Amazon Games’ vice-president, Christoph Hartmann, has said increasingly expensive gaming hardware could encourage more people to use cloud gaming services such as Amazon Luna. He argued that if new consoles and Valve’s Steam Machine cost well above $1,000, playing games through a subscription without buying powerful hardware may become more appealing.

Hartmann’s comments reflect Amazon’s effort to position Luna as a benefit of Prime membership and a lower-cost route into games. Cloud gaming still depends on a reliable internet connection and may not suit every player, but Amazon hopes higher prices for traditional consoles and PCs will strengthen its case.