Pioneering The Multi-GPU Future With Oxide Games

[kcarbotte]

We spoke with Dan Baker, one of the co-founders of Oxide Games and creator of the Nitrous Engine, to discuss some of the cutting edge multi-GPU technology being put into the new game engine.

Pioneering The Multi-GPU Future With Oxide Games : Read more

 

[urishima]

This is quite exiting, to see what looks like a revolution on the hardware and engine side of game development happen.

 

[renz496]

The Future: gpu maker still the one that pushing multi gpu while game engine and game developer moving away from it.

 

[chicofehr]

I wonder if this will put pressure on cryengine and unreal.

 

[WFang]

so multi gpu was demo'ed earlier using Vulkan?

Why are we not hearing more about Vulkan? -With the disaster that is shaping up to be Windows 10, I really would hope to see a bigger focus on Vulkan and therefore paving a path to more titles on e.g. linux, steamOS etc.

 

[Logsdonb]

Multi GPU options are getting a lot better next year with the next generation of GPUs from Nvidia and AMD, which are based on HBM 2.0. This architecture will support much higher bandwidth than current GPUs. This will allow much better performance with SLI or Crossfire implementations as well as multi GPU cards than with today. We may even end up seeing more utilization of 2 smaller GPUs rather then one massive one like today.

 

[epobirs]

If multi-GPU support got sufficiently common, I'd wonder how inexpensive of a video card Intel could produce from their IGA to double up on the GPU hardware in a PC. If the price was right, say around $50, and it gave a major boost to a large number of games, it could be a nice accessory for the large, less demanding part of the market who doesn't want much better than they see on consoles but with the variety of genres better offered in the PC realm.

 

[cwolf78]

so multi gpu was demo'ed earlier using Vulkan?

Why are we not hearing more about Vulkan? -With the disaster that is shaping up to be Windows 10, I really would hope to see a bigger focus on Vulkan and therefore paving a path to more titles on e.g. linux, steamOS etc.

What "disaster" are you talking about? Windows 10 is still on pace as the fastest selling OS release ever. Even if it miraculously tanked and they didn't sell even one more copy, it would still have an order of magnitude more market share (especially GAMING market share) than all the linux distros including SteamOS combined. So which API do you think developers are going to be targeting most? The answer should be obvious. I think Vulkan will be much more beneficial in the mobile space. And with the Xbox One getting DX12 support, perhaps PS4 will get Vulkan?

 

[epobirs]

so multi gpu was demo'ed earlier using Vulkan?

Why are we not hearing more about Vulkan? -With the disaster that is shaping up to be Windows 10, I really would hope to see a bigger focus on Vulkan and therefore paving a path to more titles on e.g. linux, steamOS etc.

Probably because your perception of disaster is subjective and at odds with reality. Yes, I know, Linux is the desktop of tomorrow. And always will be.

Gamers will flock to Windows 10 when a significant amount of product makes good use of DX12. There is no rush for them before then and it's still quite early yet for developers. Microsoft knows this and is doing what they can to move things forward but no amount of resources can substitute for the time needed to get a handle on major API changes and create products.

Stuff like SLI and other multi-gpu approaches has been demoed with every graphics APIs to come down the pike since the 90s. That doesn't mean the API is going to receive widespread adoption, just that another checkbox has been filled on the demo chart. You aren't hearing much about Vulkan because it's mainly in use where the consumer has little concern about such matters. Just as for many millions of console gamers Unreal Engine is just a name that goes by as part of the opening credits. PC gamers care a lot more about under the hood stuff than on most other platforms. It's part of the attraction if you have the inclination.

In much the same way you don't see a lot of articles about the changes to Android's runtime infrastructure. It's really important stuff for the platform but a very limited audience, outside of developers, for the interesting details.

 

[tical2399]

Where is this disaster you're talking about. W10 was been getting tons of praise. The same with dx 12. Talk about straw man arguments.

 

[chimera201]

Is anyone actually interested in playing Ashes of the Singularity?

 

[Mousemonkey]

so multi gpu was demo'ed earlier using Vulkan?

Why are we not hearing more about Vulkan? -With the disaster that is shaping up to be Windows 10, I really would hope to see a bigger focus on Vulkan and therefore paving a path to more titles on e.g. linux, steamOS etc.

What "disaster" are you talking about? Windows 10 is still on pace as the fastest selling OS release ever. Even if it miraculously tanked and they didn't sell even one more copy, it would still have an order of magnitude more market share (especially GAMING market share) than all the linux distros including SteamOS combined. So which API do you think developers are going to be targeting most? The answer should be obvious. I think Vulkan will be much more beneficial in the mobile space. And with the Xbox One getting DX12 support, perhaps PS4 will get Vulkan?

Are all the "free upgrades" being counted as "sales" I wonder?

 

[clonazepam]

They're interesting concepts, but it seems more like a bunch of tech talk to reach a wider audience. Talking about their actual game would probably put most people to sleep.

I see multi-GPU setups dying off being more likely than competing companies working together. Do you really see either company, AMD or Nvidia, rushing off to fix bugs in drivers for these arrangements?

Split rendering is interesting. For instance, having really high poly player character, nearby NPCs done by a single GPU, and terrain, props, etc all done on the other. That could be interesting. I doubt there's any conceivable way to not introduce more latency though.

I'm no expert but multi-gpu is so rare, I don't see how any publisher (not developer) could read any of this and see dollar signs.

 

[renz496]

Part of the problem is multi gpu is still pc exclusive feature. It is feature that pushed by gpu maker so they can sell more gpu. But to game developer to support multi gpu it is like an added cost to them. We often see multi gpu sometimes having problem that only appear under multi gpu. And in some cases having driver updates not enough to fix the problem game dev need to patch their game so SLI/CF able to work properly.

Personally i don't hate multi gpu. I use 660 SLI in the past and i'm very satisfied for it's performance and nvidia support. But from game developer/publissher POV that is added work for them. And throw in multi gpu specific problem that can occur in games some of them might see multi gpu were not a feature they really want in their games.

 

[spagalicious]

Probably because your perception of disaster is subjective and at odds with reality. Yes, I know, Linux is the desktop of tomorrow. And always will be.

Gamers will flock to Windows 10 when a significant amount of product makes good use of DX12. There is no rush for them before then and it's still quite early yet for developers. Microsoft knows this and is doing what they can to move things forward but no amount of resources can substitute for the time needed to get a handle on major API changes and create products.

Like it or not, Windows is the best OS for gaming. That won't change anytime soon.

You totally side-stepped his question. How is Windows 10 a disaster?

 

[maddogfargo]

...OR... You could just use a CPU that doesn't have integrated GPU. 😉

 

[urishima]

...OR... You could just use a CPU that doesn't have integrated GPU. 😉

Or... you could actually read the article and try to understand the point they were trying to make. SHOCKING!

 

[shrapnel_indie]

so multi gpu was demo'ed earlier using Vulkan?

Why are we not hearing more about Vulkan? -With the disaster that is shaping up to be Windows 10, I really would hope to see a bigger focus on Vulkan and therefore paving a path to more titles on e.g. linux, steamOS etc.

What "disaster" are you talking about? Windows 10 is still on pace as the fastest selling OS release ever. Even if it miraculously tanked and they didn't sell even one more copy, it would still have an order of magnitude more market share (especially GAMING market share) than all the linux distros including SteamOS combined. So which API do you think developers are going to be targeting most? The answer should be obvious. I think Vulkan will be much more beneficial in the mobile space. And with the Xbox One getting DX12 support, perhaps PS4 will get Vulkan?

Part of that "success" is it is placed on all new computers, the XB-One, and all new windows phones now. Win 10 has potential, but it is still plagued with bugs...