Amazon Luna Gains Chromebook Support, Sofa Mode, and Inexpensive Family Channel



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While we don’t really cover Amazon Luna much on Chrome Unboxed, it’s mainly because most of us here are using other services like Stadia, GeForce Now, and Steam Link. I tried Luna when it first launched, and wasn’t overly impressed. Maybe it’s time I gave it another chance as it now adds support for Chromebook, and more. This will open up the service to millions of additional potential subscribers, and that alone is exciting. As the cloud gaming space heats up, it’s nice to see Amazon stay in the ring, despite their failed attempts to create MMORPGs.

In a blog post on Medium today, Gabi Knight, Director of Luna, recapped the success of the service over the past year and took the time to introduce new features. First of all, and as I said before, Chromebook owners can now play directly on their laptop or tablet. Previously, they had to spoof the device’s ID with a User Agent Switcher extension in Chrome, because Amazon first took the same route as Nvidia – locking it down in specific web browsers and providing support to its competitors. later.

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Of course, Luna works pretty much the same as Google’s Stadia – no downloads, no updates, just click and play games like Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, and even Capcom’s Mega Man 11. on a number of devices such as PCs, Macs, Fire TVs, iOS and Android phones and tablets, and more. It’s great to see Chromebooks finally getting official support, but I’m not going to lie – I think I’m annoyed that it wasn’t added right off the bat, and I think a lot even didn’t. didn’t take a first glance at Luna. because of this restriction.

Later this year, Ubisoft + subscribers will be able to play Far Cry 6 and Rider’s Republic among many other titles from the publisher when they release later this year. The Ubisoft + channel already includes 30 of its other games, and if you subscribe to them by September 29, 2021, you can lock in the current beta price of $ 14.99 per month before it drops to 17.99. $ 30. One thing that has been announced that makes me want to try the service again is a new retro game channel that will be added soon. It will feature titles from Atari, SNK and more. Think of games like Another World, Dragon’s Lair, and King of Fighters. All of these will also be available in high definition!

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Family games for Chromebook users

Given that Chromebooks have had a solid footing over the past two decades with families and students, you might be happy to hear that Amazon is launching a new family channel for just $ 2.99. It will give you access to 35 games, all of which you can find below, and which have been handpicked to be suitable for families. Oh, and more importantly, since families are supposed to play together, you’ll also have access to local co-op play in HD for up to two devices at a time.

  • SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated
  • Garfield Kart – Furious Race
  • Space Otter Charlie
  • DreamWorks Dragons: Dawn of the New Riders
  • Transformers: Battlegrounds
  • SkateBIRD (launch later this month)
  • more to come soon …

Speaking of local co-op, “Luna Couch” is being launched to make it easier to play with those you love (or to compete against your friends!). Couch lets you play locally for games like Team Sonic Racing and Overcooked 2 and up without having to be physically present with each other. Basically, it’s a virtual sofa! In fact, the other person doesn’t even have to be a Luna subscriber, which is pretty cool.

It’s really reminiscent of the good old days of sitting together at a friend’s house and playing, only now you’re not sitting at a friend’s house playing… uh, wait. All kidding aside, this feature is awesome, and I’m glad this type of gameplay is making a comeback, especially in the midst of a global pandemic. The technology is truly amazing!

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Anyway, if you want to try all of this and more with Luna on your Chromebook, you can actually get a 7-day free trial with Amazon Prime today, between today, September 9, 2021. and September 15, 2021 (US only), which includes four games – Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Gold Edition, Metro Exodus, Katamari Damacy REROLL, and Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. I’m personally tempted by these new feature additions, but Stadia offers all of these games and more, so it’s a tough sell for existing Google service subscribers. Either way, Chromebook support means there are now more options for cloud gaming, and families can certainly benefit from that, so I wanted to let you all know!

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