AMD Announces Next-Generation, Platform-Agnostic Tools for Increased Game Development Efficiency

GPU PerfStudio 2.0 offers developers new features and flexibility to help cut development time and improve game performance -

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. -- March 25, 2009 --AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the availability of GPU PerfStudio 2.0, a free, platform-agnostic, next-generation AMD graphics application development tool for game developers, obtainable through a closed beta program. GPU PerfStudio 2.0 has been designed from the ground up to easily integrate with existing projects, and help to identify and resolve performance issues early in the development cycle. With these tools, AMD is bringing its unparalleled understanding of 3D graphics technology and the leadership of its line of ATI Radeon™ graphics cards to bear on the development process.

"The GPU PerfStudio 2.0 suite of tools is extensive, customizable and, most importantly, based on open standards, which is critical for developers looking to integrate them into their existing workflows," said Neal Robison, director, Developer Relations, Graphics Products Group, AMD. "AMD is committed to arming developers with a full complement of hardware and development tools that help increase their development efficiency and improve 3D performance quality."

New Features Help Reduce Development Time
With GPU PerfStudio 2.0, AMD is introducing a newly written GPU Performance Analysis tool and an extensive feature set including:

• Frame Debugger, allowing developers to freeze applications on a single frame for detailed inspection;
• Shader Debugger, for the live debugging of HLSL and ASM pixel shaders;
• and Frame Profiler, which quickly identifies performance bottlenecks and optimization opportunities.

In internal testing of GPU PerfStudio 2.0, AMD software engineers measured significant time savings when searching for and resolving issues within games.

The new tools are immediately accessible to all game developers, requiring no modifications to existing code. GPU PerfStudio 2.0 delivers instant benefits to developers, enabling them to quickly identify algorithm and performance issues early in the development process, avoiding the hassle of discovering problems later in the development cycle and having to re-code particular game segments to get around them.

Flexible support, including the latest DirectX® 10.1 games
GPU PerfStudio 2.0 offers a number of unique capabilities that set it apart from other application development tools offered today, including support for DirectX® 10.1 enabling the production of the most advanced gaming titles possible today.

GPU PerfStudio 2.0 also offers platform flexibility with native support for 32-bit and 64-bit applications, including the ability to debug 32-bit applications on a 64-bit system. Developers also have the freedom to run GPU PerfStudio 2.0 on a different system from the application being debugged for a more flexible workflow.

The new tools also makes navigating often complicated cross-vendor development issues a thing of the past, taking a platform-agnostic approach to hardware support. No custom drivers are required in order to utilize the full feature set available on ATI Radeon graphics processors - GPU PerfStudio 2.0 works with the shipping ATI Catalyst™ driver.

GPU PerfStudio 2.0 is free for all developers and is available through a closed beta program. Interested developers may contact AMD at PerfStudio.Beta@amd.com

Source: AMD Press Release