Luna allows you to play AAA titles online without having to download them. Time will tell whether Amazon can compete with others thanks to this gaming platform or not.
According to The Next Web, Luna will be released on Fire TV, computers, Macs and iOS devices, while Android will soon be supported in the near future. Although the information is not clear, it is likely that you will subscribe to different Luna’s “channels” to access specific games. For example, there’s a channel called Luna + that offers a wide variety of titles, including Resident Evil 7, Yooka-Laylee, and Control. Luna + charges $ 5.99 / month for the first time you sign up, with more titles to be added.
Another channel, partnered with Ubisoft, will let you experience titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6 and Immortals Fenyx Rising as soon as they come out. Amazon says this is “the first of many game channels being developed for Luna, where customers can ‘take on’ titles from publishers and their favorite genres”. Luna’s website says it will “unlimited hours”, but is only available on one device. But with Luna + subscription, the number of supported devices will be two.
Naturally, the game service will integrate the Twitch game streaming platform, as Amazon bought it back in 2014. While you are watching a Twitch channel and want to try playing a game that appears on that channel, you can immediately do this with Luna. You can even see a stream of the titles in your pick list. However, this feature is currently only available in the US.
Amazon also released the Luna controller, which looks almost identical to the Amazon Fire handle, with purple paint. It is integrated Alexa virtual assistant and equipped with “multi-antenna design to prioritize continuous Wi-Fi waves, help reduce interruptions while gaming”. You can also play with the keyboard and mouse, Xbox One or DualShock 4 controller. Luna controller price is 49.99 USD for those who register early in the time just released.
Most impressive is that Amazon has found a way to bring a cloud-based game service to Apple devices. Since Apple is said to be a rival to this kind of game platform, like Stadia and xCloud, it would be an unexpected change if Luna ‘makes it happen’.
