Amazon opens Luna video game streaming to anyone in US
-
Minnesota outlasts Seattle to advance in MLS Cup playoffs
-
Marseille go top in Ligue 1 as Lens thrash Monaco
-
Fourteen-man South Africa fight back to beat France
-
Atletico, Villarreal win to keep pressure on Liga giants
-
Chelsea down Wolves to ease criticism of Maresca's rotation policy
-
England's Genge eager to face All Blacks after Fiji win
-
Wasteful Milan draw at Parma but level with Serie A leaders Napoli
-
Fire kills six at Turkish perfume warehouse
-
Djokovic pulls out of ATP Finals with shoulder injury
-
Rybakina outguns world No.1 Sabalenka to win WTA Finals
-
Norris survives a slip to seize Sao Paulo pole
-
Sunderland snap Arsenal's winning run in Premier League title twist
-
England see off Fiji to make it nine wins in a row
-
Australia connection gives Italy stunning win over Wallabies
-
Arsenal winning run ends in Sunderland draw, De Ligt rescues Man Utd
-
Griezmann double earns Atletico battling win over Levante
-
Title-leader Norris grabs Sao Paulo Grand Prix pole
-
Djokovic edges Musetti to win 101st career title in Athens
-
Rybakina downs world No.1 Sabalenka to win WTA Finals
-
McKenzie ends Scotland dream of first win over New Zealand
-
McKenzie stars as New Zealand inflict heartbreak upon Scotland
-
De Ligt rescues Man Utd in Spurs draw, Arsenal aim to extend lead
-
Kane saves Bayern but record streak ends at Union
-
Bolivia's new president takes over, inherits economic mess
-
Edwards set for Wolves job after Middlesbrough allow talks
-
COP30: Indigenous peoples vital to humanity's future, Brazilian minister tells AFP
-
Marquez wins Portuguese MotoGP sprint race
-
Saim, Abrar star in Pakistan's ODI series win over South Africa
-
Norris extends title lead in Sao Paulo GP sprint after Piastri spin
-
Man Utd have room to 'grow', says Amorim after Spurs setback
-
Tornado kills six, wrecks town in Brazil
-
Norris wins Sao Paulo GP sprint, Piastri spins out
-
Ireland scramble to scrappy win over Japan
-
De Ligt rescues draw for Man Utd after Tottenham turnaround
-
Israel identifies latest hostage body, as families await five more
-
England's Rai takes one-shot lead into Abu Dhabi final round
-
Tornado kills five, injures more than 400 in Brazil
-
UPS, FedEx ground MD-11 cargo planes after deadly crash
-
Luis Enrique not rushing to recruit despite key PSG trio's absence
-
Flick demands more Barca 'fight' amid injury crisis
-
Israel names latest hostage body, as families await five more
-
Title-chasing Evans cuts gap on Ogier at Rally Japan
-
Russian attack hits Ukraine energy infrastructure: Kyiv
-
Kagiyama tunes up for Olympics with NHK Trophy win
-
Indonesia probes student after nearly 100 hurt in school blasts
-
UPS grounds its MD-11 cargo planes after deadly crash
-
Taliban govt says Pakistan ceasefire to hold, despite talks failing
-
Trump says no US officials to attend G20 in South Africa
-
Philippines halts search for typhoon dead as huge new storm nears
-
Bucks launch NBA Cup title defense with win over Bulls
NYSE - LSE
Amazon opens Luna video game streaming to anyone in US
Amazon launched its Luna video game streaming service for the general public on Tuesday in the United States, aiming to expand its multi-pronged empire into the booming gaming industry.
Luna allows players to access games directly online with no need for a console as part of the cloud gaming technology that is seen as a future direction of the industry.
"Luna harnesses the power of the cloud, enabling customers to instantly play high quality, immersive games on the devices they already own," Amazon entertainment services vice president Daniel Rausch said in a release.
Amazon had limited Luna to members of its Prime service as it fine-tuned the service, which takes on Xbox-maker Microsoft and PlayStation-maker Sony as well as Stadia fielded by Google.
Luna+ subscriptions cost $6 monthly, with that rate set to rise to $10 at the start of April.
Other game channels at Luna, including one from French video game powerhouse Ubisoft, are available at additional costs.
Amazon is making some games available free to members of its Prime service, and weaving in features from Twitch game-play and commentary broadcasting platform, according to the release.
Game software is hosted at datacenters and streamed for play on an array of devices including computers and many smartphones "without lengthy downloads or updates, expensive hardware, or complicated configuration," according to Amazon.
Microsoft is considered the streaming video game heavyweight with its Xbox Game Pass service and large community of players using its consoles and desktop computers.
Microsoft catapulted itself into the big league in one of the world's most lucrative markets early this year by announcing a $69 billion deal to take over video game maker Activision Blizzard -- the biggest acquisition in the sector's history.
The deal will bring some of the world's most famous games into Microsoft's possession, including "Call of Duty", "Candy Crush" and "Warcraft", and make it the third-largest gaming company in the world, behind only Sony and Tencent.
Pushing cloud gaming along with mobile platforms and gaining a bigger foothold in Asia are all part of Microsoft's thinking, according to Niko Partners, which specializes in the gaming sector in Asia.
S.Gregor--AMWN
