The cloud gaming space is still in its infancy, and as such has struggled to really make an impression on die-hard PC and console gamers.
Despite this, Google, Nvidia and Microsoft have all thrown their hat in the ring, and now Amazon looks set to join them. Currently codenamed Project Tempo, the retail giant’s offering reflects the company’s growing focus on gaming in 2020.
We speculated on what an Amazon cloud gaming service might look like back in February, and its existence has now been confirmed in a New York Times article.
When will Amazon Project Tempo be released?
Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but we’re expecting Project Tempo at some point in the next 12 months.
Considering the PS5 and Xbox Series X have both been confirmed for ‘Holiday 2020’, it would make sense for Amazon to release its service around the same time. However, this could be pushed back to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which is severely limiting in-person collaboration.
How much will Project Tempo cost?
This will depend on the lineup of games at launch, but we’d expect it to compete with the Google Stadia on price. That starts costs £8.99/US$9.99 a month, in addition to hardware costs of £59 for both the controller and Chromecast Ultra.
Amazon may even undercut Google on price, as it tries to tempt users to make the switch, although this is pure speculation at this stage.
What will I need to play Project Tempo?
Assuming Amazon follows the same strategy as Google, Project Tempo will work with the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, currently available for £49.99/US$49.99.
It’s likely to only be supported on the higher end streaming stick, although you won’t need a 4K TV to start playing. This means hardware needed to run the games is already in the households of millions of people, even if a proprietary controller will also be required.
Which games will be available on Project Tempo?
We know Amazon Game Studios are working on science-fiction shooter Crucible and MMORPG New World, so these will presumably be launch titles for Project Tempo.
However, it’s unclear which other developers will make their games available on Amazon’s service. Without a dedicated gaming arm, Google relies on third parties to populate its Stadia library. While Amazon doesn’t have that same issue, it remains to be seen whether developers will be happy to take a back seat to the Amazon Game Studios titles on the platform.
There will also be Twitch integration, allowing viewers to engage in interactive live streams of their favourite games. Amazon has owned the gaming-focused service since 2014, so it will be unique to Project Tempo.
