iPhone 3G S supports OpenGL ES 2.0, but 3G only supports 1.1 -- will the App Store splinter?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Jun 10th 2009 5:00AM
posted Jun 10th 2009 5:00AM
What does this mean to you? OpenGL ES is the lightweight version of OpenGL, a powerful library of real-time 3D rendering APIs; many modern phones and other handheld devices support the older 1.1 specification, but 2.0 is less common -- it kicks things up a notch by supporting more complex textures and shading operations, which basically means games written to support it look more badass. Here's the problem, though: because OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 are completely incompatible with each other, apps need to be written to support both if they're going to be maximally compatible. A 2.0-only app can't simply run on a 1.1-only device and not look as good -- it won't work at all.
Here's where it gets interesting. The App Store has already splintered a bit with certain applications being unavailable to iPod Touch users (dialers, for example), but language in Apple's iPhone SDK documentation leads us to believe that the company eventually intends to begin allowing it to splinter even among iPhone models, maybe as soon as the 3G S is released. That is, they'll allow apps that are only compatible with the 3G S because they're written to take advantage of OpenGL ES 2.0 and don't offer a 1.1 fallback:
"When designing your OpenGL ES application, the first question you must answer is whether your application will support OpenGL ES 1.1, OpenGL ES 2.0, or both... Your application should target OpenGL ES 1.1 if you want to support all iPhones and iPod touches."Realistically, it was bound to happen; platform aside, hardware is always improving, and it's paralyzingly difficult to require that all apps be compatible with all of a platform's devices regardless of age -- particularly when it comes to gaming. We imagine this'll be an issue with apps taking advantage of the 3G S' other specific features like the magnetic compass and video recording support, too. Question is, what'll be that must-have game (or compass, we suppose) that spurs stubborn 3G owners into shelling out a few hundred bucks they didn't intend to?
who cares? 3G is so yesterday. I am getting my first smart phone on June 19th...
Did you hear that Engadget? You can take this article down now.... evidently it doesn't matter because LisaGee is getting her first smart phone on June 19th.
News flash Lisa, there's plenty of us that care
take it easy roach, it seems like you haven't had your first beer for the day yet... way ahead of ya LOL
i remember when i had my first beer
ummmmmmm......beer
Because of beer, I can't remember last night :-(
Speaking of splintering etc, the app store and the itunes store in general is becoming very cluttered and not helpful. Its very difficult to browse. I was expecting some kind of new version of the store to debut at WWDC to help developers market their apps in a better way. Right now, it seems like if it isn't on a "top list" (i.e. top 25, editors' pick, etc.), the apps can easily be buried. This helps the big guys because of the name recognition but isn't so good for the little guys trying to make a name for themselves. There has to be a better way to organize the store and with this new divergence in the platform, it seems all but inevitable
I agree. There are some great apps in the store but have been buried by the top 25. It is a pain in the ass to sift through. I would definetly welcome a better way to browse apps. Perhaps adding a new "Genius" mode for the app store?
I'm going to keep my 3G. It's nice that they've done some hardware revisions, but it does nothing to make me want to buy a new one. Plus, I',m under contract... had they allowed me to renew and get the contract price, then I would think about it. I'll wait until next year and hope they give us a better screen and a new style.
Hah, and Apple was making fun of Nokia during the WWDC because not everything in Ovi works with all phones. I guess that is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
This author of this article seems to demonstrate a clear lack of understanding when it comes to modern framework design (in this case a game engine). Software developers have been building engines that scale with differing hardware for decades and the recent improvements to the iPhone platform are no different. Start up any modern desktop game, and there are often settings buried away in an options screen for tuning the visual and audio experience. Typically these games automatically profile the hardware to choose the best settings without user intervention. Game developers will simple apply these long understood techniques to the iPhone / Touch hardware.
I'm certainly not attempting to trivialise the effort of building scalable game engines, but you can be assured the 'big' developers will take care of their users. Even indie developers can (and do) use commercial frameworks like Unity3D, which no doubt is designed around a scalable architecture.