14 DAY TRIAL // Intel has recently announced that Vulkan APIs are now fully supported on Windows PCs, creating new opportunities for developers that don’t want to rely on DirectX for their projects aimed at Microsoft’s platform.
Vulkan API support for Windows is being added with Intel HD Graphics Driver 21.20.16.4590, and according to the official release notes, it supports only 64-bit operating systems like Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.
Previously, Vulkan games and applications were available on Windows PCs with NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards, but also with Intel’s integrated graphics with beta drivers. NVIDIA and AMD both shipped their own third-party drivers for Vulkan, and with this new release, Intel promises to make gaming a stable experience, as all the reported bugs are supposed to be fixed.
Vulkan APIs support the integrated graphics in Intel’s Kaby Lake and Skylake processors, with one key mention: as per the partnership between Microsoft and Intel, Kaby Lake only supports Windows 10, so consequently, Vulkan can only be used on a Windows 10 system when powered by the 7th generation Intel Core processor family. In the case of Skylake, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 are all supported.
To be used on Windows 10 VR headsets?
So what does this mean for users and developers? In short, users should benefit from better gaming performance, as Vulkan promises a series of advantages over DirectX, such as a smaller footprint on system resources and better use of all CPU cores. Furthermore, the open-source solution is based on the same approach as DirectX and employs both GPU and CPU power to improve graphics performance.
As far as developers are concerned, Vulkan could be used even for the VR headsets that are expected to see daylight later this year and developed to work on Windows 10. Microsoft and its partners have already confirmed plans to invest in VR headsets and the first devices are expected to go live later this year.
Furthermore, Vulkan also brings cross-platform support, with desktops and mobile devices also integrating its APIs to benefit from the same reduced resource usage, improved battery life, and making full use of the available CPU cores for maximized performance.
Vulkan, which was developed by Kronos Group at GDC in 2015, currently supports Android, Linux (where it's already a big deal), Tizen, and Windows, with the focus on 3D graphics (although 2D rendering is also possible). The core of Vulkan was developed by AMD as part of the Mantle API, and later donated to Kronos for the new open-source API.