How does Kha compare to SDL for cross-platform games?

Kha is like a supercharged SDL with better portability across more platforms and generational APIs for optimized performance, but it uses Haxe instead of C/C++, which may affect language preference and ecosystem support.

Is Kha good for making 2D mobile games?

Yes, Kha supports hardware-accelerated 2D graphics with fallback options and targets Android and iOS, making it suitable for high-performance mobile games. However, you'll need to handle mobile-specific optimizations manually.

How to compile shaders in Kha for different platforms?

Write shaders in GLSL, and Kha's krafix shader-compiler automatically cross-compiles them to target-specific languages like HLSL for Direct3D or SPIR-V for Vulkan, streamlining multi-platform development.

Can Kha be used with Unity for a hybrid project?

Yes, Kha can run on top of Unity3D or compile to C# libraries, allowing you to integrate portable game logic into Unity. This is useful for leveraging Kha's performance in specific components within a Unity workflow.

What are the steps to deploy a Kha project to HTML5?

Set up Haxe and Kha, then use the Kha build tools to target HTML5 with options for WebGL, canvas, or WebWorkers. Refer to the Getting Started wiki for detailed instructions on configuration and optimization.

Is Kha suitable for beginners in game development?

No, Kha's low-level nature and Haxe requirement make it better suited for experienced developers. Beginners might struggle with the lack of built-in tools and the need to handle graphics APIs directly.

Open-Awesome

Kha

ZlibC

A low-level, ultra-portable SDK for building high-performance games and media applications across all platforms.

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1.6k stars172 forks0 contributors

What is Kha?

Kha is an ultra-portable, high-performance, open-source multimedia framework and low-level SDK for building games and media applications. It solves the problem of fragmented platform development by allowing developers to write code once and deploy it across a massive range of targets, from web and mobile to desktop and game consoles, while ensuring optimal performance on each.

Target Audience

Game developers and media application creators who need to deploy high-performance projects across a wide variety of platforms, including obscure systems and major consoles, without rewriting their core codebase.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Kha for its unparalleled portability, its generational API design that maximizes target-specific performance, and its flexibility to integrate with or compile to other ecosystems, offering a powerful, unified alternative to platform-specific SDKs.

Overview

Ultra-portable, high performance, open source multimedia framework.

Use Cases

Best For

Developing a single game for release on PC, web, mobile, and consoles simultaneously
Creating high-performance 2D or 3D media applications that must run on diverse hardware
Building a game engine or framework that requires a portable, low-level graphics and audio foundation
Projects targeting 'obscure' or embedded systems like the Raspberry Pi
Teams needing to integrate portable game logic into larger engines like Unity
Developers who want to write shaders in GLSL for automatic cross-compilation to various platforms

Not Ideal For

Projects targeting only a single platform where platform-specific SDKs (like DirectX for Windows) would be simpler and more efficient
Teams seeking a full-featured game engine with built-in tools like level editors, physics engines, and visual scripting
Developers unfamiliar with the Haxe programming language who prefer mainstream ecosystems like C++ or C#
Rapid prototyping or hobbyist projects that benefit from drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built asset libraries

Pros & Cons

Pros

Unparalleled Portability

Supports over 20 platforms including consoles, web, desktop, and embedded systems like Raspberry Pi, enabling true write-once-run-anywhere development as highlighted in the README.

Generational API Design

Graphics and audio APIs are optimized for each target to extract maximum performance, ensuring applications leverage the best hardware capabilities, as stated in the features.

Shader Cross-Compilation

Allows writing shaders in GLSL with automatic compilation to target-specific languages like HLSL or Metal, simplifying multi-platform shader management per the README.

Engine Integration Flexibility

Can run on top of engines like Unity3D or compile to C#/Java libraries, offering versatile deployment options for integrating portable logic into existing projects.

Cons

Haxe Dependency

Requires knowledge of Haxe, a niche language with a smaller community than C++ or C#, increasing the learning curve and limiting readily available resources.

Console Access Barriers

Console platform code is not public; access requires being a registered developer with manufacturers and contacting the Kha team, adding legal and logistical hurdles.

Low-Level Complexity

As a low-level SDK, it lacks built-in high-level features like physics or UI systems, necessitating additional coding effort compared to full game engines.

Open Source Alternative To

Kha is an open-source alternative to the following products:

SDL

SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) is a cross-platform development library written in C that provides low-level access to audio, keyboard, mouse, joystick, and graphics hardware via OpenGL and Direct3D.

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