A new competitor enters the console gaming market and it's none other than Amazon. During its hardware event today, the tech giant announced that it's entering the console gaming market with Amazon Luna. Rather than being a direct competitor to the PS5 or Xbox Series X, Luna is more of a competitor to Google Stadia. Like the latter, Luna is a cloud-based gaming service but is powered by Amazon Web Service (AWS) and is available on PC, Mac, Fire TV and web apps for iPhone and iPad (Android is
planned for later). Games are playable with either Xbox One controller, DualShock 4 controller, mouse/keyboard or the newly announced Luna Controller; a controller apparently took some inspiration from the Nintendo Switch's Pro Controller, with the notable addition of a virtual assistant button:
While this service has been announced today, early access to Luna is available in mainland U.S. only and exclusively by invitation on its official website, which will be issued on a rolling basis. This early access is priced at $5.99 per month, streams at up to 1080p with select titles streamed at up to 4K resolution and supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The company recommends a minimum internet connection speed of 10 Mbps for streaming games and mentions a 35 Mbps connection required to play in 4K.
The Alexa-enabled Luna Controller
goes for $49.99 during the early access period, and will be available for purchase only by those who have received an invitation to Luna. Amazon's controller connects directly to Amazon's cloud servers, allowing for lower latency and enabling players to easily switch between screens (such as Fire TV to mobile phone) without the need for additional pairing or configuration changes.
Amazon Luna will also feature Twitch integration which the company
explains as follows:
“Inside the Luna experience, players will see Twitch streams for games in the service, and from Twitch, they’ll be able to instantly start playing Luna games.”
As part of the announcement, Luna+ was also introduced as "a growing library of new and favorite titles" that will host
over 100 games. Launch titles will include
Resident Evil 7, Control, Panzer Dragoon, A Plague Tale: Innocence, The Surge 2, Yooka-Laylee, GRID, Abzu, and
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons; with more to be added "over time". Amazon also announced the Ubisoft channel, the first of additional gaming channels, which will include older and newer Ubisoft games like
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. But no pricing was announced for this additional channel.
What do you think of the Amazon Luna? Do you think cloud gaming services will replace traditional gaming consoles? Share your thoughts below!
Amazon Luna Official Website
