Amazon on Monday opened its cloud video game service Luna to all Prime subscribers in the United States as part of its annual online mega-sale.

Luna has been in an invitation-only mode since late last year as Amazon honed the platform designed to stream video game console quality play directly over the internet.

While teasing shopping deals offered as part of its eagerly-awaited "Prime Days" event slated for June 21 and June 22 in the United States, the e-commerce colossus invited subscribers to try Luna free of charge.

"For a limited time, Prime members can access games on Amazon Luna without requesting an invite for early access," read a post at the cloud gaming platform's website.

"Start a Luna+ 7-day free trial to play action, adventure, platformer, indie, shooter, RPG, racing, and classic games."

Amazon also offered deep discounts on its line-up of devices, including Luna controllers for playing video games.

Luna takes video game consoles out of the equation, using data centers to handle software powering titles played over the internet.

Luna is compatible with Amazon Fire TV as well as computers and some smartphones. The service is priced at $6 monthly during the early access period.

Microsoft last week announced it is working on software and a plug-in device to let people play Xbox video games on internet-linked televisions without need of consoles.

The company has been playing on the strength of its Xbox unit as it vies with Luna and Google's Stadia cloud gaming services.

"There's still a place for consoles and PCs and frankly, there always will be, but through the cloud, we will be able to deliver a robust gaming experience to anyone connected to the internet," Xbox unit head Phil Spencer said at the time.

Video game play has surged during the pandemic, as people turned more than ever to the internet for entertainment.

Overall consumer spending on video gaming in the United States has totaled $24 billion so far this year, up 17 percent from the same period in 2020, according to industry tracker NPD Group.

gc/st

Amazon

Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Premier E3 video game show kicks off with 'Avatar'
San Francisco (AFP) June 13, 2021
The world's premier video game trade show, E3, kicked off online Saturday, celebrating play that "kept us sane" during the pandemic, celebrating fantasy worlds with Ubisoft's new offering "Avatar," and promising a real-world gathering next year. The Electronic Entertainment Expo that each year turned the Los Angeles Convention Center into a players' paradise was cancelled in 2020 because of Covid-19, and went virtual this year with a streamed event. "During the pandemic that prevented us from be ... read more