draw calls per frame reported.
Mantle support?
That sounds awesome.
I doubt it, it looks like its Radeon only.
Just like the new consoles 
Video of the presentation here http://youtu.be/mLt5RVGJfQY
Well, Unity hasn’t supported GPU PhysX for the same reason they won’t support this. Not to mention that this is most likely a big hype for AMD and EA… no doubt a BF4 package will come with AMD cards, plus some talks on how good the performance is and all the effects or something that a 7990 will bring.
Not their fault though, in recent times non integrated GPU’s are sort of becoming redundant, and AMD would be hit worse if/when console like optimizations come to Intel based machines. And what makes it worse is there is nothing for AMD to fall back on as they foolishly sold off their mobile GPU sector thats now probably one of the most popular mobile GPU’s there are.
Mantle is an Open API that aims to circumvent the CPU / GPU drawcall bottleneck you get on the PC. So there is no reason that Nvidia cannot adapt it’s own drivers to support it and gain this performance benefit.
I like it as it sounds like due to legacy issues and the inherent complexities of DX and OpenGL we might not be getting the best performance from our CPU and definitely our GPU’s.
Actually what will be interesting is will Mantle become the new high performance rendering API that the AAA game engines adopt, or will it jumpstart improvements to DirectX and OpenGL.
But let’s face it if it gives players a 9x boost in drawcalls then you are going to get higher FPS and visual fidelity.
So the Frostbite engine is adopting it, will the Crytech, Unreal also follow suit?
What is interesting in the video is that Mantle reduces latency and that is key to getting your game working with VR! 
Wow, its open source? And not only limited to Radeon?!? Perhaps it is good 
I think the Open refers to an Open API, which is probably different to open source.
Think OpenGL, it’s a set of features that developers use that each graphics manufacturer supports via it’s drivers.
The whole point of the API is that rather than passing through a generalised abstraction of the graphics card, the Mantle API accesses the AMD hardware in exactly the way the hardware is designed. This means that it can do things in the fastest possible way, but at the same time the API is very specific to AMD hardware. Nvidia hardware will work differently, so it makes no sense for them to try and support Mantle - as it wouldn’t confer any benefit over DirectX.
However, it’ll be interesting if Nvidia come out with something equivalent for their hardware; suddenly it’ll be like 1997 again - game companies writing separate back-ends for all the different graphics cards - just like the way people used to write specific support for 3dFx, Rendition, Verge and Rage graphics cards.
The other interesting thing is that it may allow AMD more scope for offering people the latest in graphics techniques without them also requiring Microsoft’s latest operating system, especially as it seems Microsoft are moving to a yearly OS update, with new graphics APIs tied to it.
Best description of Mantle I have found so far Understanding AMD’s Mantle: A Low-Level Graphics API For GCN
Any evidence of that, or are you just speculating here?
I was ready to whoop you a55, but you saw all the info. I think it will actually go a bit like this:
It is very plausible that the platform will be successful due to one single move: BF4 as the showcase title.
Crytek will have to do it to compete and they are full console now, so they will probably be doing it anyway.
If CryTek does it, Epic will need to do it to remain competitive. Then either they release UDK with support or Unity beats them to it in order to keep the balance and not lose major advancements.
With these companies on the ride you have taken care of just about anybody interested in doing anything high performance and isn’t creating their own engine. Then those guys take a look, see how much work it is and take the plunge.
From what I’ve seen from BF4, it will need nVidia to be a total dick to not work.
Well if it gives the performance advantage to AMD then NVidia will have to do something.
Unless Nvidia or Intel cards run AMD’s GCN architechture it is very specific to AMDcards…
Will Nvidia bring back 3Dfx’s Glide ? 
It is funny, when you read this post Mobile graphics API wishlist: performance · Aras' website there are some common points
Like Dave alluded to “Things being Crazy” now. There seems to be foundational shakeups being planned. First the Webplayer news about the dropping of support from some of the web browsers. Now this Mantle specific API for AMD GCN capable cards.
With the last generation of consoles being a 10 year cycle (rediculous) , AMD is going to flex it’s muscles while it’s at the heart of console gaming on both XBox1 and PS4 thinking it may be there for another 10 years, should I live so long…, hence the Mantle API. So will this create tension with M$, or Sony? Who knows.
Then there’s the new Steam on Linux for the home looking to be a new entertainment console.
What I can see is that this reveal plays havoc with all middle-ware companies and their customers, who are beating down the doors asking if they are under NDA with AMD and what to expect support wise down the road. /Here’s some pain reliever Dave…
So…welcome to Dave’s world. :o
OT:
I’m surprised Apple isn’t revamping the Apple TV’s device. (You heard it here 1st lol) A wireless controller, a real GPGPU and boom, App store games directly to the Apple TV. And being that it’s a home TV device it wouldn’t be cannibalizing the Tablet or phone markets.
It should work with nvidia cards as well.
Yeah, I’m not seeing why Nvidia couldn’t jump on board with partial or full compatibility, or why specialised compilers or other tools can’t be made to help bridge the gap. I know that AMD and Nvidia love telling us how radically different their architectures are, but it’s in their best interest to do so. You don’t convince your market that your product is radically better by telling them that it’s only slightly different. At the same time, I expect that the experts in the field have all had relatively similar experience and influences and have all learned significantly from each other and so would think and design in somewhat similar ways. So, essentially, while there will certainly be differences, I expect that there’ll also be a lot in common between the two families of GPUs. Additionally, if there’s performance to be gained by moving towards tools that are already in the wild, there’s nothing to stop Nvidia from changing direction to better make use of those tools next time around.
I don’t think that this is anything other than this year’s “Brand X is finally going to defeat Brand Y” shenanigans, and we all know how they usually go.
Sorry if I am bumping this thread …but this is the only thread I can find on this subject …
I would like Unity Devs to add the OPTION to use it …just like there is an option to use OpenGL,DX9 and DX11 …
What if I wanted my game to have options in the menu to utilize these different rendering methods?
We should not be restricted just because the Unity Devs refuse to add new options or features just because they are AMD or Nvidia only…
I currently have an AMD R9 280X graphics card with this new “mantle” feature …even though currently only one game will use it… I would like my game to have an option to use it though…