14 DAY TRIAL // Support for AMD's Mantle API might be integrated into some of the best AAA games that are coming our way, which means that the performance and visual gap on their PC editions will be even greater for AMD fans.
An API (application programming interface) specifies how software and hardware components interact with each other, providing a unified toolset that allows programmers to make better software without worrying about any hardware particularities.
Mantle's design goals were to make better use of CPUs and GPUs, and it has already shown itself capable of surpassing DirectX 11 in terms of performance, so things are looking good for AMD for the time being.
The list is not official by any means, so take it with a grain of salt for the time being, but if what Videocardz put together turns out to be spot-on, then we're in for a treat (and so is AMD).
Their list is divided into three different sections, including games that have been released, games that are yet to be released, and lastly games that are not yet confirmed to have Mantle API support, but whose developers have signed for AMD's private beta program.
The games in the third group, the ones ripe for speculation, are Alien: Isolation Grand Theft Auto 5, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Homefront: The Revolution, and Sleeping Dogs: Triad Wars.
Considering the controversy regarding the developers of Watch Dogs allegedly favoring Nvidia cards, which translated into a performance drop on AMD cards, the support for the company's API in Grand Theft Auto 5 could prove to be a veritable boon for AMD.
The second group of games includes Star Citizen, The Sims 4, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth, Battlefield Hardline, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, which already make use of Mantle and will ship in the near future.
The Mantle API will definitely help AMD compete with Nvidia, which is currently working on improvements for OpenGL that will allegedly bring a similar boost in performance. However, it will take a while until either that or DirectX 12 becomes available.
In addition to this, there have also been reports claiming that porting Mantle games to DirectX 11 (or DirectX 12 when it comes out) is very easy, so that's another good thing that AMD has going for it. Especially with such high-profile support to back its API up, the future might see the company become a more serious contender for Nvidia's crown.
