• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, November 13, 2013

Amazon on Wednesday introduced a new service called Amazon AppStream that it says will allow developers to stream their applications and games in high-definition from the cloud to a broad range of devices.

Announced at the company’s re:Invent developer conference, AppStream relies on the computing and storage resources of Amazon Web Services to help publishers and developers to build high-end apps for laptops, smartphones and tablets previously associated only with powerful PC or game consoles.

That means being able to create 3D games or HD apps for devices without a diminished user experience because of typical hardware or storage constraints in mobile. “Amazon AppStream frees developers from these limitations by allowing them to stream their applications to low-end devices as if these consumers were using high-end devices,” stated Mike Frazzini, GM of Amazon Games.

Since AppStream apps run in the cloud rather than on client devices, Amazon says updates happen more quickly, and many no longer require customer downloads.

Developers can also design their apps once and make changes to apps on the fly across devices, saving the cost of rewriting for different platforms, according to Amazon.

AppStream delivers a video stream up to 720p and 30 frames per second and can stream applications on Windows, iOS, FireOS and Android operating systems.

In regard to pricing, Amazon said that when the service is made commercially available, developers will be charged for each hour customers stream their app. But to help encourage adoption, Amazon is making the first 20 hours of any month free for 12 months.

To date, more than 20 developers have been testing AppStream in a private beta including Atomic Friction, CCP, Digital Extremes, Embodee, Outerra and Relic. The service will be available in a limited preview in the U.S. East region before being rolled out more widely in the coming months through Amazon’s EC2 cloud computing technology.