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Announced at Amazon’s hardware-dominated September 2020 event, Luna is the company’s new cloud gaming platform.
It wasn’t a huge surprise – there had long been rumours about the retail giant releasing a service to compete with the likes of Google, Microsoft and Nvidia. Cloud gaming still plays second fiddle to PC and console gaming, but Amazon seems determined to change that.
However, it’s still in the “early access” stage more than a year after being revealed, and you can’t yet access the service outside the US. Here’s everything you need to know about Luna so far.
When was Amazon Luna released?
Luna was officially unveiled at Amazon’s event on 24 September 2020, although the company didn’t say when the service will be widely available. We’re still not sure when that will be, with Luna still only available to a select few. Anyone in the US can request an invite via the Amazon website, but there’s no guarantee you’ll be successful.
Amazon has made Luna invite-free a couple of times since it launched (in February 2021 and for Amazon Prime Day in June 2021), but that’s not the case right now. It’s not clear when registrations will be open to everyone again, or when the service will officially launch outside the US.
How much does Amazon Luna cost?
Luna is still technically in early access, meaning a Luna+ subscription is available for an “introductory price” of US$5.99 a month – that appears to be the regular price for now. However a 7-day free trial is also available.
If the Luna+ lineup doesn’t tempt you, there’s also the option to sign up to Ubisoft Plus. This costs $17.99 per month, but gets you access to high-profile titles like Watch Dogs: Legion, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6.
Both support up to 1080p resolution at 60fps, but you’re limited to one device at a time on Ubisoft+ while Luna+ supports two.
There’s also a $2.99 Family Channel, which has a lineup of child-friendly games and supports local co-op. Each of these subscriptions can work independently or be combined – you no longer need to pay for Luna first to get Ubisoft+.
Image: Amazon
The Luna Controller, designed to be used alongside the service, is also now available for everyone in the US to buy. It currently costs $69.99, but is currently discounted to $55.99. You’ll also find the option to combine it with a Fire TV Stick 4K ($85.98) or Phone Clip attachment ($68.97). For a limited time, bundling it with a Fire TV Stick 4K Max will cost you $90.98.
However, Luna does also work with the Xbox One controller, DualShock 4 (PS4), Razer Kishi or just a regular mouse and keyboard.
How to join Luna early access
If you want to play Luna early you can register for early access on the Amazon site, but only if you’re in the US – though of course you might be able to get around that requirement with a VPN.
There’s no word yet from Amazon on how long the early access period will last, or when it will roll out to additional countries. Not everyone who registers will be given access, so there’s an element of luck at play too.
Those included in early access will be able to play the 50 games available in Luna Plus, AAA titles within Ubisoft+ or kid-focused games in the Family Channel.
What will I need to play Amazon Luna?
A key selling point of Luna is the ability to “play on the devices you already own”. So far, the service is available on PC, Mac, Fire TV, Android (though not all devices), and iOS – the latter via a web app. This is part of the ongoing early access period, with interested US customers signing up on the Amazon website and then being invited to play.
At the time of writing, the following Fire TV devices are compatible with Luna:
Fire TV Stick Lite
Fire TV Stick (2nd & 3rd generation)
Fire TV Stick 4K and 4K Max
Fire TV (3rd generation)
Fire TV Cube
Fire TV Omni Series
Fire TV 4-Series
Toshiba Fire TV Edition
Insignia Fire TV Edition
On the official support page, Amazon is encouraging users to make sure their devices are updated to the latest version of Fire OS.
All other devices are still in early access. Android support is limited to the following devices at the time of writing, though Amazon intends to widen support as early access continues:
Pixel 3, 3XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4XL, 4a, 4a 5G, 5
Samsung Galaxy S9, S9 Plus, Note 9, S10, S10 Plus, Note 10, Note 10 Plus, S20, S20 Plus, S20 Ultra, Note 20, Note 20 Ultra
OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, 7 Pro 5G, 8, 8 Pro, Nord, 7T, 7T Pro, 7T Pro 5G
You’ll also need version 86 or later of the Chrome web browser installed on your phone.
PCs and laptops require at least version 83 of the desktop version, with Luna not available on the Mac version of Safari. All Windows 10 devices with DirectX 11 are supported, while you’ll need a Mac from 2014 or later running at least macOS High Sierra.
On the iPhone and iPad, you do need to use Safari on a device running iOS 14.
However, there’s one requirement regardless of which device you’re playing on. You’ll need at least a 10Mbps internet connection, although Amazon recommends using an Ethernet cable or 5GHz Wi-Fi where possible.
While you can play Luna with a keyboard and mouse or any Bluetooth controller, Amazon is encouraging you to pick up the new Luna controller. It looks almost identical to the one you’ll find on Xbox, and will likely provide a similar experience. However, the Luna Controller has extra tricks up its sleeve: Alexa integration and the ability to seamlessly move between devices.
Image: Amazon
Amazon Luna games
There are already plenty of games to choose from when it comes to Amazon Luna. Here’s the full list so far:
Abzu
Alien: Isolation
A Plague Tale: Innocence
AO Tennis 2
Aragami
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Atomik: RunGunJumpGun
Blair Witch
Blasphemous
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
Blazing Chrome
Bloodstained
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Call of the Sea
Castlevania Anniversary Collection
Contra Collection
Control
Cook Serve Delicious 3
CrossCode
Deponia Doomsday
Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout
Everspace
Far Cry 6
FIFA 21
Furi
Ghost of a Tale
Goodbye Deponia
Grid
Hard Reset Redux
Iconoclasts
Immortals Fenyx Rising
Indivisible
Infinite Minigolf
Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
Lumines Remastered
Mega Man 11
Metro Exodus
Mighty Switch Force! Collection
No More Heroes
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Obduction
Overcooked 2
Panzer Dragoon
Paper Beast
R-Type Dimensions EX
Redout
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Rez Infinite
Riders Republic
Rime
River City Girls
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition
Shadow Tactics
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition
Shantae: Risky’s Revenge
Sonic Mania Plus
Steamworld Dig
Steamworld Dig 2
Steamworld Heist
Steamworld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech
Super Mega Baseball 3
Sythentik: Legion Rising
Tacoma
Tangledeep
Tennis World Tour 2
Trails of Cold Steel 3
The Mummy Demastered
The Sexy Brutale
The Surge
The Surge 2
Thimbleweed Park
Under Night In-Birth
Valfaris
Victor Vran
Watch Dogs: Legion
Wonderboy
The Wonderful 101 Remastered
Yakuza 0
Yoku’s Island Express
Yooka-Laylee
Yooka-Laylee Impossible Lair
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
As Amazon announced at the 2021 Game Awards, they’re now joined by the following:
Devil May Cry 5
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion
Chorus
Riders Republic
Three more titles – Judgment, Myst (both 16 December 2021) and Rainbow Six: Extraction are also coming to Luna soon.
Alongside the lineup of games is integration with Twitch, the gaming-focused streaming service owned by Amazon. Within the Luna “experience”, players will see the option to watch a relevant Twitch stream, while there will also be the ability to start playing directly within the Twitch app.
Amazon has also revealed the Netflix-style user interface for Luna, which includes the aforementioned Twitch streams as well as relevant trailers and screenshots.
Image: Amazon
We’ll update this article as soon as we know more about Luna. In the meantime, check out our round-up of the best game streaming services to see what it’s up against.
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