Futuremark, a leading developer of performance benchmarks for PCs, said that it had started development of 3DMark for Android, with the aim of bringing the industry standard gaming performance benchmark to Android powered tablets in 2012. This will be the first time when Futuremark develops a benchmark for non-Windows platforms.

"Since 1998, the PC industry has relied on 3DMark to accurately measure gaming hardware performance. In 2012 we will bring 3DMark to the Android platform with a professional grade benchmark that can be trusted by manufacturers, suppliers and vendors to provide the definitive measure of gaming performance on Android while showcasing the very best in real-time graphics and effects," said Jukka Mäkinen, CEO of Futuremark.

3DMark for Android will measure gaming performance using rendering, CPU and physics tests. The benchmark will use OpenGL ES API. Results of 3DMark for Android will be comparable with 3DMark for Windows 8, besides, Futuremark will offer a complementary online service to compare results between devices.

Research groups such as Gartner and IDC are predicting explosive growth for tablets in the coming years. Undoubtedly games will be one of the key drivers of this growth as the performance and power of these lightweight devices improves. Fierce competition between Android devices means hardware manufacturers and their suppliers will need an objective, impartial and forward-looking performance reference to enable their engineers to deliver competitive products.

Dedicated benchmarking software provides industry engineers and press reviewers with the tools to produce consistent results that are repeatable, reliable and relevant. 3DMark is a purpose built benchmark for measuring gaming performance. It uses bespoke workloads designed specifically to stress test graphics hardware and highlight bottlenecks in the system.

3DMark for Android is currently in development, expected to be released in 2012. Companies involved in the manufacture of Android-powered devices are invited to join Futuremark's Benchmark Development Program to play a critical role in the development of 3DMark for Android, from initial specification to final delivery.

Tags: 3DMark, Futuremark, Android, Google