Amazon’s not-so-secret cloud gaming service, Luna, has now been officially announced. It will offer a collection of over 100 games, including some fairly recent titles, and will initially be available on PC, Mac, Fire TV, and web apps for both iPhone and iPad. An Android version is set to follow at a later date.
The basic package, known as Luna+, will set you back $5.99 a month. It allows you to stream in up to 4K quality on select games, and you can use the service on two devices at once. There will also be a separate Ubisoft channel where you can stream a selection of the publisher’s latest games. That said, you’ll only be able to stream these specific titles to one device at a time, and the channel will come at a premium.
Some of the games bundled in the Luna+ channel include The Surge 2, Control, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and ABZU. None of these are especially new, but this is arguably reflected in the subscription’s relatively low price.
Here’s a trailer:
The all-new cloud gaming service from Amazon that makes it easy to play great games on devices you already own. Request an invite to early access: https://t.co/AjMs9eOaeK pic.twitter.com/1HsRUVNmvJ
— Amazon Luna (@amazonluna) September 24, 2020
In terms of compatible controllers, you can opt to use the official Luna pad, Xbox One controller, DualShock 4, or a standard mouse and keyboard. If you haven’t yet received an invitation to test Luna, you won’t actually be able to purchase the Luna controller. You can request an invite to the early access version via Amazon.com.
Other game streaming services such as Google Stadia and Microsoft’s xCloud have struggled to adhere to the App Store’s strict guidelines. Amazon has seemingly sidestepped any potential issues by making Luna’s iOS version a progressive web app (or PWA). Much like a standard App Store app, this can appear on your device’s home screen, but the difference is that, as explained by The Verge, it’s actually a “website that you can launch and run separately from the rest of your web browser.”
Amazon Luna’s early access version doesn’t currently have a confirmed release date, but it’s already looking like a strong competitor in the increasingly busy game streaming arena.