I'm surprised Richard Huddy gets paid an actual salary at this point in time.
API's like DirectX are
hardware abstraction layers to enable code to run on a variety of hardware. Now Mr Huddy seems to think that removing this abstraction layer is good idea.
So it you're programming "direct-to-metal (hardware)" that means you are also programming for a specific architecture - AMD or Nvidia (or VIA for that matter). The bigger problem seems to be that every new GPU architecture will automatically have to be backwards compatible with the game hardware code implemented for the previous generations of cards....unless of course everyone is happy buying a new card and having little or no access to the back catalogue of games.
@gwailo247
Oh, it get's much better than that.
How about Gaming Evolved or TWIMTBP
exclusive titles?
How about HD7000/HD8000/GTX600/GTX700
exclusive titles?
As the bit-tech article mentions, the "direct-to-metal" approach is already implemented in consoles- proprietry hardware running proprietry code. Now extrapolate that to include the release of PS4, 5, 6, 7 and Xbox whatever, whatever2 etc.
every year. Even then it doesn't come close to the clusterf**k that PC gaming would turn into, given that game dev's aren't exactly falling over themselves using industry standard and well understood API's.
Somehow, given the secrecy involved in developing new graphics architectures, I can't see AMD or Nvidia handing EA, THQ, Crytek et al. the keys to the kingdom so that the devs can code a game and have it ready for release for that particular hardware. Of course if they wait until the hardware is released and then start coding, it would seem that the impending games have a very limited lifespan- since the new architecture is likely to laid down at the same time.
Of course , I suppose if the graphics cards of the future become fully GPGPU capable (top to bottom) then that allows for some wiggle room with coding...but then this is talking-head of
AMD talking...




And of course all we need is Nvidia, AMD, Intel and VIA to agree on a standard for homogeneous software coding.......bwahahahahahah