Amazon Luna (Game Streaming)

[Qalbert]

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/24/2...exa-controller

At its 2020 hardware event today, Amazon announced a cloud gaming platform called Luna. The news isn’t too surprising: the service has been rumored since last year, previously codenamed “Tempo,” while an Amazon-made game controller leaked out just ahead of today’s event.

It’s not clear when Luna will launch widely, but it will initially be available on PC, Mac, Fire TV, and iPhone and iPad (via web apps), with an Android version planned for after launch. Amazon says that interested users in the US can request early access to the service starting today. There’s no word on international availability.

The service will be available for an “introductory price” of $5.99 a month during its early access phase, which gives subscribers the ability to play Luna Plus channel games across two devices simultaneously and offers 4K / 60fps resolution for “select titles.” Naturally, it will be powered by AWS, Amazon’s ubiquitous web platform.

Amazon says more than 100 games will be available via the Luna Plus channel, and launch titles include Resident Evil 7, Control, Panzer Dragoon, A Plague Tale: Innocence, The Surge 2, Yooka-Laylee, GRID, Abzu, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Amazon says more titles will be added “over time.” The company has also partnered with Ubisoft for a specific “gaming channel.” Here’s how Amazon describes it:

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 Valhalla, Far 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.

Luna will also feature Twitch integration. “Inside the Luna experience, players will see Twitch streams for games in the service, and from Twitch, they’ll be able to instantly start playing Luna games,” Amazon says. Games can be played either with a mouse and keyboard or a Bluetooth controller. To go along with this, Amazon also announced its own Alexa-enabled Luna Controller, which will cost $49.99 during the early access period.

Here’s how it works:

Luna Controller is Alexa-enabled and connects directly to the cloud to effortlessly control your game, featuring a multiple-antenna design that prioritizes un-interrupted Wi-Fi for lower latency gaming. In fact, our testing showed a reduction in roundtrip latency when playing Luna Controller with Cloud Direct vs. Luna Controller via Bluetooth, with reductions of between 17 to 30 milliseconds among PC, Fire TV, and Mac. Because the Luna Controller connects directly to cloud servers, players can easily switch between screens — such as Fire TV to mobile phone — without additional pairing or configuration changes.

https://www.amazon.com/luna/landing-page

[BWYuko]

[Gustave]

Negative latency?

[Bombur]

If Amazon's streaming service is anything like their games, I expect computers and mobile devices to spontaneously explode.

[6souls]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...4zZ7vgVwLA0b7C

Luna is ending it's service on June 10th and all games, even those purchased, will be removed from libraries.

What's Changing?

• A-la-carte game purchases are no longer available. Previously purchased titles will remain playable through June 10, 2026, after which they will be removed from Luna.
• Bring Your Own Library will no longer be supported. Games previously played in this manner will no longer be playable on Luna after June 10, 2026.
• Ubisoft+ and Jackbox Games subscriptions sold through Luna are discontinued. New subscriptions are no longer available for purchase, and any active subscriptions purchased from Luna will be cancelled at the end of your next billing cycle.
• Third-party game stores (EA, Ubisoft, and GOG) are being removed from the Luna platform.

I haven't used Luna in a while. Does this affect me?

If you previously purchased a-la-carte titles, used the Bring Your Own Library benefit, or had an active Ubisoft+ or Jackbox Games subscription through Luna, these changes apply to you.

Will I lose the games I've already purchased?

After June 10, 2026, previously purchased a-la-carte titles will no longer be playable on Luna. However, you can continue to access them directly through the third-party platform account you had linked when you made the purchase on Luna:

• EA: EA App (https://www.ea.com/ea-app)
• GOG: GOG Galaxy (https://www.gog.com/galaxy)
• Ubisoft: Ubisoft Connect (https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/ubisoft-connect)

What is happening to the Bring Your Own Library benefit?

Bring Your Own Library allows you to play supported games you purchased from third-party platforms including EA, GOG, and Ubisoft directly on Luna. After June 3, 2026, this benefit is being discontinued, and these games will no longer be playable on Luna.

Can I get a refund for games that I had previously purchased?

All purchases of a-la-carte titles through Luna are final, and we do not accept returns, except as expressly stated in the Digital Products Return Policy. However, you can continue to access your purchased titles through your linked third-party platform account. If you have questions about a specific purchase, please contact Amazon Customer Service.

[Qalbert]

smh