Graphics in the mobile space are no longer relegated to the 2D-dominated gaming landscape. With nVidia throwing their hat in to the mobile computing-ring in their Tegra mobile platform, traditional processing powerhouses are treading on new ground. AMD’s latest announcement has the Intel-rival ushering in a new era of 3D graphics on mobile devices – powered by the same technology that was developed for the venerable XBOX 360.
Sound unbelievable? Well, believe it. AMD has just nabbed OpenGL ES 2.0 conformance certification. The AMD OpenGL ES 2.0 mobile graphics technology is based on the same AMD Unified Shader Architecture that was used in the XBOX360. Just how much the mention of XBOX 360 actually boosts AMD’s mobile graphics technology and how much that coy name-dropping serves AMD’s marketing push isn’t clear. But, it sure is cool to talk about mobile graphics and XBOX 360 in the same sentence, isn’t it?
“We are pleased to be the first technology provider to achieve OpenGL ES 2.0 certification from Khronos Group,” said Mikko Saari, senior director of design engineering for AMD’s handheld division. “This underscores our commitment to building and nurturing the mobile gaming ecosystem to thrill consumers while providing our OEM customers and the mobile gaming community with a competitive advantage.”
Way to go, AMD. We can’t wait to see some of this tech hit market.