Vulkan 1.4.335 has been released, introducing the highly anticipated VK_EXT_present_timing extension. Developed over five years with contributions from NVIDIA, Google, AMD, Collabora, Samsung, Unity, and Red Hat, this extension marks a significant advancement in graphics APIs by providing accurate display timing information for Vulkan swapchains.
The VK_EXT_present_timing extension addresses a long-standing challenge in ensuring smooth real-time animations and games. Traditional graphics APIs, while focusing on maximizing throughput and frames per second, often lacked precise control over when frames were actually presented on screen. This limitation could lead to choppy motion even when frame rates were high.
With VK_EXT_present_timing, developers gain two crucial capabilities: first, the ability to receive timing feedback from previous frame presentations; and second, the capability to specify target presentation times for future frames. By leveraging these capabilities, applications can synchronize their simulation time steps with actual display timing, minimizing stutter and ensuring consistent, smooth animations.
NVIDIA has already rolled out a beta driver supporting this extension, paving the way for broad adoption. Other vendors, including those on Mesa and Android platforms, are expected to follow suit, heralding a new era in precise frame pacing for Vulkan applications.

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Vulkan 1.4.335 introduces the VK_EXT_present_timing extension after five years of development by major industry players. This extension enables developers to receive timing feedback from previous frames and specify target presentation times for future frames, allowing applications to synchronize simulation steps with actual display timing. The result is smoother animations and reduced stutter in real-time graphics applications, addressing a long-standing limitation in graphics APIs. NVIDIA has released a beta driver with support, with other vendors expected to follow.

Vulkan 1.4.335 Released With VK_EXT_present_timing Extension