I'm beginning to code a new app in AS3, and I'm hoping for mobile and desktop support. I've looked at several Stage3D frameworks such as Starling, and I understand that there are great performance benefits for mobile devices and desktops that support hardware acceleration. What I'm worried about is those desktops that don't have video cards that are able to utilize Stage3D. I know there is software fallback, but I have heard that performance takes a hit anyways and that applications actually run better without utilizing Stage3D on desktops that don't support hardware acceleration. I'm leaning towards Stage3D, but I'm wondering if there are any other things I should keep in mind.
Thanks!
The software fallback used will always be faster than the native Flash drawing API. I'd suggest if the framework has all the features you need, then there's no reason not to use it. You'll definitely see a performance improvement if you compare the Starling version with the original version. The demo on their website proves just how smooth it is, even when using the software fallback.
If there's missing features that aren't in the framework that you need then fair enough, it's a tough decision but you have to balance the pros and cons. In terms of performance though, Stage3D is definitely the way to go.