Back in August, we decided to try the Amazon Luna cloud-gaming service and its new Twitch interface. If you haven’t had a chance to check out our write-up on Amazon’s gaming platform, check out our review of Amazon Luna on a Fire Stick. We wanted to find out how accessible the streaming business is for gamers with fewer resources. Meaning, can anyone do this, or just the lucky few who can afford a $5,000 rig?
Yes, they can, actually.
Live streaming for gamers is possible without an expensive setup, but it comes with a little configuration.
If you’re interested in the setup we settled on, which can be run from your phone with a Fire Stick and Luna controller, here’s the Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max Luna Controller Bundle.
A couple of notes first. Let’s summarize our first attempt, it included:
- Mobile phone with Luna app installed
- HDMI compatible TV
- Amazon Fire Stick 4K
- 2014 Macbook
In total, all of this cost us around $500. However, we already owned the Macbook (renewed on Amazon for $200) and television, and we’re assuming you’re reading this on a mobile phone or computer, so those costs are already covered. The actual cost for items that may not already be in your home was $40 for the Amazon Fire Stick 4K (again, you can do this without a Luna controller, but we ended up buying one, hence why we provided the link to the bundle above).
Amazon Luna tests
The verdict (1st attempt): While we struggled a bit with the virtual controller (it was still pretty incredible), we were able to demonstrate that live-streaming could be done using just your mobile phone, an Amazon Fire Stick, HDMI-compatible television, and a computer or mobile device (to set up the broadcast).
But it may be a stretch to say anyone can live-stream with that line-up alone; at least effectively. Yes, it can be done, but the configuration required and troubleshooting that comes with it isn’t very practical.
For one, using the virtual controller requires your mobile phone’s full attention. You can’t open the virtual app and easily toggle in between the controller and the Twitch app to set up your stream (that’s not Amazon’s fault, just iOS in general). So you need a separate computer or mobile device. Secondly, the virtual controller isn’t as smooth as an old school handheld remote, so you spend more time trying to figure out how to use the controller than you do playing at first, which we feel like could take away from your stream.
And finally, in our test, we didn’t find the virtual controller switch between our computer and Fire Stick easily (you have to pair both for some reason). And again, you can broadcast from your Fire Stick, but you’ll still need to setup the broadcast on a third device (we used the Macbook). You’ll also need this device to run your mic so viewers can hear you.
So we decided to add a Luna controller and a $5 pair of headphones we had laying around the house.
Amazon Luna controller
The Amazon Luna controller arrives in very simple purple packaging. The instructions are included on a small pamphlet that details how to pair your remote. The package also comes with a couple of AA batteries. Very straightforward.
Once you’ve paired your remote to the Fire Stick, all you need to do is hop on your PC/Macbook/mobile device to set up your stream.
Just so we don’t skip anything, here’s what this process now looks like with a remote (including the summarized list from our first attempt).
- Link your Amazon Fire Stick to your Amazon Account
- Open the Luna app on Fire Stick
- Pair a remote – again, you can do this with a virtual remote via the Luna mobile app or Amazon Luna controller
- On the remote, click the hamburger menu button (start) to open up your gaming options (once you’ve launched the game)
- Click setup broadcast
- Enter the link information on your mobile or computer
- Link your Twitch account to your Amazon Luna account
- Setup your broadcast information (title, A/V, etc.)
- Click Broadcast
- Plug your headphones into the device you’re using so you can talk over the stream
- Pick one of the free games from the Prime gaming channel
- Grab your remote and start playing on the television with the broadcast setup running on your device’s browser (the same device that you’re running your headphone and mic into)
Now, because you’re doing this on a budget, you probably don’t have a great camera, mic, or set of headphones, yet. Fortunately, you can still get this done with a mic-compatible pair of headphones. Just a regular old pair of earbuds with a mic will do. Our stream didn’t have the camera turned on, but you can easily use your computer or mobile phone’s camera. Here’s how it turned out.
Gameplay on Amazon Luna
That’s it!
If you’re dying to break into live streaming, you can get this done with a Luna-compatible Fire Stick, a computer (or two mobile devices), a mobile phone or Luna controller (or the Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max Luna Controller Bundle), an HDMI-compatible television, a Twitch account, and an Amazon Prime membership.
In short: anyone can begin streaming with Amazon Luna on Twitch for $100 dollars. Enjoy!