Yes, Amazon Luna will dodge Apple’s cloud gaming rules – when will Nvidia and Google?

You may be wondering: “Did Amazon violate Apple’s App Store guidelines by bringing cloud gaming service to the iPhone?” And I can understand why I told you last week Apple does not allow anything close to the current look and feel of Google Stadia Luna just announced by Amazon Like the stadia. Do the same rules apply?

The truth is that Amazon has a simple way to fully learn the rules of Apple’s App Store – and I wonder how long it will take for Google, Nvidia, Microsoft and others to follow suit.

Minor version: Amazon Luna on iOS is not a traditional app. It never appears in the App Store and is not required. As Engadget Reports, Is a progressive web application (PWA), the fancy name of a website that can be launched and run separately from the rest of your website’s web browser. Engadget It also appears as an icon on your home screen, it appears as a normal app before you tap on it.

Being a web app is an exception to Apple’s App Store regulations, which Apple is well aware of – because two weeks ago, Apple actually mentioned the idea in its updated terms. I made the important part bold:

4.9 Streaming games

Streaming games are allowed as long as they comply with all guidelines – for example, each game update must be submitted for review, developers must provide the appropriate metadata for the search, and use an in-app purchase to unlock games features or functionality. Of course, there are always open internet and web browser apps to reach all users outside the App Store.

Will Amazon use the alternative? Not so surprising. The surprising thing is that Google, Nvidia, Microsoft and others have been waiting a long time.

We have known for over a decade that you can play a top-shelf game in a web browser. If I exaggerate, it’s only been three months: in December 2010, I wrote about streaming Mass Effect 2 In a web browser on the original Atom-powered netbook, using the following service Now morph into Sony’s PlayStation‌.

Google knows it has been able to make eight web browsers in the last ten years Locally Also broadcast those games: before he graduates to run the entire company, Sunder Pichai demonstrated that precision On the Google platform. Stadia was launched with support for Chromebooks and the Chrome web browser – but also with the app on Android and the app that can’t play games on iOS.

Meanwhile, Nvidia’s GeForce Now Recently crashed into Chromebooks By creating a webRTC version of its app that opens the door to a web browser version on top of its apps for Mac, Windows and Android – such an extensive door It already works If you really try. Some Redditers Have Recently Reported If you are fooled into thinking you are using a supported web browser, Stadia also works on iOS:

There are questions about how well these services are running on the web, especially around controller support. And of course, Google, Nvidia and Microsoft can optimize performance and quality if they have a native app without relying on web standards – and, in the case of iOS, all iOS browsers should rely on Apple to rely on the WebKit browser engine. (This is also part of the App Store Terms; See 2.5.6.)

Amazon is ready to hang on to some of the success of its new Luna platform in iOS web browsers.

With Apple reluctant to budge and showing Amazon the way forward, it’s only time before others do the same. I’m not quite sure About Microsoft… I will explain why in a future story.