Android is gaining native support for the Amazon Luna Controller

Kyle Bradshaw | May 20 2021 - 7:55 pm PT

Google is adding native support for the official controller for Amazon Luna — competitor to Stadia — to Android.

Since last year, Amazon Luna has been competing with Google Stadia, offering video games streaming from the cloud, albeit with a wildly different purchase and subscription model. Just like Stadia, the official Amazon Luna Controller lets you send your button presses over Wi-Fi to the cloud gaming server.

While Wi-Fi is the preferred way to use the Luna Controller, it can also function when plugged in via USB or connected over Bluetooth. To make the most of the controller’s special buttons, however, your operating system to know the specifics of the controller’s design. To that end, Android is gaining support for the Amazon Luna Controller, as noted in a new code change in the Android Open Source Project.

The main change for the Luna Controller’s layout when it’s used on Android is that the Alexa button is being mapped to a generic “record” button. Otherwise, the controller should mapped out exactly how you’d expect it to be.

Google has supported a number of popular controllers in Android over the years, but it’s still good to see them playing nice with Stadia’s direct competitor, making the Luna Controller better for use with Android apps and games of all varieties.