Finnish benchmarking giant Futuremark, formerly known as Mad Onion, has announced the retirement of some of its software products, including 3DMark for Windows RT and the Steam release of 3DMark Vantage.
Known for its 3DMark family of gaming-related benchmarks, Futuremark has made a real name for itself in benchmarking circles. Its general-purpose PCMark suite was chosen by the EU for PC tenders in July last year, while in November the company was acquired by testing organisation Underwriters Laboratories for an undisclosed sum.
In the first major announcement since that acquisition, Futuremark has declared that it is retiring 3DMark for Windows RT - likely as a result of Microsoft itself deciding to all-but abandon the ARM-compatible platform when it releases Windows 10 next week. Although 3DMark for Windows RT will continue to be supported, Futuremark has explained, it will be removed from the Windows Store and the company's own website, to be made available to 'enterprise and business customers' on special request.
At the same time, the company is pulling its 3DMark Vantage benchmark from Valve's Steam digital distribution platform, making it exclusively available through the company's own website for reasons not disclosed. Finally, the company is to remove its platform-agnostic browser benchmark Peacekeeper, which will be deleted from the web when Windows 10 launches on the 29th of July. For Windows and Android users, Futuremark has announced that PCMark 8 is its official replacement; for other platforms, third-party alternatives like SunSpider will need to be used instead.
Known for its 3DMark family of gaming-related benchmarks, Futuremark has made a real name for itself in benchmarking circles. Its general-purpose PCMark suite was chosen by the EU for PC tenders in July last year, while in November the company was acquired by testing organisation Underwriters Laboratories for an undisclosed sum.
In the first major announcement since that acquisition, Futuremark has declared that it is retiring 3DMark for Windows RT - likely as a result of Microsoft itself deciding to all-but abandon the ARM-compatible platform when it releases Windows 10 next week. Although 3DMark for Windows RT will continue to be supported, Futuremark has explained, it will be removed from the Windows Store and the company's own website, to be made available to 'enterprise and business customers' on special request.
At the same time, the company is pulling its 3DMark Vantage benchmark from Valve's Steam digital distribution platform, making it exclusively available through the company's own website for reasons not disclosed. Finally, the company is to remove its platform-agnostic browser benchmark Peacekeeper, which will be deleted from the web when Windows 10 launches on the 29th of July. For Windows and Android users, Futuremark has announced that PCMark 8 is its official replacement; for other platforms, third-party alternatives like SunSpider will need to be used instead.
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