Will Mantle Return The Game Industry to Vendor Specific APIs?

Lets talk about Mantle Shall We?

Mantle is a new graphics API provided by AMD that allows for direct access to their GPUs and bypasses the multiple layers of DirectX.  This new API is available for anyone who owns a Radeon graphics card that supports AMDs Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture.

You can read more about AMD's Mantle architecture here. 

This introduction of this new API reminds me of the mid to late 90's where every graphics card vendor had their own custom 3D API.  I remember having to download specific libraries and executable specific to running on a specific graphics accelerator (the name for 3D cards at the time).  It was a confusing mess to anyone who was not really into computers or gaming.  However....

Why Mantle Could Succeed?

AMD currently is the graphics solution for Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U.  I believe it is possible that the cards for the Xbox One and PS4 would be capable of using Mantle.  If developers who develop multi-platform get behind Mantle, they can build apps for the PC, Xbox One, and PS4 using the same API.  Even AMD's new APUs (CPU + GPU on one die) will be capable of supporting Mantle.  The only thing blocking such a revolution would be current gamer's stickiness to Nvidia.  Anybody playing serious games using Mantle would not be using an integrated Intel solution so that would be a nonissue.  

Supposedly though, the consoles have custom versions of Direct3D and OpenGL today that bypass alot of software layers allowing much more direct access to the hardware so it is possible that Mantle in consoles will be limited.  

However, Mantle could still be a boon to pushing AMD forward.  AMD's CPU business is in the doldrums, but perhaps their GPU business will help to lift them out of it.

Anyone who still wonders "Why Mantle" should take a look at this demo of a new RTS game called Star Swarm that will support up to 5000 units at once :).