Boy, the future is getting crowded.

Just as we're adjusting to the futuristic game streaming of OnLive and different, but still pretty astounding Gaikai, we have to welcome the new kid. PC game streamer Happy Cloud will officially launch on the 18th of this month.

Where services like OnLive stream video of your gameplay from a remote server, Happy Cloud is actually bringing the full game to your computer. You download just the files you need to get started and then, as you play, you download the rest of the required files in the background until you have the entire game on your hard drive. Notable advantage: Offline play!

If Happy Cloud has a hurdle (and it's a big one) it's the severely limited selection. There are currently fewer than 10 titles on offer, though others like Cities in Motion and Europa Universalis will arrive soon. The company told us more games are on the way, but, for the moment, Happy Cloud's game selection seems like it's desperately in need of a silver lining.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/08/ga...ng-this-month/