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| Amazon officially launches Luna in the US |
Amazon has announced the official launch of Amazon Luna, its cloud-based game streaming service for everyone in the United States.
The company first launched Amazon Luna in September 2020. The service has since been made available to only a few through its invite-only early access program.
In addition to launching in the US, Amazon has announced three new channels via Luna.
Channel is the usage time for the set of games that customers can subscribe to per month. This is similar to Xbox Game Pass from Microsoft.
- The first channel is Prime Gaming, where Prime members get free monthly access to select games through Luna. March games include Devil May Cry 5, Observer, System Redux, and PHOGS!. Amazon also notes that Immortals Fenyx Rising will be free from March 8-14.
- The second channel is Retro, which features classic games from publishers like Capcom and SNK. Amazon says the channel's goal is to allow users to relive the glory days of arcade games with games like Street Fight II, Hyper Fighting, Metal Slug 3, and more.
- The third channel is Jackbox Games, which contains all eight Jackbox Party Pack games from Jackbox Games. The channel features popular games like Quiplash, Drawful, and Trivia Murder Party. The Retro Channel and Jackbox Games Channel cost $4.99 per month.
Amazon also announced that gamers can now stream Luna games on Twitch via PC, Mac or Fire TV with the latest Luna update.
To achieve this, the company has introduced a new broadcast button that allows players to broadcast the game in real time via on-screen cameras.
Fire TV allows gamers to use a QR code to connect their phone as a webcam and microphone.
Amazon offers free games to Prime members
Additionally, users can now experience Luna on Fire TV by using their iPhone or Android phone as a joystick via the Luna Controller app.
According to Amazon, the on-screen joystick is an option for players who don't have a joystick but want to see side-scrolling RPGs.
Unlike other cloud services, Luna allows users to subscribe to channels on a monthly basis.
The basic Luna+ channel costs $5.99 per month. The main channel costs $2.99 per month.
Luna+ offers a growing library of over 100 games. The family channel includes more than 35 games for players of all ages.
Starting April 1, Luna+ will cost $9.99 per month. The main channel costs $5.99 per month. Amazon is also offering the Ubisoft Channel+ for $17.99.
It's been more than a year since Amazon first launched Luna, and it's faced competition from other services, including Microsoft's Game Pass Ultimate and Nvidia's GeForce Now.
Amazon's move to add a regular monthly bundle of free games for Prime customers seems like a way to get more people to try Luna for free.