APU13 in November will help you bridge platforms

While the advent of Quad HD TV might provide one of the biggest challenges to console gaming in the coming years, there seems little doubt that having a single code platform might be one of the biggest benefits for the development community in years. KitGuru eyes San Jose in November – expecting serious crowds at AMD's APU13 Developer Summit. 

Weighing in at just $495, APU13 – the AMD Developer Summit in the San Jose Convention Centre from 11th to 14th November – is likely to be one of the most popular tickets of the year.

AMD is expecting at around 40% more delegates and developers to attend than in 2012, which is hardly a surprise – especially given the way that AMD processor technology will be at the heart of almost all serious game development over the next 5 years.

While porting back and forth in the past has presented a multitude of challenges, the decision of the major console manufacturers to run with AMD APU technology in their next generation platforms, means that there will be a huge bridge built between the various game programming environments.

For the last generation, Sony chose the weird Cell processor in PlayStation 3 – but has learned from its mistake. Microsoft went with an AMD technology, but issues like hot hardware (RSOD) and unusual restrictions on memory etc, created barriers.

The next generation of consoles should provide a platform that is roughly equal to the average PC of today – and deliver the kind of graphics power that Intel APU processors are expected to achieve in around 2-3 years' time.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

In advance of kick-off, APU13 provides the chance for game developers to win a cool PC – or get up to $300 off the price of admission. To enter this cool competition, all you need to do is go hunting for 10 online ‘Easter Eggs'. According to AMD, the rules of engagement are the same as last year and can be read here.

With ALL of the next-gen consoles based on similar X86 architecture, development and porting should be very simple – so we're hopeful that there will be an explosion of developmental talent over the next few years. This should reduce the cost of development and, hopefully, mean that we end up with better games [Or at least more variety? – Ed].
.

.
KitGuru says: While the processing engines may be similar, given the ubiquitous nature of the APU, we're still not convinced that thumb-bandits will be able to take keyboard-cowboys – simply because of the interface limits. But it will be interesting to see console lovers try!

Comment below, in the KitGuru forums or join us online at Facebook.

Become a Patron!