Amazon recently detailed its new cloud gaming service named “Luna,” and the new platform is slated to be accessible on Apple devices starting in October.
Cloud-based, gaming-focused
Tech company Amazon revealed new details on “Luna,” its new cloud-based gaming platform.
It hopes to become the next rival of Google Stadia, Microsoft’s xCloud, PlayStation Now, Apple Arcade, and GeForce Now.
Amazon previously confirmed the development of the platform back in April, but it was only officially announced on September 24 ahead of its US launch in October.
Pricing and more details
The service comes with an introductory price of US $5.99 a month for the Luna+ channel.
The early access enables Luna premium subscribers to play Luna Plus channel games across two devices at the same time, offering 4K / 60fps resolution.
It will also initially have 100 different games via the Luna Plus channel. Launch titles 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.
Luna will be supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS). In turn, users are enabled to stream games on Amazon Fire TV and PC, as well as iOS devices (iPhone and iPad).
With its dominant rivals like Google Stadia and xCloud being unplayable on iOS, Luna’s access on Apple devices is worth nothing.
However, the platform will not be native to Apple’s OS nor featured in the Apple store. Instead, Luna will be a browser-based application that mirrors an iOS app.
Luna support for Android devices will be made available in the next few weeks.
The platform is currently not licensed for play on game consoles, and it remains unclear if Luna can be played with the next-generation consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
But, players can opt to make use of a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One controller and a keyboard and mouse if they do not want to pay US $49.99 for a Luna controller— which is exclusive to the platform and cannot be used on other consoles.
Amazon’s leading game streaming service, Twitch, is integrated within Luna. This mirrors that of the Google Stadia platform when it linked with YouTube.
Team up?
Amazon Luna will also collaborate with game publisher Ubisoft, which will have a special channel on the service.
Users will gain access to major titles such as Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla upon launch. Meanwhile, other streaming services drew online flak for their lack of big new title releases.
Marc Whitten, Amazon’s vice president of entertainment devices and services, confirmed that users will “see other channels over time.”
He further added that feedback from game publishers have been largely positive, implying most are “pretty excited about the idea” of Luna.
