The next-generation of mobile 3D Java graphics is just around the corner, according to chipset specialist ARM.
In this article Srinivas Gattamneni, Software Product Manager at ARM's Media Processing Division and Sean Ellis, Technical Lead at ARM for M3G2, explore the implications...
Mobile gaming has been enabled largely by Java, providing a common execution environment for content across multiple devices from high-end through to low-end handsets.
An important contributor to this success has been the wide adoption of the Mobile 3D Graphics API (commonly referred to as “M3G”) by Java developers, operators and device vendors alike.
Put simply, M3G is a high level 3D API that allows Java programs to draw 3D graphics and import 3D model data, including animation data.
However, consumers, device vendors, operators and developers are increasingly demanding richer, smoother, more realistic graphics for games, user interfaces, navigation screens, browser displays and so on.
To satisfy this need, next generation mobile phones are incorporating programmable Graphics Processing Units (GPU) such as the ARM Mali-200 and Mali-400 GPUs which deliver high-end 3D performance.
By 2012, ARM anticipates that GPUs in hardware will be available in over one billion mobile handsets and in the same timeframe Java will be available in over 80 percent of handsets worldwide.
An industry-led effort to produce the next generation Mobile 3D Graphics 2.0 specification (known as “M3G2”, or “JSR 297”) is encouraging the development of new and exciting 3D graphics. The companies involved in this standardisation effort include, among others, ARM, Nokia, Samsung Electronics, Motorola, Glu Mobile Inc, Hi Corp and NVIDIA.
With M3G2, Java developers can create premium content with visual effects such as high quality lighting, bump mapping, multi-texture blending, reflection mapping, refraction and water effects, dynamic texturing and non-photorealistic renderings.
The power of these programmable shaders is seen on every major console and PC game title today and M3G2 brings these graphical capabilities to mobile Java.
Consequently, Java developers and mobile operators will be able to provide console-like games to consumers on mobile handsets. Vendors who have invested in 3D hardware will be able to follow this model of advancing Java games to take full advantage of device capabilities.
Importantly, consumers will be able to set apart these devices based on performance and visual quality of content. The additional features of M3G2 also help to widen the reach of 3D beyond games and into other applications where information can be brought to life with 3D visuals.
The market momentum around M3G2 is growing and development tools vendors are working on products for generating M3G2 content. ARM has been a major contributor to the M3G and M3G2 standardisation efforts and the ARM M3G solution, Mali-JSR184 software, has shipped in over 100 million units worldwide.
ARM has also provided an early release of its M3G2 solution, Mali-JSR297 software, to lead partners. The first Mali-JSR297 software-enabled devices are expected to ship in the second half of 2009.
Fortunately for the industry, M3G2 has been designed to be a direct upgrade from M3G, so existing M3G developers will find it familiar and can benefit from full “backward compatibility” with M3G-based content, allowing re-use of many of the game assets already available.
Devices that deliver powerful 3D performance and the availability of rich graphical content for mobile phones act as a catalyst for each other. We are at a critical juncture today where high-end graphical performance on mobile phones is moving from an early adopter phase to a mass market reality.
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