[Scarlett.]

EA has announced that those little sims are packing their bags, and will be moving onto a console near you in the Autumn.

Although hopefully they won’t set your console on fire, as they seem to regularly do with the pixel houses they inhabit (at least when we watch our other half playing the game, anyway).

The Sims 3 will grace the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii consoles, along with the Nintendo DS handheld. Previously, it has been a PC exclusive, and indeed was the best-selling PC game in 2009.

The game will comprise of the same core life management experience, with characters to look after and fulfil – or to frustrate, if you prefer taunting little pixellated people.

Although some new features will be introduced on the consoles, apparently to make it easier to mess with the lives of your subjects. (Read: Console players are impatient so let’s give them more instant gratification).

“We’re bringing players the best console and handheld game for The Sims franchise to date and are excited to offer a unique experience for all types of gamers on their platform of choice,” commented Sam Player, Executive Producer at EA.

“Building on the unique traits system, living open neighbourhood, lifetime wishes, and endless customization options, we’ve tailored each platform of The Sims 3 with exclusive features to allow for even more control, creativity, and connectivity.”

So called “karma powers” will let you grant your sim an injection of luck, or perhaps instant beauty. However, as they’re karmic, these effects may return later in the game to bite back (the super-botox will wear off, and overnight the sim’s face will slacken to resemble an elephant’s unmentionables).

On the PS3 and Xbox, EA is touting the fact that The Sims 3 will have a slick, integrated exchange system, so players can easily share creations and content (and achievements on Facebook).

More impressively, the Wii version gets a new beach town, a collection of adventure quests, and a “Life Moments” mini-game which can be played head-to-head with a friend.

Nintendo DS owners will be able to get really creative, using the stylus to draw walls and floors, and generally design their sim’s house, or sculpt their character’s facial features.

The X360 and PS3 extras certainly seem a bit lame in comparison to what Nintendo owners are getting here.

It sounds like it will be similar to the PC version and not just a crap spin off thing this time