Pros & Cons
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- Excellent build quality
- Separate Wi-Fi connection for Amazon Luna
- Headphone jack
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- Use as a Bluetooth controller requires installing a separate driver
The Amazon Luna cloud gaming service impresses with its performance and affordability. Credit at least part of the performance to the Amazon Luna Controller, a $49.99 gamepad designed specifically for use with Amazon Luna. The controller's a well-built and comfortable Bluetooth gamepad, but its real advantage is its separate Wi-Fi connection that significantly reduces input lag when playing Luna games. The Amazon Luna Controller is technically an optional accessory for the service, but we consider it a must-have device if you want to play games through Amazon's cloud. Factor in its impressive, general gaming chops, and the Amazon Luna Controller rides high an Editors' Choice award-winning gamepad.
[Editors' Note: Amazon released a driver that improves the Luna Controller when used as a Bluetooth gamepad, which prompted us to reevaluate the our original review and scoring. Given its dual functionality as a cloud gaming and conventional Windows 10 controller, the Amazon Luna Controller now earns our Editors' Choice designation.]
Great-Feeling Gamepad
The Luna Controller is excellent, looking and feeling a lot like the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. It’s a very solid, black gamepad with dual analog sticks offset in the Xbox style, and A/B/X/Y face buttons arranged in an Xbox layout. The sticks, face buttons, and triggers all feel tight and well-made, though the plus-shaped directional pad is a bit spongy rather than clicky. It’s very similar in build quality to the Xbox Wireless Controller.
Menu buttons sit around a big Luna button that lights up when the gamepad is in use. A pinhole microphone sits above the Luna button, while a microphone button sits below it (so you can use Amazon Alexa with the controller). A headphone jack sits on the bottom edge of the gamepad, again like an Xbox Wireless Controller.
The gamepad accepts two AA batteries, and features a USB-C port for wired connections and charging the batteries (if they’re rechargeable).
The Wi-Fi Connection
The Luna Controller connects to Amazon directly through its own Wi-Fi connection, which Amazon says reduces latency by 17 to 30 milliseconds. Setting up the controller requires the free Luna Controller app, which walks you through connecting it to your 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 the DualShock 4 or Xbox Wireless Controller, paired with your desired device to play Amazon Luna games without the reduced latency.
Recommended by Our Editors
Once it’s set up and logged in, you can use the controller to play games over Amazon Luna through any compatible device. Since the gamepad connects separately to the internet, you can instantly play on anything from a web browser to an Amazon Fire TV without juggling controller connections; Luna detects that your gamepad is connected to the internet and immediately sets it to control whatever device is streaming a Luna game.
Gaming Performance
I used the Luna Controller extensively to test Amazon Luna, and I was impressed by how well it played. While playing Sonic Mania, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, and Control, my inputs were quick and responsive, and the sticks, direction pad, and button all felt good under the thumb. The separate Wi-Fi connection helped ensure very low latency for playing all three games through Amazon's servers. Due to the dedicated connection, the Luna Controller automatically worked with Luna on PC and tablet, without needing to juggle device pairing.
For comparison, I played Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair on Amazon Luna with an Xbox Wireless Gamepad. It still felt responsive, but the extra input lag was definitely there, making controls feel just a tiny bit more slippery.
Out of the box, the Luna Controller isn't quite as good as a Bluetooth gamepad. While I could pair it with my PC just fine, it registered as a generic DirectInput Bluetooth gamepad when the vast majority of PC games expect an XInput controller (like the Xbox Wireless Controller) to function. Fortunately, Amazon has released a separate driver for the Luna Controller that makes it register as an XInput device over Bluetooth. I installed the driver, and the gamepad worked great with my PC games.
Great for Luna and General Gaming
If you want to use Amazon Luna, consider the Luna Controller an essential purchase. It has an excellent build, and gives Amazon's cloud gaming service responsive controls. For $49.99, that's pretty darned good, and the controller works well as a traditional Bluetooth gamepad.
If you simply want a dedicated Bluetooth gamepad for PC gaming, the $49.99, Editors' Choice award-wining SN30 Pro+ is a favorite (and it works with the Nintendo Switch), as is the new, $59.99 Xbox Wireless Controller.