GOG have announced that they're teaming up with Amazon Luna, to bring your existing GOG games over to their cloud gaming service.
Amazon Luna is currently available across the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. It runs on Linux too, although it will likely give you a browser warning, it will still let you actually play games on Luna if you're using a Chrome based browser.
All you'll need is to own your games on GOG, and any that Amazon have on Luna will be yours to play in the cloud too on any compatible device. Seems like a great deal really. GOG also said you'll be able to buy games on Luna through GOG too, and they will stick in your GOG library. So really, this is the best of both worlds.
They haven't given a public date yet on exactly when it will be live, only noting they will "share more updates about our collaboration in the future, and be sure that whether you enjoy timeless classics or modern hits, you’ll find such GOG titles on Luna soon".
I'd say that's what Stadia should have been. I.e. sell games DRM-free and give streaming as a bonus feature. So good for GOG, but it would be better if Luna is using Linux underneath.
Last edited by Shmerl on 19 March 2024 at 4:41 pm UTC
As for the die-hard performance geeks this is a waste of time since near 0 input latency and over 60 fps is the norm and streaming just doesn't cut it and never will.
Instead of optimizing games streaming them adds more middlemen that impact performance, availability and cost.
This will suffer the same fate as Stadia and tarnish GOG's already crumbling reputation.
Last edited by devland on 19 March 2024 at 4:57 pm UTC
Quoting: ShmerlDoes actual Luna server use Linux or Windows? That's the interesting part, not so much the streaming client of which there were a bunch already.At least when it launched in 2020 it was all Windows and Nvidia:
"Luna will run on a standard version of Amazon’s EC2 G4 server instance running Windows, complete with Nvidia’s T4 GPUs and Intel’s Cascade Lake CPUs. "
Quoting: devlandStreaming games will never catch on because the whole point of the hand-held gaming success story is to be able to play anywhere not "anywhere there is a good internet connection".How about having options? If you want to install your game locally, you can. If you want to stream and not worry about updates and such, you can also do that.
I would love if Valve would offer streaming for all "Steam Deck Verified" games. Such games would probably work perfectly in a Linux container. They should talk to Google to give them Stadia (doesn't Google offer Stadia as white label product?)
Quoteif you're using a Chrome based browser
Aww, yeaa, nahhh.
But I can see their strategy and wish them well assuming they don't compromise on their integrity to selling DRM-free downloads.
Considering Amazon is planning on building a Nuclear Powered DataCenter, I suppose they will have the niagra-falls of cheap energy to power even the beefiest overclocked GPUs and Cooling Solutions to make this a thing.
And Amazon doesn't have the same track record as killing off things as Google, so I imagine they really mean to carve a niche.
Still, it's not for me. Best of luck, I hope they make a billion dollars and remember their roots and stick to their core values.
Quoting: whizseHuh. Am I the only one who thinks the Amazon Luna logo looks like Tux if you squint?Quoting: ShmerlDoes actual Luna server use Linux or Windows? That's the interesting part, not so much the streaming client of which there were a bunch already.At least when it launched in 2020 it was all Windows and Nvidia:
"Luna will run on a standard version of Amazon’s EC2 G4 server instance running Windows, complete with Nvidia’s T4 GPUs and Intel’s Cascade Lake CPUs. "
Quoting: VardamirHow about having options? If you want to install your game locally, you can. If you want to stream and not worry about updates and such, you can also do that.
There's no such thing.
Partnerships like this are made purely for marketing purposes. No corporation will ever offer its customers extra services at no cost unless there's a catch.
In this case it's the already existing amazon game streaming market. You can already buy games there. This "partnership" is meant to get people signed up for that and have them buy games there that aren't in the gog catalag nor under the gog terms & conditions.
This is bait. The swich will come later. It always does.
Amazon probably paid gog to do this since they are struggling financially. The whole thing will likely end after a year or so when it will fail to yeild new customers for amazon.
Last edited by devland on 20 March 2024 at 7:08 am UTC
Quoting: devlandAmazon probably paid gog to do this since they are struggling financially.
GOG is struggling financially??? I'm out of the loop here, since when were they struggling?
Quoting: Pyretichttps://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/11/gog-to-go-through-some-reorganization-after-suffering-losses/Quoting: devlandAmazon probably paid gog to do this since they are struggling financially.
GOG is struggling financially??? I'm out of the loop here, since when were they struggling?
Quoting: pleasereadthemanualhttps://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/11/gog-to-go-through-some-reorganization-after-suffering-losses/
Is it still the same now that we're in 2024? This news was in 2021.
See more from me