iOS - Request iOS 8 'Metal'

Terminator

New member
Feb 8, 2014
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iOS 8 - Metal

This new feature was mentioned at the Apple WWDC event. Apparently games built from the ground up using the new 'Metal' API will give games/apps 10x performance boost and overall better graphics and other texture enhancements on par with consoles.

Hope to see FS supporting this feature with iOS 8.

More on this: http://time.com/2814252/apples-metal-ios/

Demo - Zen Garden running on Metal:

A snippet taken from bgr - "The true desktop-grade power of the 64-bit A7 chip that’s currently found in several 2013 Apple devices including the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and Retina iPad mini will actually be unleashed once iOS 8 rolls out and developers start making use of the new Metal API for iOS in brand new, console-grade games, according to AppleInsider.

While it didn’t sound like a new Apple product iPhone and iPad users should be aware of, the Metal announcement at WWDC 2014 is as much about end-users as it is about developers. Metal will provide app developers, and specifically game makers, better access to the A7’s resources, with particular emphasis on the GPU.

With Metal, existing A7 and future A8 devices will deliver better graphics performance than what’s currently possible using OpenGL technology, and developers would be able to target millions of iOS devices users that own 2013 and newer devices with games based on Metal that promise even more advanced features, close to what avid gamers expect from consoles and gaming PCs.

By creating an advanced mobile chip, developing a new framework for developers and building an audience consisting of millions of last-gen iOS device buyers, Apple would be able to offer its customers the kind of mobile apps that users who choose competing mobile operating systems won’t have access to.

The arrival of Metal proves that Apple’s mobile processor-related plans are hard to guess, and have been successfully kept secret since the A7 was introduced last year. Regarded initially as a marketing trick – meanwhile Apple’s main competitors have already announced or are working on 64-bit chips of their own – that’s not needed for the current mobile landscape, the 64-bit A7 chip appears to be a key building block for Apple’s iPhone and iPad of the future, opening other important doors to Apple, especially with Metal’s help.

Future Apple chip designs could further improve performance and efficiency, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see future Apple products, including an Apple TV box, or an actual iTV pack future-generation A* chips capable of offering end-users impressive visuals and an immersive gaming experience akin to what’s currently possible on game consoles.

For a more detailed look at what Metal means for Apple’s past and future devices, check the links in the source section, as well as the following video that shows Apple’s quick description of Metal from WWDC 2014, complete with game demos from developers who had access to the Metal framework."

source link: http://bgr.com/2014/06/16/ios-8-features-what-metal-means/
 
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R

Rhandos

Guest
Oh god, please let them start/finish DX11 lightning on PC first, then we can talk about upgrading mobile. And that's coming from someone whose primary platform is still iOs, but only because I'm holding off on buying the seasons on PC until advanced lightning is out there.
 

Sean DonCarlos

Moderator
Staff member
Mar 17, 2012
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Not going to happen, at least not anytime soon. Too much development time to rebuild code "from the ground up", and the player base is not going to all rush out and upgrade to an iOS 8 device just for TPA, so they'd have to keep the "old" TPA around, too. Makes no sense from a business perspective.
 

Terminator

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Feb 8, 2014
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So they're going to continue selling us an inferior product over another platform. Then I may not continue buying more content if nothing is equal. Why should I purchase iOS tables if they look inferior compared to PC/PS4. Hope they do the right thing and implement this feature... Or that's it.

Besides everyone (most) upgrade to iOS 8. Look how successful iOS 7 was, over half of idevices adopted to that from iOS 6
 

Kolchak357

Senior Pigeon
May 31, 2012
8,102
2
I think you might be expecting a bit much if you think a mobile version will look as good as the PS4/PC version. I just don't see that happening anytime soon. It's the price you pay for mobility.
If you want the best looking and playing version, I would stop buying iOS and switch to PC. I think PC will eventually be the best version. I can't make the switch, I'm spoiled by being able to play anywhere on a pad.
If they did rebuild them from the ground up, would you be willing to buy them again like ps3 people did when they switched to ps4?
 
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Terminator

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Feb 8, 2014
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I have PC, but portability is my thing. I'm torn with what really matters to me. But then, paying for something that isn't as great as another version makes it harder for me.
 

pinballchris

New member
Oct 6, 2012
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I have PC, but portability is my thing. I'm torn with what really matters to me. But then, paying for something that isn't as great as another version makes it harder for me.

I get jealous of the videos of those playing here (not sure if PC or PS3) as the vividness, feedback and lighting detail is so much better than iPad. However, the fact I can get a quick game in at work during some down time or at other random times is a no brainer for me.
 

Kolchak357

Senior Pigeon
May 31, 2012
8,102
2
I get jealous of the videos of those playing here (not sure if PC or PS3) as the vividness, feedback and lighting detail is so much better than iPad. However, the fact I can get a quick game in at work during some down time or at other random times is a no brainer for me.

Yep, that's what keeps me chained to the mobile version too. But I'm more than a bit jealous of the nudging on the consoles/PC.
 

Terminator

New member
Feb 8, 2014
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Hopefully this metal API is implemented, I can't see it being ignored. We're talking about a better over all experience. That's what FS are all about.
 

Kolchak357

Senior Pigeon
May 31, 2012
8,102
2
Maybe going forward, but I doubt they will go back and redo all the ones already released.
I'd love it, but I'd be shocked.
 

Mark W**a

Banned
Sep 7, 2012
1,511
0
So basically this appears to be a low-level API (aptly named 'Metal' IE allows to code closer to the metal of this hardware by eliminating overhead) and that's fantastic.

However this doesn't magically mean your iPad will have graphics on par with a PS4.

Perhaps Pinball Arcade can take advantage of this and at least bring the visual parity of the mobile version up to last gen console standards, and even beyond (as far as resolution, IQ, and perhaps lighting are concerned).

Even coding to the metal, the fact remains that hardware inside the newest iPhone/Pad is still a ways off from a PS4 (a long ways off).
 

Mark W**a

Banned
Sep 7, 2012
1,511
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It actually blows my mind that previous API was holding back mobile games by a factor of 10X. You mean to tell me that my iPhone 4S is actually capable of graphics 10X what I was seeing in stuff like Pinball Arcade, Epic's Sword Swiping UE3 game (sorry can't think of the name), etc.?

If so, that's freaking insane.

Makes me wonder just what the heck we will see from PC's once low level API's like Mantle come out. Right now, a rig boasting cross-fired Titan's can't run Watch Dogs at a constant 60FPS on Ultra. So when low level API's reach PC we should see the true power of enthusiast GPU's in action. That's, honestly, when I jump into building a gaming PC. Right now it doesn't make much sense for me to spend ~1000$ for only a marginally better than PS4 experience.
 

Shaneus

New member
Mar 26, 2012
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Perhaps it could be used to implement something like improved/more detailed physics without having to redo tables? Increase the sampling rate, add ball spin or improved flipper physics or something.
 

Syfte

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Sep 28, 2013
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I was hoping we could get a graphics update. I see the graphics for the pc/console version and the lightning overall is a bit darker and the tables lights shine bright and flash and it looks great. I think this option with variable darkness would be a fantastic addition. That way if you wanted to you could dim the lights on your table for a beautiful experience or turn them up for easier sight. Please implement farsight!!
 

superballs

Active member
Apr 12, 2012
2,653
2
So can someone please quantify exactly what 1 performance is? This way I know how much 10 of them could be.
 

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