Luna, Amazon’s cloud gaming: fantastic games on your devices
Lately we have been seeing a continued expansion of Amazon's services. After Alexa products such as Echo Auto , Fire Stick TV we have witnessed the launch of the new Amazon Band . Amazon does not leave us without surprises and offers us its infrastructure to install games: a revolution in the field of gaming. Thanks to Luna, Amazon's cloud gaming, we will say goodbye to game downloads and poor graphics quality.
One question worries true gamers: how many games will Amazon offer, will it be a limited choice? Amazon does not say what games are available but ensures an ever-expanding range and a future collaboration with Ubisoft. Currently, you can watch popular Twitch streams directly from Amazon Luna, quickly switching between streaming and playing on Luna.
Amazon Luna cloud gaming: game requirements
The novelty of Luna Amazon cloud gaming is the direct transmission of games from the cloud to your screens. As mentioned previously, it will no longer be necessary to download the game to your computer or have specific hardware requirements. It is in fact a classic example of Infrastructure-as-a-Service : Amazon's servers and hardware components are used to play, simply by connecting to the cloud. The cloud therefore allows the use of Amazon's servers as if they were our property to run games, creating a bridge between our device and the Amazon servers. In reality we don't use our device to play but only the screen to see the game running on Amazon machines, basically an enhancement of our devices.
The prerequisite is a high-speed Wi-Fi connection , with a minimum connection speed of 10 Mbps, while 35 Mbps to play in 4K on selected titles. The higher the speed provided by your provider, the better the quality and resolution in streaming, up to two devices at the same time, consuming up to 10 GB / hour at 1080p. For a greater gaming experience it is recommended to use the 5 GHz band. Luna is compatible with second generation FireTV, 4K or second generation Cube; but also PC with Windows 10 and support for DirectX11, Mac with at least OSX 10.13, web app on iPhone and iPad with iOS 14. It can be used with mouse and keyboard or controller such as, in addition to that specifically designed by Amazon, XboxOne and DualShock 4.
Currently, you can only access Amazon Luna through early access available by invitation from the company itself. If selected, the user will receive the invitation in their Amazon registered email. This service is currently only available for the continental US. The introductory price, available only during the 30-day early access period, is $ 5.99 / month. At the end it will be renewed with a new price still unknown but you will receive an e-mail alert with the possibility of canceling. The extension with Ubisoft will soon be available for a greater choice of games but unfortunately streaming on only one device.
Luna controller
Amazon has designed a specially designed high-performance controller for the new service: low-friction and raised sticks, precise triggers, 4 responsive action buttons, a 4-way pad. For an enhanced gaming experience, a comfortable textured grip and vibration motors for tactile feedback have been created. There is also a 3.5mm audio output for the headset but currently no speaker. A led will indicate the status of connectivity, battery and available updates.
Luna controller connects directly to Amazon clouds thanks to Cloud Direct technology with which you can pause the game on one screen or device and resume where you left off in another, with an easy change of streaming. Cloud Direct reduces latency times on the round trip Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 connection from 17 to 30 ms. You can also use the Luna controller in offline mode with the USB-C or Bluetooth cable compatible with some games on PC and Mac.
To connect to the controller, 3 simple steps are required:
- Download and install the Luna Controller app on your device.
- Insert the 2 AA batteries included in the package into the Luna controller and turn it on. Press and hold the Home button for 3 seconds until the orange light circles the button.
- Open the app on your device and follow the instructions to set up Cloud Direct, without having to set up the device as well.
Like all Amazon devices, the Luna controller is also equipped with Alexa which, thanks to simple voice commands, will allow the execution of games, just like the movies on the FireTV, but also classic skills.
The article Luna, Amazon's cloud gaming: great games in your devices comes from TechCuE .