Amazon To Expand Into Video Game Streaming

Online giant Amazon is reportedly developing a video game streaming service that wouldn’t involve a peripheral and would solely exist on the internet, according to reports.

The video game industry has been steadily changing from a physical disc business into a download-type service, with the proliferation of faster online download speeds. As the shift continues, players might not need pricey consoles to power games, and the digital burden would be on data centers. This would let gamers use simpler devices.

The new service, which won’t be available until next year at the soonest, would put Amazon in league with Microsoft, Google and Nintendo, who all offer streaming services or are working on them.

Last year, Amazon launched a service based in the cloud that allows developers the use of competitions, invites, giveaways and leaderboards.

Amazon’s start of the year has been prosperous, and it recently became the largest company in the world. On Monday (Jan. 7), the eCommerce giant passed Microsoft as the largest company by market value, according to reports. Amazon was worth about $8 billion more than Microsoft on Monday, at $799 billion to Microsoft’s $791 billion. With that news, Amazon stocks rose about 3.5 percent on Monday, which equals about $1,632 a share.

Amazon also announced that it wanted to open 3,200 cashierless stores by the year 2021. The company could also be looking to expand into airports. A person familiar with the plans told Reuters that the retail giant is in the beginning stages of exploring the idea. “Think about how you can expose your brand,” the source told Reuters. “You’ll be able to build broad awareness just being in a dozen of the best airports.”