Amazon announces Luna, a new cloud game streaming service

Amazon has announced its own cloud game streaming service in the form of Luna, with an aim to compete with Google Stadia, Microsoft xCloud, Nvidia GeForce Now, and anywhere else that decides cloud gaming is a good idea. 

The new service is currently in an invite-only stage and exclusive to the US, priced at $5.99 per month for now for a Luna+ membership. The service supports gameplay on two devices at once with resolutions of up to 1080p 60fps with 4K support planned for the future for select titles. 

Luna and Luna+ will offer a wealth of different gaming options covering all the usual genres. Amazon already has deals lined up to offer games from Ubisoft, Capcom, 505 Games, and Team 17. Games that have been mentioned already include Control, Grid, Resident Evil 7, Metro Exodus, Overcooked 2, and Two Point Hospital. Luna+ will also offer an additional Ubisoft channel that will feature games like Watch Dogs: Legion with all DLC unlocked. 

Luna will be compatible with the Xbox One controller, DualShock 4 controller, and keyboard and mouse combinations. Predictably, there'll also be a dedicated Luna controller which you can safely guarantee just won't feel as comfortable as something you're already used to, but it's there. It allows you to connect to compatible devices over Bluetooth or USB, and features Alexa and Twitch integration. The latter means you'll be able to easily switch between watching streams and playing games for yourself. 

No word has been mentioned yet on just how many games will be made available through the service, plus Amazon was keen to stress that the asking price right now is very much an early-access deal and likely to rise in the future. 

Will Luna change the world? No cloud game streaming service appears to have achieved that yet and we're not convinced Amazon will be the one to do it. However, if the subscription ends up some part of Amazon Prime, it may bring gaming to a demographic that wouldn't have considered it before. For now though, Amazon only appears to have plans of keeping it separate from its existing subscription lineups. We'll have to wait and see if that changes further down the line.