Amazon has decided to dabble in the gaming sector, which brings us to the new invention by Amazon.
Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming is an advancement in the gaming sector. Its platform is powered by Nvidia GPUs and Windows servers.
Due to Windows’ support, Luna is able to support more than 100 games and also enable game developers to transfer existing Windows games to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) instance.
This provides subscribers with access to cloud-stream their games. The backend Windows supports publishers like Ubisoft to host digital services (Uplay) on Amazon’s Luna platform.
Hardware
In a report from The Verge, Amazon claims that Luna will run completely with Intel’s Cascade Lake CPUs and Nvidia’s T4 GPUs. It is a standard version of Amazon’s EC2 G4 server instance that operates on Windows.
Nvidia’s T4 GPUs are based on the Turing architecture that powers the older generation RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards.
A single T4 GPU (though Amazon might be using multiple) supports Microsoft’s raytracing technology and provides performance of 8.1 teraflops.
This means the GPU should provide smooth gaming performance at 1080p resolution, which Luna currently supports.
Amazon claims that Luna will soon feature 4 K, but it might be challenging for Luna on this hardware unless they try to dial down graphical settings in some high-end games. Nevertheless, it would be nice to see better specs on Luna.
Amazon has two main cloud-streaming competitors, Google and Microsoft. The two competitors use entirely different operating systems and hardware for each cloud gaming service.
Google operates with a custom AMD GPU capable of providing 10.7 teraflops of GPU performance and a custom x86 processor powered by Linux.
Microsoft uses Xbox One S hardware in its server blades, which offer just 1.4 teraflops of GPU performance. They all run on Windows-powered custom Xbox OS.
Microsoft also claims to be transferring xCloud servers to Xbox Series hardware, which is scheduled to be released in 2021.
Sony is also using custom PlayStation hardware for its own PlayStation Now services.
Amazon used Nvidia hardware and Windows software and also embraced its rival services and stores. This gives Amazon a big advantage over Google’s Stadia service.
Stadia has struggled to attract enough subscribers and content to make its model appealing, and Google’s claims of YouTube integration have failed to come to reality.
This means that Stadia currently has only 90 games, compared to Luna’s more than 100 or Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass’s 150.
Nvidia’s GeForce has the highest number of games, over 800. According to Amazon, some of the games that will be available for early access for Luna are Yooka-Laylee, Resident Evil 7, The Impossible Lair, GRID, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
Cost
A subscription to Luna Plus will cost $5.99 per month but as part of an invite-only early access program.
A custom controller will also be sold for $50 (with an early access discount), though gamers can also play with a PlayStation DualShock 4 or Xbox One controller and a keyboard and mouse.
As recommended by Amazon, the minimum internet connection required to stream games on Luna is 10Mps, and 35Mps is required to play in 4K.
Amazon claims that Luna will be available on PC, Mac, Fire TV, and web apps for iPad and iPhone running on iOS 14.
With Nvidia’s full driver support, Windows would make it easier for developers to transfer their existing games to Amazon’s Luna service.
That would lessen the stress compared to Linux servers and Stadia. That is probably one reason Amazon has already released 100 games ready for its Luna service, which launched with an early access phase.
Amazon has made an interesting cloud platform with Twitch integration and content to back it up. It still needs to convince its customers that Luna is worth their time and money, and that is something Stadia has fought against with game console makers like Sony and Microsoft.
Amazon has not released an exact date for Luna’s official launch, but people interested can request an early access invitation on the Amazon website.
