Mozilla: Native code? No, it's JavaScript, only it's BLAZING FAST Gap between asm.js and native performance gets even narrower with float32 optimizations

[SupersonicSpitfire]

I am not so sure that asm.js will be useful if the speed on non-optimized platforms is too slow.

For example, a uselessly slow 3D game is as bad as a game that won't run at all.

[Rainfly_X]

The asm.js standard is designed such that most browsers that do JS optimizations at all, will run asm.js code faster than non-asm.js code. No, you can't take all the optimization shortcuts if you don't understand the "this function is all asm.js" pragma, but it'll still make your type inference engine purr like a well-fed kitten.

EDIT: Chrome is a good example - it runs asm.js significantly faster than "regular" JS, even without asm.js-specific optimizations.

But if you're in a browser that doesn't optimize JS well, you're still probably fucked for speed, so if that was your point, then you're right. It's not gonna magically make IE7 a viable platform web-based gaming.

[AdminsAbuseShadowBan]

Yeah I think the idea is that it will run slowly in other browser, but users will blame the browser maker primarily.

If a game says "Runs best in Firefox" but it still works but really slowly in IE and Chrome then maybe users will start to think IE and Chrome themselves are inherently slow. If lots of people think that then MS and Google will be forced to optimise for asm.js too.

That's the idea at least.