Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday launched its Luna video game streaming service for the public in the US, aiming to expand its multipronged empire into the booming gaming industry.
Luna allows players to access games directly online with no need for a console as part of the cloud gaming technology that is seen as a future direction of the industry.
“Luna harnesses the power of the cloud, enabling customers to instantly play high-quality, immersive games on the devices they already own,” Amazon entertainment services vice president Daniel Rausch said in a release.
Amazon had limited Luna to members of its Prime service as it fine-tuned the service, which takes on Xbox-maker Microsoft Corp and PlayStation-maker Sony Group Corp, as well as Stadia fielded by Google.
Luna+ subscriptions cost US$6 monthly, with that rate set to rise to US$10 at the start next month.
Other game channels at Luna, including one from French video game powerhouse Ubisoft, are available at additional costs.
Amazon is making some games available free to members of its Prime service, and weaving in features from Twitch game-play and commentary broadcasting platform, the release said.
Game software is hosted at data centers and streamed for play on an array of devices, including computers and many smartphones, “without lengthy downloads or updates, expensive hardware, or complicated configuration,” Amazon said.
Microsoft is considered the streaming video game heavyweight with its Xbox Game Pass service, and large community of players using its consoles and desktop computers.
Microsoft catapulted itself into the big league in one of the world’s most lucrative markets early this year by announcing a US$69 billion deal to take over video game maker Activision Blizzard Inc — the biggest acquisition in the sector’s history.
The deal would bring some of the world’s most famous games into Microsoft’s possession, including Call of Duty, Candy Crush and Warcraft, and make it the third-largest gaming company in the world, behind only Sony and Tencent Holdings Ltd (騰訊).
Pushing cloud gaming along with mobile platforms and gaining a bigger foothold in Asia are all part of Microsoft’s thinking, said Niko Partners, which specializes in the gaming sector in Asia.
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