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Last year, Amazon’s Luna game streaming service started with early access by invitation only. Now, anyone with an Amazon account can sign up for a subscription (or set of subscriptions) and use it. It needs the same amount of data as any other game streaming service, but it costs $49.99 The Luna Controller gamepad has a separate Wi-Fi connection that sends its inputs straight to Amazon’s servers instead of through the device you’re playing on. This further cuts down on input lag. It’s technically optional, but we think it’s a must-have to get the most out of Luna because it improves speed and makes switching between Luna-compatible devices easy.
Amazon Luna Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Platform | Cloud Gaming Service |
| Supported Devices | PC, Mac, Fire TV, Web Browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) |
| Game Library | Wide range of titles from various genres |
| Resolution | Up to 1080p (4K coming soon) |
| Frame Rate | Up to 60 fps (120 fps with select titles) |
| Internet Speed | Recommended minimum of 10 Mbps (35 Mbps for 4K streaming) |
| Controller | Luna Controller (optional) |
Catalog and Interface
The Luna retail front has a minimal layout that is mostly explored by scrolling horizontally via rows of products. Featured games, the library, games in your playlist, a search bar, the “Couch” button (more on that later), the broadcast button for rapidly jumping into Twitch sessions, and the Settings menu can all be accessed from the toolbar on the left.
However, the interface is a bit of a hotchpotch when used in a web browser. Two toolbars that have nothing to do with Luna appear at the top of the page, followed by Luna’s curated content at the bottom. The mobile app from Luna, or the browser-based software for iOS, is far tidier. You can buy this game controller from its official website
Amazon Luna: Twitch support
Amazon also owns the popular Twitch streaming site, which is mostly utilized for live “Let’s Play” game streams. Amazon Luna users with a computer, Mac, or Amazon Fire tablet with a webcam can start streaming live by hitting a broadcast button in the UI.
In order for viewers to see you, a camera feed is superimposed on top of the gameplay video stream. If you own an Amazon Fire TV smart TV, you can also stream on Twitch.
Amazon Luna: Game library
The video game selection on Amazon Luna is extensive. Luna offers a wide variety of games for its customers, from action-adventure titles like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Resident Evil Village to role-playing games like Final Fantasy XV and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order, and Control are also available. New games are added frequently to keep players interested.
Amazon Luna: Performance
Great, to put it simply. With the connection we tested, both the browser and the standalone app ran flawlessly. Previously, we had the best luck with the Chrome browser, but after some recent improvements, it looks that Amazon Luna’s performance is now uniform across both browser and app.
For 1080p game streaming quality, Amazon suggests a connection speed of 10 Mbps. It also suggests that for the most reliable connection, you use either a hardwired connection or the 5GHz wireless band. For the sake of this evaluation, our testing connection is 400 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up.
Final Words
Streaming services keep getting better, but each one has its own problems. For Amazon, it’s a weak catalog with a confused mix of a la carte “Channels.” Even if you buy every channel, your library is still much smaller than what you can find on Xbox Cloud Gaming. But what Luna lacks in variety, it makes up for in weird features, and its Wi-Fi-enabled controller is the star of the show. If you already have Amazon Prime and want to try out the service, it’s practically free and worth looking into.
Amazon Luna review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Very intuitive interface
- Good overall performance
The Bad
- Windows 10 app has some issues
FAQS
Most of Amazon Luna’s games are on the Luna+ and Ubisoft+ channels, which both have games that can be played with other people in the same room. Subscribers can connect two controllers to a PC and play the old way, or they can use Luna Couch to take the local co-op experience across the country.
The good news is that Luna has been praised for running smoothly on multiple devices, with a top resolution of 1080p at 60 frames per second (FPS). And if you want better performance, you can lower the resolution to 720p to reduce the load on the stream.