Everything you need to know about Amazon Luna - Cloud Gaming Service

Amazon has begun sending out a limited amount of early access invitations to customers for its upcoming cloud gaming service, Luna. The company announced it had released a wave of invites to a small selection of US customers in a blog post. It revealed that it had “received hundreds of thousands of requests” and plans to invite more gamers into the service over the coming months.

Amazon Luna will allows players to stream a selection of games to their PC, Mac, iOS devices and Fire TV, with Android being included in the future. There is also The Luna+ Game Channel, a paid-for subscription service that grants access to a library of over 50 games.

Cloud gaming might still be in its infancy, but major companies aren’t shying away from investing early in the future of gaming. Amazon Luna is the latest platform to join the fray, and with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Twitch behind it, Luna could very well take the cloud gaming crown.

After rumors were swirling for well over a year, Luna was officially announced in September of 2020, and is now entering early access for a limited number of users. Whether you want to get in early or just learn what the future may hold, here’s everything you need to know about Amazon Luna.

Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform powered by Amazon’s ubiquitous cloud computing platform AWS. Like other cloud gaming platforms, it allows consumers to stream games instantly to a number of devices. This eliminates the need for downloads, updates, or even local storage, but requires a high-speed internet connection. Amazon recommends speeds of at least 10Mbps for 1080p streaming, or 35Mbps for 4K when it becomes available.

Like Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming platform, Luna includes a Netflix-of-games style catalog of games under a monthly subscription fee. And like Amazon Prime Video, it also offers channels that unlock more content from a specific publisher for an extra monthly fee.

Amazon Luna currently has an early access price of $5.99 (Approx ₹441) a month. This subscription includes unlimited access to a growing catalog of games and 1080p/60fps streaming on two devices simultaneously. 4K quality is “coming soon” for select titles, but no exact date is listed.

Channels are available for an additional fee, but this fee is not yet specified. The Ubisoft channel includes the same 1080p/60 quality and unlimited gameplay, but only for one device. However, it features the ultimate edition of each game, with DLC unlocked for certain titles.

Note that the pricing above is only for the early access program. Expect the service to cost significantly more at launch (unless bundled with an Amazon Prime subscription). The company will send a notification 30 days before the pricing changes, but be aware that this is just an introductory price.

If you want to get the most out of a Luna subscription, you’ll also want to pick up an Amazon Luna controller. To play these games, early adopters can use any Bluetooth capable controller that is able to pair with their devices. Amazon is also offering its own Luna-branded controller for $49.99 (Approx ₹3,683), and contains the technology for lower latency gaming and Alexa for easy voice control options.