Game streaming or cloud gaming is a hot and polarizing new thing in the gaming market. Some people are open to it, others are very critical of its shortcomings. Cloud gaming is a service that allows games to be streamed through the internet onto your device be it a PC or mobile. And as it is coming from the internet, many are concerned by the lag and latency produced by it and some people are dead set on the fact that it can never replace conventional consoles or PCs. Let us know about “What Is Amazon Luna?”
Nevertheless, many companies started exploring the possibilities in 2010, companies as OnLive and now including Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming, Nvidia’s Geforce Now, Sony’s PlayStation Now, Google’s Stadia, and in 2020, Amazon announced their horse in the game, Amazon Luna which is powered by their web-technology, AWS and in many ways is different from its competitors.
What Is Amazon Luna?
Amazon Luna is Amazon’s effort to compete against Xbox cloud gaming and Stadia in terms of cloud gaming. With a monthly subscription, you can get access to various “channels” having a different assortment of games and different prices. The games can be accessed through various devices including a web browser, Fire TV stick, iOS, and Android mobiles.
The service uses Amazon Web Service, a cloud computing platform providing virtual emulation of CPUs, GPUs, RAMs, etc. and it is one of the most popular cloud services used by a myriad of companies and web developers, holding 33% of all the market share as of 2021 Q4. The implementation of AWS separates it from other services like Stadia.
Benefits Of Using Amazon Luna
Amazon Luna and any other cloud gaming service allow you to play games without any expensive PC or console and it allows you to play them at a very high setting wherever you have Internet. Be it on your phone or PC and can be streamed up to 1080p60.
Amazon Luna has a better implementation of the service and it also allows the controller to be connected directly to the cloud for the latency to be lesser than what Stadia or Geforce Now would have offered.
Games
A games service is nothing without games and Amazon Luna offers around 86 games as of May 2022. Most of them are by Ubisoft and they also have special channels just for their games. The games run at 1080p resolution with up to 60 FPS. Additionally, 4K will also come soon enough as said by Amazon.
The notable games that are included are Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Devil May Cry 5, Far Cry 6, and No More Heroes. The game selection is low for now but Amazon promises to add more games in the following times.
The games are separated across channels based on the games being offered, namely,
Prime Gaming Channel: Comes free with Prime gaming and games rotate every month.
Luna+: Luna+ is $9.99 per month and includes an ever-expanding library of games like Devil May Cry 5, Dirt 5, etc.
Ubisoft+: Ubisoft gives access to Ubisoft’s brand new games like Far Cry 6, Watch Dogs: Legion, and Assassin’ Creed: Valhalla and it costs $17.99 per month.
Family Channel: A collection of video games safe for kids and families like Overcooked! and Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated and it costs $5.99 per month
Retro Channel: A collection of retro titles from developers like Capcom and SNK like Metal Slug and Castlevania and it costs $5.99 per month.
Jackbox Games Channel: This channel gives access to eight Party Packs from Jackbox and it costs $4.99 per month.
Amazon Luna Controller
Amazon Luna supports a variety of inputs including DualShock 4, Xbox family of controllers, and keyboard-and-mouse. But Amazon also released their controller which needs to be bought separately.
The controller is a must-have for this service, not only for its great feel but also for its integrated Wi-Fi chip which is connected directly to the cloud and according to Amazon reduces latency by 17 to 30 milliseconds.
With this feature, the controller can be used on every device Luna supports from iPad to web browsers. Other than that it can be connected using Bluetooth or USB to be used on platforms like Steam.The Luna Gamepad is a very comfortable controller and has a similar look to an Xbox controller with its face button layout and offset analog stick. The buttons are tactile but the D-Pad has a soft feeling. There’s also a microphone button to use Amazon Alexa, a pinhole microphone on the controller, and a headphone jack on the bottom edge.The gamepad can be used with two AA batteries and a USB-C for wired or for charging rechargeable batteries.
Twitch Integration
Amazon owns the game broadcasting platform, Twitch and it’s integrated into the service without needing to have a powerful system and works almost instantly with customization for screen layouts and webcams.
About The Service
The service is perfect for people who want a good replacement for an actual console.
The drawbacks of the service are the requirement for a fast internet otherwise the experience will be pretty laggy, the game selection is small and mostly filled with Ubisoft games. The channel for Ubisoft can be a bit expensive along with all the other channels making it as expensive as $60 per month. The free Prime gaming channel will only get you so far with the constantly rotating games and limited line-up and owning games is not possible with the subscription service, so some games can be taken out due to licensing reasons or contracts expiring in the future.
Conclusion
The launch of the service surprised many naysayers of cloud gaming as it proved that the gimmick has potential in the future. Unlike Stadia, which ran poorly, Luna offers a smooth experience if you have a stable Internet connection. The controller’s innovative way to connect to the cloud directly also mitigates the lag that otherwise would have been produced if the input were to be sent by the device streaming the game.
