EA launches The Sims on Stage Beta [Update]

12:31 PM on 09.05.2007   |   Dale North

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[Update: I guess they were not ready for the Destructoid traffic storm. Nah, I don't know if that's really the reason, but the site has been up and down since the posting of this story this morning.] 

EA's incredibly simple and fun The Sims on Stage Beta has just launched, letting anyone with a broadband internet connection record karaoke, write poems and stories, create mashups, and so much more -- all totally free of charge. We've poked around inside to give you the full rundown.

We'll say this first: even if you're not a Sims fan, you should still give The Sims on Stage a try. Other than some background music, video clips, and slides, this is just a Sims-branded Web experience, and most of the content is user-created and has nothing to do with the Sims.

After a very quick sign-up process, users are given full access to several different ways to show their creativity. I was able to sign on, and within minutes was singing terrible karaoke and writing even more terrible poetry, most of which I deleted to protect the ears and eyes of the innocent. If you're one of those who is proud of your work and art, you can share performances and work and even have it rated by others. Good stuff floats to the top (like the stirring rendition of "That's What Friends Are For" shown above) and bad stuff sinks to the bottom. Apparently it's still early, because that system is obviously not working yet. 

The karaoke function seems to be the most fun, and users have an absolutely massive library of popular music to sing to. I found myself mocking N'SYNC and R Kelly right away. The Flash app strings words across your screen, much like a standard karaoke machine. All you need is a mic and some musical chops to turn your quiet corner cubicle into a karaoke bar. 

Hit the jump for more on The Sims on Stage. 

Fancy yourself a comedian? Recording your own comedy routine is even easier. All you need is a webcam and a good joke, although good comedy is a bit scarce on the site right now. Hopefully this will take off later. Clips are recorded and can be played back, YouTube style. They're even embeddable, so you can share your dirty jokes on your personal blog.

If you prefer not to share your voice or display your face, maybe poetry or stories would be a better fit for you. Users can type out words on slides to be displayed with the built-in tools.  Basic options like font choices, background colors, and even Sims-themed background music can be applied. Of course, those starved for camera time can also opt to use a webcam to share their creativity. 

Finally, there's mashups, which usually contain footage from The Sims with varied sources of music. It's still early, but this was easily the least entertaining part of the site for me. Maybe the clips would be easier to appreciate if I were more of a Sims person.

There are a few kinks to be worked out. After several tries with several sound devices, I found that some simply do not work (firewire devices especially) with The Sims on Stage's karaoke function. They recommend a USB mic, and those do seem to work best.  Also, sometimes the timing of the recorded audio seems to slip away from the background music, and this happened with four different devices over three different computers, though most of the time this was not an issue. The only other issue I found is that typed poetry and stories leave "blocks" where spaces and backspaces were made, though this is just nitpicky.

Overall, EA has made an accessible, easy-to-use time-waster with The Sims on Stage. There's no reason that this creativity showcase shouldn't flourish -- people love to show off, and this site lets them do that. 

Here's EA's press release:

Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced the beta launch of The Sims™ On Stage, an interactive online playground that allows anyone with a standard PC or Mac™ and broadband connection to unleash their inner creativity! By visiting www.thesimsonstage.ea.com, people can immediately and free-of-charge start recording karaoke songs, stories, comedy routines and more. The site offers incredibly fun and accessible tools that make it easy to watch, create and share recordings with just a few close friends, The Sims On Stage community, or the entire world online. Bringing together elements of performance, humour and community, The Sims On Stage is the perfect destination for people to express their creativity – and enjoy the talent and imagination of others!

"The Sims has long had one of the largest, friendliest and most creative communities in the world. With the release of The Sims On Stage, we welcome a new kind of customer to our way of having fun," said Studio Head of The Sims Label, Rod Humble. "The world of interactive entertainment is now broader than ever thanks to new web-based technologies, and we are thrilled to give you a new way of having fun with The Sims On Stage."

The Sims On Stage will also feature an easy-to-use Movie Mashup that will allow members to create original movies featuring The Sims content made available exclusively to members of The Sims On Stage community. Looking for your 15 minutes of fame? The Sims On Stage spotlight shines on thousands of well-known rock, pop and country songs available to karaoke fans at launch, making it easy to record and share your favorite ditty! And if singing is not your thing, take a shot at Open-Mic Recordings and share your favorite performances -- from spoken word and comedy routines, to knock-knock jokes and more!

Keep recordings private or make them public for the world to see! With one click of the mouse, The Sims On Stage members can easily upload their recordings onto blogs, social networking sites and more. Plug in your microphone, grab your webcam and record away!

Launching today in English, The Sims On Stage is an entertainment and performance destination based on the online karaoke community, SingShot Media that was acquired by Electronic Arts in February 2007. Please visit www.thesimsonstage.ea.com for more details, and to experience the fun firsthand!