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History of video games/Platforms/Luna

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Amazon Luna logotype.

History

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Amazon had been making strategic acquisitions which analysts suspected was a move to be getting into the home gaming industry since at least 2014.[1] In particular roumors of a home game console developed by Amazon Lab 126.[2][3]

Amazon Luna was announced in late September 2020.[4]

Early access to the Amazon Luna service began on October 20th, 2020.[5]

The business model Luna uses appears to be a monthly fee for access to a library of games.[6]

In March of 2023 the service launched in Canada, UK, and Germany.[7][8]

Technology

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Compute

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At launch Luna is intended to run on AWS EC2 G4 instances using Intel Cascade Lake CPUs, T4 GPUs made by NVIDIA, and a Windows operating system.[9][10] Luna instances are expected to have about 8.1 teraflops of performance.[10]

Software

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The service had close integration with Twitch game streaming.[11]

Controller

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The Amazon Luna controller lowered latency by using Wi-Fi to bypass the client device and connect more directly to the server.[12][13]

Alternatively, a smartphone could also be used as a controller.[14]

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External Resources

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References

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  1. "Is Amazon's Double Helix Acquisition Proof Of A New Game Console?". https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/amazons-double-helix-acquisition-proof-new-game-console-2014-02-07. 
  2. "Amazon Set to Unveil a Game Console - Analyst Blog". https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/amazon-set-to-unveil-a-game-console-analyst-blog-2014-01-31. 
  3. "Rumors suggest Amazon's game console project is still alive". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2014-01-28-amazon-set-top-games-console-rumor.html. 
  4. McWhertor, Michael (24 September 2020). "Amazon unveils new cloud gaming service Luna". Polygon. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  5. "Amazon Luna early access begins today". US Day One Blog. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  6. Schoon, Ben (2 November 2020). "Amazon Luna hands on: Rough around the edges". 9to5Google. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  7. Henderson, Rik (25 September 2020). "Amazon Luna pricing, availability, games list, devices and all you need to know" (in en). Pocket-lint. https://www.pocket-lint.com/amazon-luna-plus-cloud-gaming-games-list-price-devices-explained/. 
  8. Bonifacic, Igor (April 19, 2023). "Amazon Luna hits Samsung's smart TV Gaming Hub in Canada, Germany and UK". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/amazon-luna-hits-samsungs-smart-tv-gaming-hub-in-canada-germany-and-uk-203744962.html. 
  9. "6 Things to Know About Amazon's Luna Cloud Gaming Service". Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  10. a b "Amazon's Luna game streaming service is powered by Windows and Nvidia GPUs". Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  11. Linder, Courtney (26 January 2021). "Amazon Luna Is Here to Give You a New Cloud Gaming Service That's Console-Free". Popular Mechanics. https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a34687654/amazon-luna-newest-cloud-gaming-platform/. 
  12. "Amazon Luna hands-on: Shooting for the moon". Android Police. 30 March 2022. https://www.androidpolice.com/amazon-luna-hands-on/. 
  13. "Amazon Luna: Cloud Gaming Prime-Style and an All-New Wireless Controller". MUO. 2 March 2022. https://www.makeuseof.com/amazon-luna-wireless-controller/. 
  14. Nield, David (7 April 2023). "7 things to know about Amazon’s new gaming service, Luna". Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/diy/amazon-luna-tips/.