It seems like the days of going to the store to buy a physical game disc are slowly coming to an end. Cloud gaming is here and it is only getting bigger every day. Google (GOOGL  ) Stadia finally launched on November 19. Microsoft (MSFT  ) xCloud is said to release sometime in 2020. Microsoft began its beta program for the service in October.

The first difference between the two cloud services is how they are being presented to audiences. Google Stadia is said to be a new way to play games entirely. It is a separate entity for Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's (SNE  ) PlayStation and Nintendo's (NTDOY  ) consoles. Google does not require the use of a console or gaming PC. As long as you have access to Google Chrome, you can use Stadia on your TV, PC, phone or tablet. Microsoft, on the other hand, is more so an extension of its console, Xbox.

It is hard to compare the two since Stadia still hasn't implement everything it announced and xCloud is still in the beta phase and hasn't been fully released yet. This means that Stadia and xCloud will still definitely change certain aspects of their services. However, here are some ways the two compare in the state they are in currently. Google Stadia has 22 games with one exclusive while Microsoft xCloud has 66 games with four exclusives. xCloud streams at 720p resolution while Stadia does the same but can stream at 4k resolution when used with high-speed internet. Another big difference is the controllers you use for the services. Google Stadia allows players to use a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One controller. Google Stadia also has its own controller people can buy or you can simply use a mouse and keyboard to play games. Microsoft xCloud uses Bluetooth connection to pair an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 controller.

Now here is how the gaming cloud services differ when it comes to pricing. Google Stadia first release with sometimes called the Founder's Edition. The Founder's Edition allows players to play all the games on Stadia for free for three months. The Founder's Edition costs $129, but the program has now been sold out. Once Stadia opens up to more people, players will be able to buy Stadia Pro which is a subscription that costs $10 per month with 2 free games per month. Google also announced that a free Stadia basic package will come out in the future. Microsoft xCloud, since in its preview phase, is free, simply sign up and get invited as Microsoft continues to roll out invitations. However, xCloud mostly like will not stay free forever once it launches officially.

There are still several new and innovative features that are said to be coming to the platforms. Once the two services become more mainstream, they will both offer more and be more unique. Which gaming service you should use, more so depends on the player you are. Ultimately, the place to play depends on the individual.