FutureMark's suite of benchmarking tools are ubiquitous in gaming, and 2016 was a big year for them thanks to the release of both the Time Spy and VRMark benchmarks. These tools, which test DirectX 12 hardware and virtual reality capabilities, are well tuned for high performance hardware configurations but aren't particularly suited to the huge range of entry-level graphics devices currently on the market. Thankfully there has been news that a new set of tools are being developed which cater to this diverse market and are up to date with functionality for the latest graphics APIs.

As reported by TechPowerUp, Futuremark are preparing an as-yet unnamed new tool that integrates both DirectX 12 and Vulcan low-overhead graphics APIs and may well be planning to demonstratrate the software at CES 2017 next month. Billed as an alternative to Time Spy in much the same way Sky Diver is a less-intensive alternative to FireStrike, it will be geared towards notebook and low-power desktop graphics.

With Intel and AMD both planning new CPUs with graphics Futuremark's new releases will almost certainly be a mainstay of reviews for the next generation of hardware.

For more information on Futuremark's benchmarking tools - including 3DMark, PCMark and VRMark - visit Futuremark.com. You can also pick up a deal on each of these tool on Steam, where they're currently on sale at 50-85% off.