SDL, the Simple DirectMedia Layer just released SDL 3.4. SDL is one of those foundational game development frameworks that takes care of all the low level details such as window creation, input handling, joystick management, image loading and more. Many other game engines actually make use of SDL to provide this functionality and SDL has been used to create literally thousands of games, from indie to AAA.
The SDL 3.4 release has several new features, many building upon the new GPU functionality added in SDL 3 (technically 3.2). Highlight new features of the 3.4 release include:
Native PNG Support: SDL can now load and save PNG images natively without requiring external libraries like SDL_image, simplifying the asset pipeline for developers.
Enhanced 2D/3D GPU Interop: New APIs (like SDL_CreateGPURenderState) allow developers to use fragment shaders directly within the 2D rendering system, bridging the gap between simple 2D and modern 3D GPU workflows.
Animated Cursors: Added support for creating and managing animated color cursors, alongside automatic DPI-aware scaling for cursors across different displays.
Expanded Controller Support: Includes enhanced compatibility for 8BitDo, FlyDigi, and Hand Held Legend controllers, plus native support for the new Steam Controller and wired Nintendo Switch 2 controllers.
Web/Emscripten Improvements: Better integration for browser-based builds, including the ability to lock windows to specific HTML5 canvas elements and options to automatically fill the browser viewport.
Window Progress Overlays: New functions allow apps to show progress bars directly on the taskbar icon for Windows and Linux, useful for loading screens or background tasks.
Advanced Pen & Tablet Handling: Improved detection and metadata for pen devices, including the ability to distinguish between on-screen pens and separate touchpads.
Platform-Specific Updates: Added atomic KMSDRM support for Linux, high-refresh-rate (90Hz) support for visionOS, and refined keyboard “press and hold” behavior for macOS.
Key Links
SDL 3 Examples (Browser Based)
You can learn more about SDL and the SDL 3.4 release in particular in the video below.