Are you tired of hearing about new streaming game services? Too bad! Amazon’s long-rumored take on streaming full-powered games via the cloud is (almost) here, and it’s called Luna. Amazon is accepting requests for early access to the Luna system, though there’s no word on exactly when it will be available.
Luna is, basically, Stadia: games are streamed from Amazon’s AWS cloud servers to “player” apps in your home. The system will be available on Amazon’s Fire TV platform, naturally, but it’s also coming to the PC, Mac, and iOS via web streaming. That last one is something of an eye-raiser: Stadia, Xbox Game Pass streaming, and GeForce NOW have all been shut out of the iPhone and iPad thanks to Apple’s restrictive App Store policies. Amazon seems to be working around Apple’s library requirements with a progressive web app. Android service will be “coming soon” after launch.
Luna+ will be a subscription service, $6 a month to start. That will include a selection of over $100 all-you-can-eat games, with more added later. Titles listed in Amazon’s introductory press release include, but are not limited to:
- Resident Evil 7
- Control
- Panzer Dragoon
- A Plague Tale: Innocence
- The Surge 2
- Yooka-Laylee
- The Impossible Lair
- Iconoclasts
- GRID
- ABZU
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
In addition, you’ll be able to subscribe to an additional channel (a la Prime Video) for a premium batch of Ubisoft games, including Assassins Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, and Immortals Fenyx Rising on the day that they release. Notably, Ubisoft has been playing nice with all of the streaming services so far.
It’s not clear whether you’ll be able to buy additional games to play, as with Stadia, or if you’ll need to subscribe to more “channels” for a recurring fee as they become available.
Performance will be up to 4K at 60 frames per second for subscribers, and you can play in your living room with an official Luna controller. This design appears to be nearly identical to the Stadia controller, right down to the direct Wi-Fi connection (instead of Bluetooth) for low latency. The Luna controller can work with Bluetooth too, or you can bring your own or sub in a mouse and keyboard on the PC. The Luna controller will cost $50.
Amazon is achieving a bit of brand synergy with its other gaming-focused property, Twitch. Gamers will be able to pick up and play Luna games while browsing Twitch, and watch Twitch videos while using Luna. Oddly, there’s no mention of streaming your Luna gameplay sessions directly to Twitch audiences—that might still require the typical streamer setup.
Amazon is accepting requests for early access from customers in the United States today.
Source: Amazon