Comparison

Luna Controller vs Ember

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Luna Controller

This app allows you to set up and manage your game controllers for a cloud gaming service. It also enables you to use your phone as a virtual controller to play games, with options for guest play and managing connections.

Highlights
  • Register Luna Controllers
  • Set up Wi-Fi and Cloud Direct
  • Use phone as virtual controller
  • Add guests to gaming sessions
  • Manage Bluetooth connection
  • Update controller software
  • Check battery status
Features
Read full description

The Luna Controller app allows you to set up and manage your Luna Controllers and play Luna games using your phone via the Phone Controller. With the Luna Controller app you can: - Register Luna Controllers to your Amazon account - Set up your Luna Controller to connect to wifi and enable Cloud Direct - Play games on Luna using touch inputs on your mobile device using the Phone Controller - Add friends to your local Luna gaming session using Guest Mode - Manage the Cloud Direct wifi connection - Manage your Luna Controller Bluetooth connection - Update the software on your Luna Controllers - Check battery status - Switch between Cloud Direct and Bluetooth - Get help for common troubleshooting problems To set up the Luna Controller: 1. Download and install the Luna Controller app on your mobile device. 2. Power up your Luna Controller with 2 AA batteries. Press and hold the Luna button for 3 seconds, and an orange light will start spinning 3. Open the Luna Controller app and follow the on-screen instructions To set up a Luna Phone Controller: No controller? No problem. You can use your phone to play Luna games. 1. Go to the appstore on your mobile device and install the Luna Controller app. 2. Sign into your Amazon account. 3. Select Play With Phone Controller. The next time you're ready to play, just follow these steps: 1. Open the Luna app on a compatible device, such as a compatible Fire TV, PC or Mac 2. Open the Luna Controller app on your mobile device. 3. Select Launch under your virtual controller and wait for your controller to connect to Luna. 4. Use the virtual controller to select the game you want to play and launch it. Guests can also download the Luna Controller app and join in on the gameplay. By using this app, you agree to Amazon’s Conditions of Use (www.amazon.com/conditionsofuse) and Privacy Notice (www.amazon.com/privacy).

About

Ember

Features
Read full description

Ember is a logic puzzle with three rules and no noise, played beside a campfire under a desert night sky. Place one flame in every row, every column and every coloured region. No two flames may touch — not even diagonally. That is the whole game. It is the puzzle known as Queens, or Star Battle: the same rules, two thousand levels deep. EVERY BOARD IS FAIR Each puzzle is checked twice before it reaches you: once to prove it has exactly one answer, and again to prove that answer can be reached by reasoning alone. You will never need to guess. Not once. TWO THOUSAND LEVELS, 6x6 TO 12x12 One ordered campaign, identical for every player, so level 400 means the same board to everyone. Board sizes mix from the very first levels and climb to sprawling 12x12 boards late on — but even the last stretch deals a small board often enough to change the rhythm. THE LAST STRETCH BITES Late levels deal Master boards, where two or three regions have to be weighed together before a single square can be crossed off. Still no guessing, ever — the proof just takes more steps. A TAP IS NOT A CHOICE Tapping a square crosses it out — a note to yourself, costing nothing. Placing a flame is a decision, so it takes a deliberate double tap. Nothing is ever crossed out for you. THREE LIVES A flame placed where one cannot go turns red, costs a life, and settles into a red cross — so a mistake still leaves you something true about the board. HINTS THAT TEACH A hint never simply hands you a square. The board dims to leave only the squares the rule is about, and states that rule in plain words. Tap Apply and the crosses go down one at a time, so you can follow the reasoning as it happens. SOUND WORTH LEAVING ON A quiet theme over falling rain, generated as it plays. It stays well back, respects the silent switch, and steps aside entirely if you are already listening to something else. YOUR PROGRESS FOLLOWS YOU Levels, stars and flawless wins save to your own iCloud, so a new phone picks up exactly where you left off. Nothing is sent anywhere else. WHAT EMBER DOES NOT DO No adverts, anywhere, ever. No subscription. No account to create. No analytics, no tracking, nothing about you collected or sold. It is a small download that plays entirely offline, with no server behind it. LEADERBOARDS, IF YOU WANT THEM Three boards — total stars, flawless wins, and how far through the campaign you have come — run on Apple's own Game Center. Decline the sign-in and nothing is ever sent; the whole game plays exactly the same either way. Every puzzle, every hint and every colour scheme is free. There is nothing to buy, nothing to unlock and nothing held back. Ember asks for no money and no attention. Designed for iPhone and iPad. Full VoiceOver support, a colour-blind mode that separates the regions by lightness rather than hue, light and dark.

Screenshots

Luna Controller4 screens
Ember4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ember at weekly against Luna Controller's monthly. Luna Controller's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Luna Controller ships an update monthly, Ember weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Luna Controller versus Ember: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLuna ControllerEmber
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7.7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews28.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.7K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAMZN Mobile LLCJOEL BINES

Bugs and requests

Luna Controller

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Virtual controller not working
  • Controller disconnects frequently
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add support for Backbone controller
  • Allow using phone as controller for TV
  • Improve controller compatibility

Ember

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Luna Controller

No in-app purchases

None

Ember

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Luna Controller free?
Luna Controller is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Luna Controller or Ember have ads?
Neither Luna Controller nor Ember shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Luna Controller or Ember?
Luna Controller ships an update monthly, and Ember weekly. Most recently, Luna Controller was updated on November 1, 2026 and Ember on October 9, 2026.

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