Android NDK r3 brings native OpenGL ES 2.0 support

By Kshitij Sobti | Updated on 10-Mar-2010

10 Mar 2010 11:39

Android users now have a lot to look out for, as the latest release of the Android NDK adds support for native OpenGL ES 2.0 development.

Android’s use of a custom Java virtual machine for its applications can be quite a restraint against porting existing code to the platform, however the NDK or the Native Development Kit, which is an add-on to the Android SDK allows for use code written in native languages. Even so, it is not possible to develop and entire application using the NDK, instead, one can compile existing libraries and utilize them in their applications. The NDK, for example, is what has made it possible to create a Firefox for Android.

This new release brings OpenGL ES 2.0 support to those developing with the NDK. OpenGL ES 2.0 is a lighter version of OpenGL 2.0 as compared to Open GL ES 1.0 which is roughly the equivalent of OpenGL 1.3. With OpenGL ES 2.0 comes support for shaders and as such much more advanced game effects. This should also make it easier to port OpenGL 2.0 games to the embedded platform. While the NDK can still be used to target Android 1.6 and higher, OpenGL ES 2.0 functionality is only available in Android 2.0 and above.

That said, the Android marketplace is not something that the game publishers are actively pursuing , due to its inadequacies. While the Google fixes its app marketplace, you can always count on the generosity of open source developers, with games such as Quake III for Android, which was built using OpenGL ES 1.0 in the previous NDK.