# History of video games/Platforms/Luna
## History

Amazon had been making strategic acquisitions which analysts suspected was a move to be getting into the home gaming industry since at least 2014. In particular roumors of a home game console developed by Amazon Lab 126.
Amazon Luna was announced in late September 2020.
Early access to the Amazon Luna service began on October 20th, 2020.
The business model Luna uses appears to be a monthly fee for access to a library of games.
In March of 2023 the service launched in Canada, UK, and Germany.

## Technology
### Compute

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. Luna instances are expected to have about 8.1 teraflops of performance.

### Software

The service had close integration with Twitch game streaming.

### Controller

The Amazon Luna controller lowered latency by using Wi-Fi to bypass the client device and connect more directly to the server.
Alternatively, a smartphone could also be used as a controller.

## Gallery

* An AWS datacenter in Ashburn, Virginia in late 2020.
* Amazon Spheres, part of the Amazon headquarters in Seattle, Washington in 2018.

## References

* ↑ "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.
* ↑ "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.
* ↑ "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.
* ↑ McWhertor, Michael (24 September 2020). "Amazon unveils new cloud gaming service Luna". Polygon. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
* ↑ "Amazon Luna early access begins today". US Day One Blog. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
* ↑ Schoon, Ben (2 November 2020). "Amazon Luna hands on: Rough around the edges". 9to5Google. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
* ↑ 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/.
* ↑ 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.
* ↑ "6 Things to Know About Amazon's Luna Cloud Gaming Service". Retrieved 25 November 2020.
* 1 2 "Amazon's Luna game streaming service is powered by Windows and Nvidia GPUs". Retrieved 25 November 2020.
* ↑ 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/.
* ↑ "Amazon Luna hands-on: Shooting for the moon". Android Police. 30 March 2022. https://www.androidpolice.com/amazon-luna-hands-on/.
* ↑ "Amazon Luna: Cloud Gaming Prime-Style and an All-New Wireless Controller". MUO. 2 March 2022. https://www.makeuseof.com/amazon-luna-wireless-controller/.
* ↑ 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/.