Sims 3 confirmed for PS3, 360, Wii, DS

In February, Electronic Arts laid out its release slate for the coming year. At the end of the list of games scheduled as coming in the October-December quarter was "The Sims 3 on Console Title TBA (consoles, handhelds)." The schedule backed up reports that initially surfaced in 2006 that the Sims series was coming to consoles. It also made perfect business sense, as the Sims 3 has sold over 4.5 million units to date on the PC and Mac, making it the top PC game of 2009.

Today, EA officially announced that the Sims 3 will ship for the DS, Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 this fall. Published under the EA Play label, the game will sport many of the same customization and character creation options as the PC edition of the game, as well as some new features. These include karma powers, which players can use to give their in-game incarnations instant luck--be it good or bad.

The PS3 and 360 editions of the game will also feature an online exchange system where players can share content they've created with others. The two versions will feature online integration with Facebook as well, allowing them to broadcast their achievements and trophies on the social networking service.

On the Wii, the Sims 3 will be set in a beach town and will have some adventure elements, including quests. The game will have the requisite traits, careers, and life goals, and players will be able to challenge each other in a new "Life Moments" mode.

Finally, the DS version of the game will let players use the handheld's stylus as a design tool to customize physical objects, such as houses and furniture. The handheld can also be used to tailor sims' clothes and alter their physical features and hairstyles. It will sport a story mode as well, which puts players in charge of various members of a family as they go through life.