Early access now is available to Amazon Luna, a cloud gaming service designed to be easier to use in comparison with traditional options. Luna, which runs on Amazon Web Services, enables instant play, according to Amazon, because there are no lengthy downloads, software updates, configurations or hardware about which to worry. Play also can switch between devices.
Luna now is available in the United States for Fire TV, PC and Mac and as a web app for the iPhone and iPad. Android soon will be added.
During early access, the Luna+ game channel will be offered at $5.99 per month. Several titles will be available immediately and more will be added over time. Some titles can play on two devices simultaneously with resolutions of 4K/60 frames per second.
Amazon also announced a gaming channel with Ubisoft that is available through Luna. It offers 4K resolution and mobile gameplay.
“We created Luna to make it easy to play great games on the devices customers already own and love,” Amazon Entertainment Devices and Services Vice President Marc Whitten said in a press release. “It’s Day One for Luna—we are excited to work with gamers, streamers, and publishers like Ubisoft and Remedy Entertainment to build a great gaming experience for everyone.”
Luna is an example of how the dramatic transformation of the telecommunications infrastructure is making a new universe of low latency and highly interactive products and services a reality. The transition to the cloud and edge computing makes attractive products and services—from competitive video gaming to autonomous vehicles and robotic surgery—possible.
AWS is one of the main movers in this transition. Last month, the edge computing platform it build with Verizon was lit in the Bay Area and Boston and is slated to come online in more markets by the end of this year.
I’m curious to see how Luna’s multiplayer matchmaking works. Will it be like Google Stadia where the server blades also work as the game servers.As Phil Harrison said at GDC 2019. Or will players connect to PC servers since Luna uses EC2 G4 windows instances. Because the Stadia method in theory produces lower latency. As the later requires more hops.