Original title: Amazon officially launches cloud gaming service, bundled with Twitch, click-and-play Source: Gaming Teahouse
Today (September 25), foreign e-commerce giant Amazon officially announced the launch of a new cloud gaming service “Luna”, which will be available on various platforms such as PC, Fire TV, Mac, and iOS. The price during the test period is 5.99 US dollars per month (currently only supported in the US).
Like most cloud games that have already been announced, Amazon's cloud gaming service allows users to play 3A blockbusters on multiple platforms through a WIFI network without hardware support, enabling seamless switching from desktop to mobile.
As you can imagine, Amazon's cloud gaming service “Luna” targets Microsoft's Xcloud and Google Stadia. As one of the few vendors that can provide cloud servers, “Luna” will surely become a strong competitor between Microsoft and Google in the cloud gaming market.
In terms of game libraries, the methods currently implemented by the other two manufacturers are somewhat different; Amazon's cloud game library is more like sandwiched between the two. In addition to a basic service, new paid content will continue to be added in the future. What can be confirmed now is that the first paid content comes from Ubisoft, and many of its major games, such as “Assassin's Creed: Valhalla,” “Far Cry 6,” and “Chronicles of Time,” will allow users to subscribe and use it later through additional fees.
The existing “Luna+” is a basic service that includes unlimited playtime, providing 1080p/60 fps game image quality (4K resolution will be supported in the future), and supporting two devices to run cloud games at the same time. After subscribing to the basic service, users can enjoy many of these games, including “Resident Evil 7,” “Control,” and “Plague Legends: Innocence.”
Lisa Schwenke, development manager of the “Luna” cloud game, said that during the testing phase, there are about 100 cloud games that users can play, including 50 games with basic services and 50 Ubisoft games added later, and the game library will continue to expand over time.
Interestingly, not long ago, Microsoft's cloud gaming apps could not be listed due to Apple's policies, yet Amazon's cloud gaming circumvented Apple's censorship mechanism in some special way. According to foreign media engadget, Amazon's “Luna” is a progressive web app (PWA), which means it is actually a browser applet disguised as an iOS application. Users download the relevant PWA from the Luna website and then go directly to the Amazon Cloud Gaming portal on the web as if it were a shortcut.
Marc Whitten, project leader of “Luna,” explained: “On iOS devices, the PWA software is operated directly through a browser. So it's not an app on the App Store, and of course it doesn't need to go through Apple's relevant review.”
As for the first unsupported Android platforms, Marc Whitten said it will go live within “a few weeks” after the Early Access version is released.
At the same time as launching a cloud game, Mason also bundled the “Luna” service with its own live streaming platform Twitch. On the Luna platform, every game page shows a relevant Twitch live stream. On the Twitch live streaming platform, players can directly enjoy the game the anchor is streaming via cloud gaming by clicking on the relevant link.
These social features are similar to what Google initially imagined for Stadia and YouTube, but unfortunately, none of them have been implemented yet. In terms of internet speed requirements for cloud games, 1080p games require at least 10Mps of internet speed. As for 4K resolution, at least 35Mps or higher.
In addition to the cloud gaming service, Amazon also launched a companion console at a price of 49.99 US dollars. The Luna Cloud Gamepad has built-in Alexa functionality and low latency software called Cloud Direct (Cloud Direct Connect). It can directly communicate with games in the cloud. Compared with traditional Bluetooth controllers, the operation delay will be reduced to 20 to 30 ms.
The Cloud Direct function also means that users do not need to pair the controller with the relevant device after switching the display device. Since the controller has built-in software to track games in the cloud, as long as the game is running, the controller will instantly switch to the current device and automatically pair with the relevant hardware. In terms of functional experience, since it supports Alexa and other related functions, users can even directly issue “voice commands” to the controller through voice control to achieve the function of opening a specific game.
In summary, using a dual payment model with a basic subscription plus an additional fee, with the promotion of the Twtich live streaming platform and the support of a smart controller, Amazon's cloud gaming is even more powerful. However, like most cloud game vendors, game lineups and subsequent content updates are still a major pain point. After vigorous publicity in the early stages of opening up the market, close cooperation with game publishers and developers in the later stages is the key.
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