All You Need to Know about Amazon’s Cloud Gaming Service

All You Need to Know about Amazon’s Cloud Gaming Service

The gaming industry has long awaited the arrival of cloud gaming platforms as a feasible substitute to the ways users play games currently. With the announcement of Amazon’s cloud gaming service – the Amazon Luna, the world seems to have taken one step closer to a cloud-based future.

Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform that allows users to play their favorite games on devices they already own. The best thing about this service is that users can easily play without waiting for lengthy downloads or updates.

Continue reading to learn everything there is to know about the all-new Amazon Luna.

About Amazon’s Cloud Gaming Service

Amazon Luna was first announced on 24^th September 2020. However, the exact date still hasn’t been released.

Even though Amazon’s cloud gaming service hasn’t yet rolled out, there are a couple of interesting things that we already know about it.

1 – Amazon Luna has a Channel-Based Subscription Model

Amazon Luna is going to have separate “channels” of games. Every channel will provide users with infinite access to various publishers’ game libraries, for a separate monthly fee. With this approach, Amazon Luna aims to allow publishers to have complete control over their games.

So far, Amazon Luna has only released two channels. These include the Ubisoft channel and the Luna Plus channel. Both of these channels are going to feature approximately 50 games.

2 – Amazon Luna Is Compatible with Several Devices

A great feature of Amazon’s cloud gaming service is that it offers a multi-platform experience. In simple words, this means that users can run Amazon Luna on their MacBook, PC, iOS device, Android device, and even on their Fire TV device. 

On iOS devices, Amazon Luna runs as a progressive web application (PWA) i.e. it runs on a web browser rather than an app on the Apple App Store. This is smart by Amazon, given that Apple has now started to charge a 30% share in app revenues. Moreover, it even overcomes the restrictions imposed by Apple on Stadia, xCloud, and other cloud-based services.

3 – Amazon Luna is Going to be Integrated with Twitch and Alexa

Amazon is planning to integrate its cloud-based gaming service the streaming platform of Twitch. This move is a replication of Google’s recent collaboration of its gaming service Stadia with YouTube Gaming.

The partnership of Twitch and Luna is most likely going to enhance Amazon’s own game-publishing platform that is going to feature games like New World.

Moreover, Amazon Luna is also going to be compatible with Alexa. For instance, Alexa will now be able to accept voice commands via the Amazon Luna controller.

4 – Amazon Luna is Powered by NVIDIA’s Hardware

Amazon Luna is going to be powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NVIDIA’s Graphics Processing Units (GPU). In contrast, Google’s and Microsoft’s cloud-gaming services are both powered by AMD’s GPUs.

If Luna becomes successful, it could augment NVIDIA’s data center business and boost its growth in the AI market.

5 – Amazon Luna Game List

Here is a list of all Amazon Luna games that have been announced till now.

·         Resident Evil 7

·         A Plague Tale: Innocence

·         GRID

·         Metro Exodus

·         The Surge 2

·         Brothers: A Tale of Two Son

·         Iconoclasts

·         ABZU

·         Control

·         Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

·         Panzer Dragoon

 

Moreover, Ubisoft will also be bringing its two major 2020 titles Watch Dogs Legion and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to Amazon Luna. However, it seems like users will have to may a little more to access these games.

Comparing Amazon Luna with Other Cloud Gaming Services

Over the past few years, several other companies including Google and Microsoft have released their own cloud gaming services. Most of these services have garnered mixed reviews, with some people liking them and others not enjoying the experience so much.

The most infamous players in the cloud gaming category include Google Stadia, Microsoft Stadia, and GeForce Now. So, here’s a comparison of Amazon Luna with its major competitors so that you can better decide which cloud gaming service you should subscribe to.

Amazon Luna Vs its Competitors

Luna Plus, which comes at an introductory price of $5.99 per month will allow its users to stream games at 1080p at 60fps on up to two devices at once. The Ubisoft which still hasn’t been priced will allow users to stream games at the same resolution and frame rates. However, users will only be able to stream games from this channel on just one device. The good news is that Amazon is planning to introduce 4K streaming for both the channels very soon.

In contrast, Google’s Stadia Basic version allows users to stream games that they’ve already purchased for free at 1080p. The Pro version, priced at $9.99 per month, provides users with a 4K gaming experience. It even sometimes offers free games. A disadvantage of Stadia is that it’s a cloud-based storage service for pre-purchased games rather than an all-you-can-play cloud service.

Microsoft’s xCloud is going to be bundled with the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription at a monthly price of $14.99. Both xCloud and Game Pass provide users with infinite access to 100+ games. However, Microsoft’s XCloud is powered by Xbox One S hardware in Microsoft’s data centers. This means that it’s going to have poor graphics and slower loading times than other cloud-based gaming platforms.

GeForce Now has a free version that allows its users to stream the games they have bought at 1080p in sixty-minute sessions. You can even download some of the most popular free games including League of Legends, Fortnite, and Destiny 2 if you don’t have compatible titles in your Epic Games, Uplay, or Steam Libraries. The paid version of GeForce Now is priced at $4.99 per month. It increases the maximum time limit to 6 hours and provides access to high-quality GPUs.

Last Few Words

We hope this article gave you a comprehensive insight into Amazon’s cloud gaming service. If you like its features and are interested in getting the service, you can simply place a request on Amazon’s website for an early access invitation.