Technology

Amazon introduces Luna, its cloud gaming service that rivals Google's Stadia and Microsoft's xCloud

Starting this Thursday, customers from the U.S. can request early access to the service. There's no release data for Latin America yet

Amazon Luna's interface.
Luna's interface. Photo: Amazon/Courtesy.
  • Players can subscribe to the Luna+ game channel, which offers a library of games to play on Fire TV, PC, and Mac, or through web apps on iOS, with Android coming soon;
  • Luna+ will be offered at an introductory price of $5.99/month during the early access period, with more titles to be added over time;
  • Amazon also announced a new gaming channel with leading global video game publisher Ubisoft, available directly through Luna.

Amazon launched its new cloud gaming service designed for instant play this Thursday. Called Amazon Luna and supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the service rivals Google‘s Stadia, launched last year, and Microsoft‘s Cloud (working title), which debuted this month. While Stadia is already available in some European countries, xCloud and Amazon Luna are only available in the U.S. for now – and none of them has a release date in Latin America yet.

According to Amazon, through Luna, players can enjoy games on any device without “lengthy downloads or updates, expensive hardware or complicated configuration”.

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“We created Luna to make it easy to play great games on the devices customers already own and love,” said Marc Whitten, Vice President, Amazon Entertainment Devices and Services. “It’s Day One for Luna – we are excited to work with gamers, streamers, and publishers like Ubisoft and Remedy Entertainment to build a great gaming experience for everyone.”

How is going to work?

Players can subscribe to the Luna+ game channel, which offers a library of games to play on Fire TV, PC, and Mac, or through web apps on iOS, with Android coming soon.

During early access, Luna+ will include action games like Resident Evil 7Control, and Panzer Dragoon; adventure games like A Plague Tale: Innocence and The Surge 2; platformers like Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair and Iconoclasts; and fan favorites like GRID, ABZU, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. 

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Luna+ will be offered at an introductory price of $5.99/month during the early access period, with more titles to be added over time. Additionally, Luna+ subscribers can play on two devices simultaneously and get resolutions of 4K/60fps for select titles.

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Amazon also announced a new gaming channel with leading global video game publisher Ubisoft, available directly through Luna. Players who subscribe to this channel will have access to their favorite Ubisoft titles in up to 4K resolution, mobile gameplay, and access to new titles when the channel launches like Assassins Creed ValhallaFar Cry 6, and Immortals Fenyx Rising the same day they release. This is the first of multiple Luna game channels in development, where customers can play games from their favorite publishers and genres.

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