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Google using Vulkan to boost 3D performance of Android games

Google will bring OpenGL successor, Vulkan, to Android in a bid to minimize CPU overhead and give developers more control over rendering.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

August 10, 2015

1 Min Read

Google will bring OpenGL successor, Vulkan, to Android in a bid to minimize CPU overhead and boost performance by giving developers more control over rendering. 

The arrival of Vulkan should make it easier for developers to bring high-end graphics to the vast range of Android devices by eliminating persistent performance issues, thereby "improving the 3D graphics ecosystem as a whole."

"Vulkan is an open standard for 3D graphics and rendering maintained by Khronos, designed from the ground up to minimize CPU overhead in the driver, and allow your application to control GPU operation more directly," read a Google statement

"Vulkan also enables better parallelization by allowing multiple threads to perform work such as command buffer construction at once."

Though it's "working hard to help create, test, and ship Vulkan," Google has assured developers that it won't be abandoning OpenGL anytime soon.

About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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