Amazon Luna and Google Stadia: Battle of the two cloud giants

Gamers juggling each other on video game consoles one day may be a thing of the past as cloud-based game streaming options continue to emerge. The two bigger competitors in this area are Amazon with streaming service Luna and Google with Stadia. Both game streaming services are arranged slightly differently, making this option a consideration before starting to purchase. In this battle between Amazon Luna and Google Stadia, we take a close look at each service, check out the supported platforms, available controllers, streaming quality, game library, pricing and calculation. availability.

Supported platforms

When you’re signed in to either platform, Luna or Stadia, you’ll likely use your home computer, mobile device, or TV. Starting with the living room, each service supports a different platform if you’re looking to play games on your TV. Google Stadia currently only supports Chromecast Ultra, with future support geared towards its Google TV platform. On the other hand, Amazon supports most modern Fire TV devices. Other than these TV platforms, no other TV platforms are supported. If you have a Roku, Apple TV, or other Chromecast devices then unfortunately, you’re out of luck.

When it comes to mobile devices, both Stadia and Luna support Android and iOS. In Android, the two platforms offer native apps that can be downloaded to your device. Due to current limitations of iOS, the two companies offer progressive web applications. Basically, you go to the Stadia or Android website, then add the website to your home screen, where it can act as a more full-featured experience.

If you’re looking to play a game on your Mac or PC, both Stadia and Luna offer support, albeit in slightly different ways. Amazon Luna users can download the dedicated Mac or Windows app or use the Chrome web browser. However, Google Stadia can only use the Chrome web browser for streaming; It does not provide dedicated applications.

While both services offer support on a number of platforms, Amazon Luna’s service is compatible with a wider variety of TV streaming sticks / boxes and offers more ways to play when using a Mac or PC.

Winner: Amazon Luna

Remote controll

Both Google Stadia and Amazon Luna can be played using your favorite Bluetooth controller, such as the one provided with PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Stadia and Luna also support keyboard and mouse use if you enjoy playing with that style. However, what makes both gaming services so special is the fact that they support branded, custom Wi-Fi controllers that promise to reduce gaming latency.

Google’s Stadia controller has a similar layout to the PlayStation one, with two thumbs positioned on the bottom half of the controller. Using the Google Stadia app, you can register the controller to your Stadia account, allowing you to play across multiple monitors and connect directly to Google services for a more accurate experience. The Stadia controller is currently on sale for $ 70 and is available in three colors: Clear White, Only Black, and Wasabi.

Amazon Luna also offers a Wi-Fi controller, called Luna Controller, that can be purchased separately. The Luna controller comes in a single color, black, and costs $ 50 during Luna’s testing period, but goes up to $ 70 when the service officially launches. Opposite the Stadia Controller, the Luna Controller follows an Xbox layout, with the left thumb placed higher than the right thumb.

While both controllers will be at the same price when Luna officially launches in the future, we need to give Google a little more credit for already offering more comprehensive colors. Also, while the PlayStation continues to outperform the Xbox, we believe more gamers will feel more comfortable with the Google Stadia controller layout.

Winner: Google Stadia

Streaming quality

Google Stadia vs Shadow — Google Stadia and Amazon Luna both offer 1080p / 60 fps streaming right from the portal. To access 4K streaming with Stadia, you’ll need to subscribe to Stadia Pro; Amazon doesn’t currently offer 4K streaming for its service, but notes it will roll out for some games soon. Apart from this information, we don’t know much about the technical details of the Amazon Luna service and what might be encountered in the future. However, Google Stadia notes that HDR and 5.1 Surround Sound are indeed supported, but again, they require a Stadia Pro subscription for access. Rich Shibley / Digital Trends

While it is necessary to pay for additional features with Google Stadia, this service currently offers the highest quality of the two. As a result, Stadia has the same pie as it is now, but we’re curious to see how Luna will improve in the future.

Game library

The games library is where Google Stadia and Amazon Luna really stand out. Amazon launches Luna as a pure subscription service, meaning you’ll need to pay a monthly fee to get access to a number of pre-selected games – you can consider this model to be similar to a translation. services like Netflix or Hulu, but for video games. Users start with the basic Luna + library but can pay extra to add additional content from companies like Ubisoft. There is no option to purchase a game completely permanently.

While Google’s Stadia also offers a subscription-based service called Stadia Pro, users don’t need to purchase a monthly subscription to start gaming. With Stadia, gamers have the option to buy games outright and add them to their cloud library, similar to buying games on Steam for your PC or Mac. If you subscribe to Stadia Pro, you’ll get access to Google’s streaming library as well as additional Pro features, including upscaling 4K video quality.

In terms of the quality of games offered per service, this will vary from month to month, but both platforms are really pushing AAA titles, as well as a healthy selection of older games and other optional independent. Due to Stadia’s ability to buy the game permanently without the need for periodic registration, we’ll need to win for this round.

Winner: Google Stadia

Pricing and availability

Google Stadia is currently available in 22 countries, including the US. Using the service to buy a game will cost you nothing but the price of the game; however, if you want access to a streaming library and 4K gaming, a Stadia Pro subscription will give you $ 10 a month after a month’s free trial.

Amazon Luna is much more exclusive, only available in the US, but an invitation is required. If chosen for early access, it will cost Luna $ 6 a month to access the basic Luna + library. If you want to access Ubisoft’s library, you’ll have to pay an extra $ 15 a month. It’s important to note that these prices are for early access beta and are subject to change once Amazon decides to fully roll out its service.

With Google Stadia available in more countries and the option of eliminating any need to subscribe to the game, it’s our winner for the pricing and availability category.

Winner: Google Stadia

Overall winner: Google Stadia

Amazon is looking to enter the cloud game services market, but they’ll need to do a bit of work before offering a comparable service to Google Stadia. Luna is not at all a bad service; In fact, it is quite excellent. However, Stadia is available to more users worldwide, does not require monthly subscriptions, and offers more options when it comes to hardware controllers.

Google Stadia is our overall winner, but remember to keep an eye on Amazon Luna, as it isn’t a bad guy and can prove to be a real competitor in the future.