Amazon recently announced their own game streaming service called Luna. Alongside the new service, the webshop announced it’s own controller, simply called Luna Controller.
The service is an all you can play buffet for a set subscription fee a month. But can it really succeed in an already crowded market?
Amazon Luna
Amazon Luna is a gaming subscription that gives you unlimited access to a library of games. Gamers from the U.S. can apply for early access and pay an introductory price of $5,99 a month.
Luna is available for PC, Mac, Fire TV and web apps for iPhone and iPad. Later down the line, Amazon promises support for Android smartphones as well.
The company also announces their brand new Luna Controller. As you can see below, apart from the mic-button in the center, it’s basically a purple Xbox One controller.
It has the same button layout (opting for the A, B, X, and Y buttons), joysticks in the same position, and the menu button using the exact same 3 stripes symbol.
Much like Google’s dedicated Stadia controller, the Luna Controller connects to the internet using Wi-Fi. The controller communicates directly with Amazon’s servers.
But you’re not forced to buy the Luna Controller (costing $59,99, which, again, is an introductory price). Bluetooth-controllers and even an actual Xbox One or DualShock 4 controller will work.
Can Amazon compete?
Game streaming services have been around for a while now, and while it’s an awesome system, we don’t feel like it created the gaming revolution we might have initially expected.
So how does Amazon aim to compete with all the other services like Stadia, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Remote Play, or GeForce Now?
For many gamers, the deciding factor when choosing game streaming service is it’s line-up of games. Amazon Luna features a hundred games at launch, including Control, GRID, Resident Evil 7, and Metro Exodus.
Another big factor is the pricing. Again, the mentioned 6 dollars are an introductory fee. So it’s probably going to cost more down the line.
One thing Amazon does offer that others don’t is a channel system. It’s not entirely clear how the system works as of yet. But from what we gather, Luna will offer a type of channel for every genre of games.
The company also announced a collaboration with Ubisoft, which seems to be a separate channel with its own (as of yet unknown) subscription fee. They state:
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.
But is it enough to carve out it’s own little niche within the niche? Only time will tell. For now, Xbox owners would probably be best off by getting the Xbox game pass. But what do you think? Does Amazon have a shot with Luna? Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on our bustling Facebook page.