Oh yay more cloud…yawn…gaming…how…nic…zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Merged the threads.
I don’t think this is necessarily DOA for one very simple reason-- Amazon has the cloud infrastructure to compete. In fact, only Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have the infra to really do this. And lo and behold, all three have an offering.
- Microsoft: xCloud, with Game Pass Ultimate you get 100s of games and unlimited streaming, $15/month.
- Amazon: Luna. Unlimited streaming on a “growing library of games” on two devices simultaneously for $6/month. Subscribe to studio channels to access new games.
- Google: Stadia. Free but you need to buy the games at full price, and the free version still doesn’t get you 4k or 5.1 sound.
It’s pretty clear that Microsoft has the best offering, because MS is pouring metric shittons of money into Game Pass to buy subscriptions, to such an extent that it’s got to be hemorrhaging cash.
Then you have Amazon, coming in with what looks like a sustainable business model, good for them. The base “growing library” will probably be garbage, but subscribing to studio channels is an interesting twist. You could subscribe to the Ubisoft channel to play AC:Valhalla, then cancel your sub when you beat it. Two simultaneous streams are interesting too, for people with kids and couples and whatnot. Also streaming via web apps on iOS is a neat hedge, they must have made it work inside Safari.
And of course Google completely abandoned Stadia and it’s a loser.
Adding this to Amazon Prime would be game, set and match.
That game list looks virtually the same as what’s currently on Game Pass. There must be something to distinguish it besides being a few bucks cheaper per month?
Play it on PC? I don’t think you can currently do that with xCloud. (On the other hand, you can just download games on PC with Game Pass, so yeah, I don’t know, I got nothin’ I guess).
Nope, but it does have Twitch integration!
What game list? You mean the graphic listing a bunch of games like Control? That’s all I found.
Yes. Are you saying that’s a placeholder?
No, I’m sure those games will be available, but it’s not a big list.
Yeah, that’s the part that confuses me. Are the Luna group still chasing these hypothetical gamers who really want to play stuff but can’t be arsed to buy any actual hardware?
Yes, it is a game streaming service. If your kids have a chromebook or iPad for school, they can play games on it. That’s where the two simultaneous streams come in, that’s a real advantage.
Well yeah, that too. I mean I take them at their word that it’s a ‘growing library’ but I’d like to have a better idea of what games I could play will be.
Google claimed they had a “growing library” too. I’m not in the trust but verify stage with these services. I’m actively distrustful.
I can definitely envision this as a service for kids to play fortnite and minecraft on their chromebooks and cellphones.
I guess I’m not who they’re really after anyway, I’m just looking for a reason to be interested. Even if only hypothetically.
I guess if it had cross-play with savegames across platforms, and COVID was over and I was traveling, and stuck in a hotel with great wifi, I could play a videogame there? …nah
Same use-cases as other streaming services. Kids and new gamers to start, then as they get better owning your own gaming hardware will become an enthusiast-only thing.
Time was you had to have your own harpsichord and wait for a troupe of traveling minstrels to happen your way, but things changed…
Maybe once Amazon Studios puts out some games, they can have some exclusives? Probably not exclusives, but exclusive for a streaming/subscription service at least.
Oh right, that game they released and then un-released. Yeah - I’m gonna keep an eye on this one.
IMO, Amazon offering a streaming service that then has users subscribe to channels makes a lot more sense than the Stadia monetization where you need to buy full-price games.
That’s true. If they’re the only ones with a Ubisoft channel, for instance, that gives them a leg-up over Game Pass and Stadia.