author: Bartlomiej Sagan
Amazon Announces Luna, Its Own „Netflix for Gamers”
Amazon announced Luna, a video game streaming service to compete with similar services from Google, Nvidia or Microsoft. The official controller and list of launch titles were also revealed.
- Amazon announced a video game streaming service called Luna,
- More than 100 titles available on different channels,
- The service is currently in early access, only in the US.
Those interested in the idea of Netflix for players will soon face another opportunity to verify whether it is feasible nowadays. Yesterday, Amazon announced a streaming service called Luna, which will enable us to play the titles available on a games channel chosen by the user. The service of the American giant will not have a sales model like Microsoft (over 150 games as part of Game Pass Ultimate for a monthly fee) or Google (as part of Stadia we have to pay both a subscription and buy games). The service from Amazon will offer channels with specific sets of games, requiring separate subscriptions.
Two options have been announced so far:
- Plus, with a wide selection of games from various publishers, advertised by Control, Metro: Exodus or Resident Evil 7,
- Ubisoft, thanks to which it is possible to stream titles from the French corporation.
The first one is priced at $5.99 per month. The cost of the second one is unknown, as it will debut later. Please note that the price will change when the service will exit the early access stage. Therefore, it is difficult not to worry about fragmentation of the service.
Initially, Luna will enable us to stream titles in Full HD at 60 FPS to Windows PCs and MacOS, FireTV devices as well as smartphones and tablets with iOS. Support for Android will follow. As for hardware requirements, the absolute minimum for comfortable gaming is a link offering 10 Mbps (35 Mbps for 4K resolution, which will be available in some games in the future).
The official controller using Cloud Direct technology can be used for playing. It is based on the fact that the pad connects directly to the cloud and not through the device to which the game is streamed. Amazon boasts that this reduces latency by 17 to 30 milliseconds. An additional feature is the presence of Alexa virtual AI assistant, thanks to which it is enough to issue a voice command e.g. "Play Control", to enjoy the production of Remedy in a short time. The controller will cost 49.99 dollars, but currently it is available only to people who have been invited to the early access phase. The unconvinced will be pleased to know that Luna also supports wireless pads from Xbox, PlayStation and a keyboard+mouse set.
The release date of the full version of the service is not known. Since yesterday, the service operates in early access with an invitation required to join, but the offer applies to US residents (excluding Alaska, Hawaii and overseas areas).