> If you consider 60% of Android users, and 0% of iOS users, "widely supported," sure.
But that's what we're talking about, if it weren't for Apple Vulkan would be a near ubiquitous desktop and mobile API. Apple is the one standing in the way of that.
If Vulkan were a near ubiquitous mobile and desktop API, _maybe_ the console vendors would be more willing to tolerate it.
Microsoft can't be expected to just give up the gatekeeping that is DirectX on their own (well, maaaybe if antitrust was more effective ??).
Sony only cares about their console(s), so they prefer to focus on optimization rather than compatibility. (While Nintendo cares more about gameplay than graphics.)
Isn't that 40% of Android devices old / very cheap ?
Apple is one of the biggest (and especially, most profitable) companies in the world, and with great power comes...
So "Microsoft can't be expected", "Sony doesn't care" but we should only blame Apple. Gotcha.
Because only Apple has the power and hence the responsibility, not the tiny helpless companies Microsoft and Sony (~99% of consoles, 76% of desktop).
Edit: don't forget, Apple absolutely must support Vulkan (and others don't) because Metal is proprietary and non-cross-platform (just like any other graphics API on all major platforms) even though Vulkan appeared two years later than Metal (but neither Microsoft nor Sony are expected to drop their APIs which also appeared earlier than Vulkan).
But that's what we're talking about, if it weren't for Apple Vulkan would be a near ubiquitous desktop and mobile API. Apple is the one standing in the way of that.
If Vulkan were a near ubiquitous mobile and desktop API, _maybe_ the console vendors would be more willing to tolerate it.