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The Amazon Luna Controller is an excellent gamepad, with dedicated Wi-Fi chip that provides the best Luna gaming streaming experience.

Amazon Luna cloud gaming service impresses with its performance and affordability. Add at least a bit of performance to the Amazon Luna Controller, which is $ 49. 99 gamepads specifically designed for use with Amazon Luna. The console is a well-designed and comfortable Bluetooth gamepad, but its real advantage is the separate Wi-Fi connection that drastically reduces the input lag when playing Luna games. Amazon Luna Controller is technically an optional accessory to the service, but we consider it a must-have device if you want to play games through Amazon’s cloud..

The Luna console is excellent, very similar to the Nintendo Switch Pro. It’s a very solid black gamepad with dual-offset analog sticks in Xbox style, and the A / B / X / Y face buttons arranged in the Xbox layout.. The sticks, face buttons, and triggers all look cramped and well-made, although the oversized directional pad is a bit spongy and not clickable. It is very similar in build quality to the Xbox Wireless Controller.

The menu buttons are located around the large Luna button that lights up when the gamepad is in use. There is a hole punch microphone above the Luna button, while a microphone button is underneath (so you can use Amazon Alexa with the controller). There is a headphone jack on the bottom edge of the gamepad, again like the Xbox Wireless Controller.

The gamepad accepts two AA batteries, and features a USB-C port for wired connections and battery charging (if rechargeable).

The Luna Controller connects to Amazon directly through its Wi-Fi connection, which Amazon says reduces latency by 17 to 30 milliseconds.. Setting up the console requires the free Luna Controller app, which guides you through its connection to Wi-Fi. You can also use the gamepad as a standard Bluetooth controller, if you wish. You can also use a compatible Bluetooth controller, such as a DualShock 4 or Xbox Wireless Controller, paired with the device you want to play Amazon Luna games without low latency..

Once set up and signed in, you can use the console to play games via Amazon Luna through any compatible device. Since the gamepad is separately connected to the internet, you can instantly play anything from a web browser to Amazon Fire TV without using console connections; Luna detects that your gamepad is online and immediately sets it to control any device that streams Luna.

I have used Luna Controller extensively to test Amazon Luna, and I’m impressed with how well it works. While playing Sonic Mania, Yooka-Laylee, Impossible Lair and Control, my inputs were fast and responsive, and the sticks, joystick and button were good under the thumb. The separate Wi-Fi connection helped ensure very low latency for playing all 3 games through Amazon servers. Due to the dedicated connection, Luna Controller automatically worked with Luna on PC and tablet, without the need for matching device pairing.

The Luna Controller isn’t as good as a Bluetooth gamepad. While I can pair it with my PC, it recorded as a DirectInput Bluetooth gamepad generic when the vast majority of PC games expect an XInput console to function like an Xbox wireless controller. I wasn’t even able to play games with the gamepad over Bluetooth using the Steam’s Bluetooth controller general compatibility setting. There are likely some input casings or gadgets that can make the Luna Controller more usable on a PC, but out of the box, it is simply not suitable for most games..

For comparison, I played Yooka-Laylee and Impossible Lair on Amazon Luna with Xbox Wireless Gamepad. It still felt responsive, but the extra input lag was definitely there, making the controls feel a little slippery.

If you want to use Amazon Luna, consider the Luna Controller a basic purchase. It has excellent build, and provides responsive controls for Amazon’s cloud gaming service. For $ 49. 99, that’s not bad at all. Just be aware that it is not very useful as a standard Bluetooth gamepad unless you are willing to put some work into recording the inputs properly..

If you simply want a good Bluetooth gamepad for PC gaming, $ 49. 99, Editors’ Choice Award Winning SN30 Pro Favorite (It Works With Nintendo Switch), like $ 59. 99 Xbox Wireless Controller.

The Amazon Luna Controller is an excellent gamepad, with a dedicated Wi-Fi chip that provides the optimal Luna gaming streaming experience.

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