What is Amazon Luna? Although cloud gaming is still in its infancy, prominent corporations aren’t afraid to make early investments in the gaming industry.
Amazon Luna is the newest platform to enter the competition, and with Twitch and Amazon Web Services (AWS) on its side, Luna might just win the title of best cloud gaming platform.
In September 2020, Luna was finally confirmed after more than a year of speculation. The service became formally available for use by everyone in the US in March 2022 following a protracted testing period that was restricted to invitees exclusively. You can register for Amazon Luna through the URL provided below.
What is Amazon Luna?
Amazon Web Services, the company’s well-known cloud computing platform, powers Amazon Luna, a cloud gaming platform (AWS).
Similar to other cloud gaming services, it enables users to instantaneously stream games to a variety of devices. This does away with downloads, updates, or even local storage, but it needs a fast internet connection.
Similar to Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming technology, Luna offers a library of games through Luna Plus for a monthly subscription price.
Additionally, similar to Amazon Prime Video, it provides channels that, for an additional monthly charge, unlock additional material from a certain publisher. There are five paid channels available right now.
Despite not requiring any particular hardware, Amazon produced a controller specifically for the Luna service. It contains a built-in Wi-Fi receiver, similar to a Google Stadia controller, to cut out the middleman and lessen input lag. It’s a worthy investment in online games where a few milliseconds can mean the difference between life and death.
Luna, in contrast to other cloud gaming platforms, provides a virtual version of couch co-op dubbed Luna Couch. Non-paying players may join the game and participate as long as the host is a paying subscriber.
Is Amazon Luna worth it?
It’s difficult to say right now whether Amazon Luna is worthwhile because it just launched. Even though it appears to be a compelling option to Google Stadia and Xbox Cloud Gaming, there are still a number of unanswered questions that may cause gamers to hesitate.
The most important of these worries is cost. While the service was undoubtedly worth the cheap $5.99 price at launch, Amazon has subsequently increased the cost of Luna Plus to $9.99 per month.
However, if you have Amazon Prime, you may try out a couple of the games on the platform without paying any additional fees.
The service does perform similarly to its competitors. If they have a strong internet connection, casual players might not even realise they aren’t using a local PC (at least until the connection temporarily hiccups). Utilizing Amazon’s massive AWS infrastructure has proven to be highly advantageous in that aspect.
In the end, you must decide whether or not Amazon Luna is worthwhile. It’s unquestionably a respectable substitute for Google Stadia or Xbox Cloud Gaming if you want a taste of the future.
Although we wouldn’t necessarily advise it over either service, you may try and cancel at any moment since it’s a straightforward subscription.
Internet requirements and data usage
The fact that Amazon Luna provides a range of streaming options to accommodate various speeds is a good feature. For 1080p streaming, Amazon advises at least 10 Mbps, or 35 Mbps for 4K when it becomes available.
Many customers are also concerned about data caps, which might result in slower speeds or an unexpectedly hefty bill at the end of the month. If you don’t have an unlimited subscription, use caution when playing 1080p games because they can use up to 10GB of data each hour.
Thank goodness Amazon Luna offers a setting to limit stream quality to 720p. This ought to solve the data consumption issues that other cloud gaming services were having.
Device support
Luna now offers online apps for Fire TV, PC, Mac, Android phones, iPhones, and iPads. Users on PCs and Macs can access the platform using either the standalone application or the Chrome browser.
Amazon Luna extended support for Android mobile devices in December 2020. They must have an Android operating system of version 9 or above, access the service using Chrome version 86 or later, and have a minimum download speed of 10Mbps.
Play games with your phone as a controller
You can get the Luna Controller app for iOS and Android and use it as a touch controller for games on your big screen TV if you have an Amazon Fire TV-based device or smart TV. The majority of casual games that use this controller software don’t require a traditional physical controller.
Twitch support
Amazon also owns Twitch, a well-known streaming platform used mostly for “Let’s Play” live gaming streams, in addition to Luna. Subscribers to Amazon Luna can launch their stream live by clicking a broadcast button in the user interface while using a webcam and a PC, Mac, or Amazon Fire tablet.
A camera feed that is overlaid on top of the gameplay video stream lets viewers see you as well. If you own a Fire TV smart set, you can also go live on Twitch. When you scan a QR code that is displayed on the screen with your smartphone, it will act as your camera and microphone.
How much is Amazon Luna?
Instead of having a single price, Amazon Luna is divided into a number of libraries, or “channels.” There are now six channels accessible. Look at them all together here:
- Luna Plus- The service’s primary gaming channel is called Luna Plus. The founder’s pricing at debut was $5.99 a month, and it still is for customers who continue their subscription. For new members, it increased to $9.99 per month on April 1. This subscription offers two simultaneous 1080p/60fps streams on two devices, as well as unrestricted access to a growing library of titles. The service had previously said that 4K quality would be available “soon,” but it has subsequently changed its mind and will now concentrate on other enhancements.
- Prime Gaming – One added benefit of having Amazon Prime is the ability to play a limited selection of Luna games for free.
- Ubisoft Plus — This channel showcases games created and/or released by Ubisoft, both older titles and more recent ones. Each month, it costs $17.99. It comes with unlimited gaming and the same 1080p/60 resolution, but only for one device. However, it includes each game’s ultimate edition, which for some games unlocks all DLC. You can link your Ubisoft account to access the Amazon Luna channel for no additional cost if you currently pay for Ubisoft Plus on another platform.
- Family Channel- This channel is available for $2.99 per month up until April 1 when it increases to $5.99 per month. You may lock in the $2.99 monthly cost for the Family channel of games until March, just like with the primary Luna Plus channel.
- Retro channel- Retro Channel is a $4.99 per month service that offers a variety of classic video games.
- Jackbox Games- The several casual trivia games produced by the Jackbox Games firm are shown on this channel. It is available for $4.99 each month.
The Amazon Luna controller
You should also get an Amazon Luna controller if you want to make the most of your Luna membership. For competitive multiplayer games, Amazon claims that using the official controller can cut latency by 17 to 30 milliseconds as compared to using conventional Bluetooth controllers.
It accomplishes this by using a built-in Wi-Fi receiver that supports both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz networks to establish a direct connection to Amazon’s servers.
This eliminates the need for a streaming device or local PC as a mediator for inputs. Unfortunately, a USB-C cable that can be used for wired gameplay is not provided in the box.
With built-in Wi-Fi for less latency, the Amazon Luna controller is comparable to an Xbox controller.
The layout of the controller is very similar to that of the wildly popular Xbox controller. The layout is standard, with four action buttons, two offset joysticks, a d-pad, two bumpers, and two triggers. It also has a textured grip. For home, action, menu, and microphone control, there are also four buttons in the middle. For wired audio, the controller has a 3.5mm headphone connection on the bottom.
Two changeable AA batteries, which are supplied in the box, power the controller. The Luna Controller smartphone app is required for setup, but once it’s done, switching between devices is simple.
The regular price of the Amazon Luna controller is $69.99, or $82.98 if it is purchased with a phone clip. The controller, though, is currently available for just $49.99 per month. For an additional $119.98, you can get the controller along with a Fire TV 4K stick.
Amazon Luna games
A Luna subscription from Amazon gives you unlimited access to about 120 games from different publishers. Though not as extensive as Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming library, the list is still a good place to start.
Theoretically, adding games to Luna should be simpler than Stadia, which needs developers to transfer their games to a Linux-based platform. This is because the games operate on Windows computers.
These titles, however, cannot be bought separately and require a recurring membership to play. As time passes, games can also be taken out of the service, denying even paying customers access. It is comparable to Xbox Game Pass in this respect, but excludes the ability to purchase a game after it has been deleted.
The Amazon Luna Plus standard membership comes with a large selection of games, even though you may add more games by subscribing to extra channels.
Amazon Game Studios, a division of Amazon, is also creating original video games. Crucible, a battle royal game that was the studio’s first big release, had a catastrophic debut and was ultimately reworked before being shelved.
Though it wasn’t yet made accessible on Amazon Luna, the second game, an MMO dubbed New World, managed to acquire a lot of interest during the November 2021 early access period. However, GeForce Now does have it.
What is the Amazon Luna release date?
March 1st, 2022 saw the official debut of Amazon Luna.
Where is it available?
Currently, Amazon Luna is only accessible in the US mainland.
How does it stack up against alternatives?
Amazon Luna is prepared to compete with services like Google Stadia, GeForce Now, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Although it’s too soon to make a decision about which is superior, there are some significant parallels and differences to be aware of.
- The platform that most closely resembles Luna is Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly Project xCloud). The games in its catalogue are a step above those offered by Luna, but they are similarly locked behind a single subscription charge. They comprise every first-party Microsoft game from well-known series like Halo and Gears of War. Cloud support excludes games you’ve bought and is presently only available in 720p quality. At $14.99 per month, it also costs more than twice as much.
- GeForce Now offers many of the same advantages as a full cloud gaming platform but is more of a virtual machine service. It enables you to use a powerful cloud machine to play your existing game library from Steam or other retailers. Only one hour long game sessions are allowed under the free plan; however, the Priority plan increases this to $9.99 per month. A future RTX package will cost $100 for six months and give users access to RTX 3080 GPUs. Just bear in mind that not all games will function with the service and that you will need to purchase each one separately.
- The only cloud gaming service that doesn’t demand a recurring fee is Google Stadia. You may choose the games you wish to buy and play them whenever you want at 1080p/60 frames per second. With Stadia Pro, which costs $9.99 a month and offers a respectable selection of games to play as long as you remain a subscriber, you can also upgrade it to 4K quality. The service did, however, shut down its studios for first-party Stadia games, which isn’t exactly a good sign for further investment from the business.
Conclusion
For the early access phase, the service is fairly constrained.
Only the US will initially have access to Luna. Alaska, Hawaii, and all US territories are not included in this. Currently, Amazon has not made any intentions public about its international growth. Although it will probably grow after early access and possibly even during.
The only place where Luna is currently operational is still the US continent.
People May Ask
Q- Do advertising appear on Amazon Luna?
A- Yes. Similar to Kindle devices, Amazon Luna shows adverts while playing a game online. They do not, however, show up when the game is loaded or while you are playing.
Q- Will the service introduce more games in the future?
A- Yes. With add-on channels like Ubisoft Plus, Amazon offers many more games than the roughly 100 included with the regular Amazon Luna Plus subscription.
Q- How did Project Tempo turn out?
A- Amazon Luna was formerly known as Project Tempo when it was being developed. The codename has been discarded now that it has been declared publicly.
Q- Can I buy Amazon Luna in India?
A- No, early access to Amazon Luna is only presently available in the US. As soon as the availability is extended globally, we’ll update this article.
Q- Does Amazon Prime include Luna?
A- Although the primary service is only accessible through Amazon Prime, those subscribers can access a limited number of Luna games at no extra cost.