Playing video games across multiple platforms without necessarily owning the game itself was once a pipedream. Where, in reality, consumers have to pay for, and therefore own, the games on the platform to play it at, a multi-platform gaming experience is synonymous to spending multiple times on a similar game.
While it does take a true fanatic to do just that, it’s not necessarily the most economical of choice among general gamers. Which, thus, makes anything of the contrary a dream come true to those who do not have the slightest preference on a single platform.
Enter the video game streaming service—a feature that indeed does just that.
Convenience and Possibility
The magic of video game streaming is so convenient and feasible as such that its adoption is something that’s been making interest in recent years. What with the likes of GeForce NOW and PlayStation Now, among others, showing a preliminary experience of what it feels like to game in a non-native platform.
But while revolutionary sounding—they are—video game streaming can feel as if though it’s way ahead of its time. Amazon, however, begs to differ as it recently introduced the Luna. A video game streaming service whose aim is to bring gaming to any platform.
Which, if taken literally, could see its future subscribers playing games meant for consoles directly at their mobile devices, without the stress on the hardware that usually comes with running a game natively. The magic boils down to the seamless and technological breakthrough process, that is, cloud computing.
Low-Barrier Entry
If Amazon Luna’s product lead, Oliver Messenger, has a say to the matter, he insinuates the timeliness of the business. So much so, in fact, that he’s confident in pushing it to the market. Made easier by its “low barrier to entry,” no less.
Looking at how the Amazon Luna’s business model works, the idea does make a lot of sense. The idea of taking the imposition of certain hardware as part of the gaming experience and yet able to render the experience, all the same, is undoubtedly part of its selling point.
Just think about it. Why spend money over a hardware and every game you play on it when you can just pay a subscription? Better yet, charter the game for however long you want? That is not to mention that you have the option to do so, regardless of the available platform to you.
Of course, being a “streaming” service at its core, not everything will be provided to consumers for their monthly subscriptions. Certain elements have to be set for the service to be rendered in the first place. Factors such as high-speed internet and a capable device being two fundamental aspects of it all.
It’s an ambitious venture for Amazon, no doubt. But it’s setting up a very interesting premise that could set a landscape for the future of gaming.
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