In a piece of latest news, Amazon has officially launched its cloud gaming services in the US. Although it took Amazon a year and a half, Amazon Luna cloud gaming service finally exists as more than an early access project.

 

Amazon Luna and Luna+

 

Amazon has formally launched Luna in the mainland US for Android, iOS, Chrome OS, macOS and Windows. The core Amazon Luna+ service with over 100 games will normally cost $10 per month, with the kid-friendly Family Channel and Ubisoft+ Channels available for a respective $6 and $18 per month. Amazon hopes to reel in newcomers by dropping the monthly fees of Luna+ and the Family channel to $6 and $3 for anyone who signs up during March. Existing users just have to maintain their subscriptions to lock-in that pricing.

 

Official Debut of Amazon Luna

 

The official debut comes alongside some new channels. A Prime Gaming channel, as the name implies, gives Amazon Prime members a free, rotating mix of games. The March selection will include titles like Devil May Cry 5 and Flashback. Users can pay $5 per month for the Retro Channel and get Capcom and SNK classics like Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting and Metal Slug 3, while a similar outlay for the Jackbox Games Channel provides access to all eight Jackbox Party Pack titles.

Amazon Luna's latest update also makes it simpler to stream gameplay from a Fire TV device, Mac or Windows PC on Twitch. Users will need a webcam and mic if they want to interact with viewers, but this might be an option if they are determined to broadcast and don't have a brawny-enough computer to play demanding locally-stored games.

 

Challenges Induced

 

Amazon's challenge, as with comparable services like Microsoft's Game Pass Ultimate, is to convince players that subscription-based game streaming is a good supplement or even replacement for conventional PC and console gaming experiences.

Users will have the convenience of playing on seemingly every device they own, but they will also be limited by what they can play and the quality of the internet connection. Amazon's main advantage is its ubiquity — it can make sure people are aware Luna exists, whether they're watching on Twitch or buying a Fire TV gadget for the living room.