EA: Spore is PC only ... for now
by Ross Miller 
{ Sep 9th 2006 at 6:55PM }
Despite Will Wright's dreams to put Spore on every medium known to man, Electronic Arts has released a statement to taper off expectations that the Sim Everything is fast approaching a release onto any next-gen consoles. "Though we're investigating the possibilities of bringing the franchise to other platforms in the future," the statement reads, "any announcements or confirmations for the Wii or any other platform would be premature."The Wii reference may be a direct result of UK magazine NGamer's recent article that suggests Spore is coming to Nintendo Wii in Spring 2007. As it stands, Wright's team is "100% focused on finishing Spore on the PC and PC only." That said, you'd have to be pretty foolish to believe Spore will remain exclusive to any format. Like The Sims before it, Wright's latest project will likely invade every screen -- television, computer, mobile phone, etc. -- on Earth.
[via Evil Avatar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cowlix @ Sep 9th 2006 7:04PM
Wow..that's one huge link...
devian @ Sep 9th 2006 7:16PM
Damn it's good to be a PC Gamer.
nick @ Sep 9th 2006 7:16PM
They probably don't want to kill PC sales by announcing it'll be on consoles. The Sims was always a PC game first, and then later ported to consoles.
Sonic @ Sep 9th 2006 8:44PM
Thats perfectly fine. It should be a PC only game to begin with.
icelandman @ Sep 9th 2006 7:35PM
thankfully, I correspond now from my brand spanking new PC, so I look forward to playing spore with a mouse and keyboard. From trying the sims on consoles, the games lost a lot of fidelity and community in the transfer, so im glad to see that PC is the first and most important step.
Crazylink @ Sep 9th 2006 7:41PM
"Like The Sims before it, Wright's latest project will likely invade every screen -- television, computer, mobile phone, etc. -- on Earth."
Even the N-Gage.
rockintom99 @ Sep 10th 2006 5:09PM
When the crap is this even going to be out, anyway?
Nathan M @ Sep 9th 2006 8:12PM
That kind of sucks, but then again I'm a devout PC gamer, so it's no huge loss. :P
I wonder what the system reqs. are going to be though. I'm thinking Oblivion-esque requirements, though I hope I'm wrong.
Dylan @ Sep 9th 2006 8:23PM
Just how many times does this need to be reiterated?
TeddyN @ Sep 9th 2006 8:33PM
No surprise there... to be honest, the PC is the only platform that provides the necessary amount of control over games to make Spore enjoyable (at least in my PC fanboyish opinion).
DaMadFiddler @ Sep 9th 2006 10:35PM
PC as in Wintel PC, or PC as in computers? The reason I ask is that this seems like the kind of game that might actually make its way onto OSX.
Regardless, I'll hold out a bit to at least see if there'll be a Wii version. Honestly, that seems like the input device best-suited for this particular game.
raycosm @ Sep 9th 2006 9:11PM
Hey! That's the laptop I'm using right now!
Intangible 360 @ Sep 9th 2006 9:54PM
@Sonic
Why is that? When you make ridiculous statements like that it's customary to atleast make an attempt at backing it up.
T-Bag @ Sep 9th 2006 9:38PM
- Devian,
Oh yeah it's amazing being a moron who spends so much money for gaming. Well considering the fact that you're going to have to upgrade your vid cards (duel 1 gig cards for modern day pc gaming, or even quattro) that'll come to around 1-2grand+. Then the sound card, $400-$500. Then the Physx card, $400. Then the mouse, keyboard and headset which each go around for $200 if you wanna be pro. Then ram, hard drive upgrades, and all the updates...
$3500, and to think this is all just for an upgrade to run the latest pc games at full. With that much effort and funding you might as well build a robot to do your daily chores, and possibly even go to work for you.
David @ Sep 9th 2006 9:56PM
T-Bag, you are great exagerating those prices. no one spends 1-2 grand on video cards or $400 on a sound card. and no one buys the physx card either though it's half the price you claim it is
you can build a nice gaming pc with a nice high res monitor for $1500 and do so much more than a console as well, not to mention your not stuck with the same technology for 5 years since you can upgrade pc's unlike consoles
*is a pc and console gamer*
Sub @ Sep 9th 2006 10:09PM
T-Bag, are you trying to piss everyone off or what?
No one spends 3500 dollars on a gaming computer. It's a great misconception that you need to spend 500 dollars every 3 months to be able to play the latest games.
Honestly, 500 dollars on a sound card, 200 on a mouse, keyboard and headset (200 dollars each? lmao) and a 400 dollar Physx card that's not even out yet? Are you kidding me?
T-Bag @ Sep 9th 2006 10:10PM
- David,
Yes, 1-2 grand is exaggerating for having 4 of the best video cards in the world put together with SLI technology. [/sarcasm] Wake up buddy, you're not going to be able to play Crysis or any game after it with your $1500 comp at the highest settings. No way, no how. Oh and by the way consoles are just $400-$500 if you hadn't noticed yet. So spending 3x the price just for a comp that'll last you about 6 months is straight up retarded.
Psaakyrn @ Sep 9th 2006 10:50PM
to #17 DaMadFiddler
Doesn't matter anymore since Macs are now Intel based (and thus Wintel compatable).
And Crysis (sp?) is a one-off exception to the whole PC gaming scene anyway. The majority of developers do not develop for consumer PC specs that don't exist yet. (Not all PC games are FPSs, right?)
Lorben @ Sep 9th 2006 11:01PM
A $1,500 PC will run any game on the market at full settings with no problem. Probably not Crysis at full settings, but Crysis isn't on the market yet and recommends Windows Vista, which also isn't on the market yet. Technically speaking, you can't build a computer meant for running Crysis perfectly until 2007.
Dylan @ Sep 9th 2006 11:03PM
Yes, Maxis is usually pretty good about Mac versions of their games, an OSX version will probably be the first port to be out. Not all of us want to buy another expensive operating system just for playing games, and a whole lot of us bought our Macs before the Intel switch anyway.
LaughingTarget @ Sep 10th 2006 9:42AM
Don't forget a few other cost related factors:
1. The $1,500 is only an initial outlay, it would only take $300 every 3-5 years to keep the PC in gaming shape.
2. PC games are considerably cheaper than console games. PC games average $40 new and drop in price faster and to lower levels than console games, which are starting to reach $60 averages.
I'm sure with all the software factored in, console gamers actually spend more on gaming than PC gamers do. It is only the inital $1,500 that scares people off.
asspants @ Sep 10th 2006 8:06PM
@ T-Bag
"Wake up buddy, you're not going to be able to play Crysis or any game after it with your $1500 comp at the highest settings."
You won't be able to play crysis on your ps3 or xb360 with FULL settings either, if/when they port it, i can say with absolute certainty that it will not look anything like the PC version with full settings.
So what exactly is your point?
lol @ 12 @ Sep 10th 2006 12:20AM
Who spends $400 on the sound card, most mobos? Even the $60 cheap ass ones already have a great sound card built in. I built a PC a year in a half ago for a little less then a grand, will run spore and many games to come on highest setting.
T-Bag @ Sep 10th 2006 12:16AM
- asspants,
Ew, a fanboy. Rainbow Six Vegas on the 360 already looks a lot better than Crysis, so don't get your panties into a bundle. Anyways my point was that pc gaming is too demanding on the funding side of things for just being a gamer.
Sonic @ Sep 10th 2006 12:34AM
at Intangible 360
How is that even close to being a ridiculous statement. It was just a comment on how the PC version looks and plays just fine from what Ive seen, why bother with any consoles for it. Its perfect the way it is. Wait a minute, who are you and why should I care.
lovevortex @ Sep 10th 2006 1:18AM
the computer that I built a long time ago, that still has an FX5800, can run games like TES4, the only thing I updated so far war RAM.
rodan32 @ Sep 10th 2006 1:19AM
#T-Bag - Stop being a poo-nanner.
Yeah, those Rainbow 6 renders were wicked awesome. I'd like to see some gameplay on a system on an actual TV before passing judgment. How many people have a PC in their homes? (answer: everyone, even you, unless you're trolling Joustiq from the library or something). And what's the res of the average computer monitor these days? (answer - 1280x1024, so just a shade lower than 1080p, and quite a bit higher than 720p). And how much is the best video card in the world? (answer - about $550 will bag you a Geforce 7950 GX2, which is two 7900s on one card).
So take what pretty much everyone already has in their houses, add a wicked sweet video card (for less than a PS3), and voila, that's a decent gaming rig. So your price argument is dumb.
We could also get into other reasons why the PC is an awesome gaming platform, such as cost of games, mods and add-ons, a mature online community, and so forth. This isn't a dig on consoles, but hey, the PC rocks for gaming, and continues to be the main platform for major innovations like Spore, or physics processing, or 3D graphics, or AI, or online play, and so forth. The PC did all those things first and it continues to sort of pave the way.
Hey, I love my consoles. But I love my PC too.
Ace T'Ken @ Sep 10th 2006 3:16AM
Wow. T-Bag, you must really hate PCs. Listen Mrs. Clinton, I'm one of the fools that spends thousands a year on PC parts and games. My rid would blow the doors off of 2 360s running (Magically) in tandem. Can your 360 go any higher than 1080p at the best of times? Mine does. Can it it do higher than 2xAA? (Not counting buggy original XBox titles) Mine does. Can it do HIGH RES textures? Mine does. (Compare Prey and Oblivion on both. A 360 runs them at Medium PC detail and has framerate troubles up the wazoo at 1080p in Oblivion. Go cry.)
Now stop being a troll or I'll show you a screenshot of 16xFSAA and your head will explode from the beauty.
Oh, and guess how much money I've made in large LAN tournaments? Enough that I can afford to upgrade my rig damn near continually.
TehDestroyer @ Sep 10th 2006 2:01AM
I think I speak for every console gamer with a sub par PC when I say: fucking hell.
Serious Kriss @ Sep 10th 2006 2:36AM
#22 : "Rainbow Six Vegas on the 360 already looks a lot better than Crysis"
No, it doesn't. If you're going to utter such nonsense, at least refrain from calling other people "fanboys".
JJ @ Sep 10th 2006 4:37AM
I too think its funny people rag on PC gaming... yet are on PCs to post on here.
That my friends... is IRONY!
Besides Tbag you dont need to replace EVERY thing in your computer every few months. I mean sure if you want your Rig to be the best of the best at all times, eyah it'll cost money, but so will ANY technology OUT there.
For instance for your next gen consoles, i'm sure there's a new TV that comes out every few months that sets a new standard... be willing to shell out 2000-4000 EVERY year to have the best of the best TV and cables, etc etc.
Most PC gamers only do small minor upgrades to their systems every so often, youd ont even NEED a quad SLI set up unless you just like and love to spend money. I worked witht he same computer for gaming for 3 years before i upgraded and i didn't even need to, i upgraded because i WANTED to. and that computer i upgraded from STILL works fine with most PC games, sure its only medium settings or a bit above for most of the current PC games, but then that system was built in 2001.
and upgrading the sound card, keyboard etc? You dont even NEED to do that. I've ahd the same 5.1 surround sound sound cards for the last 5 years (but i am looking at a7.1 card right now), same with my keyboard and mouse, id ont see a neeed to upgrade them now as they've served me well for years.
and as much of an avid gamer i am, i spend WAY more time on my PC due to school work, writing, net surfing etc.
SO while PCs CAN be more expensive, they're are WAY more functional than any console currently.
JJ @ Sep 10th 2006 4:37AM
Also Tbag, being a gamer isn't a cheap hobby no matter what platform you go with. You're still going to have to spends hundreds of dollars to get your moneys worth out of most systems. or t be able to use the systems to their fullest extent anyway.
If you're gonna go hte cheap route, you'll need to stay 1 or 2 gen behind the current if money is an issue.
T-Bag @ Sep 10th 2006 4:37AM
- Ace T'Ken,
You sound pretty serious. Almost as if you're running a few businesses?
Telling me you had to win money to àALMOST
T-Bag @ Sep 10th 2006 4:38AM
- Ace T'Ken,
You sound pretty serious. Almost as if you're running a few businesses?
Telling me you had to win money to ALMOST continually upgrade your "rid" simply adds to my point rather than take away from it. I'm not against computers, why would I be against the very thing that I basically use 2 quarters of the day? I'm just pointing out the fact that you’re stupid. See I made you think I was going to waste my time but I switched stances ever so quickly. Anyhow, I got Rainbow Six Vegas screens and videos to back what I’m saying. All you have are Crysis screens (and fanboyish pride), which in all honesty, look like what PDZ looked like on the 360 almost a year ago.
Oh and you spent around $4000 on a PC for video games. You're going to need to spend $500 more a bit after 2007 for Vista hardcoreness (made up the word, sue me). Might as well go all out and get that ass shaker chair installment so you'll truly be INTO THE GAME. [rofl] [/rofl]
JJ @ Sep 10th 2006 5:27AM
Tbag you're really stretching, the reason hardware companies make stuff like Quad SLI is because they CAN.
Why does ferarri make cars even though most people cant afford them? because they can and there's a small subset of people who CAN afford them, does that mean everything else like TOyota and GM are irellevant because they dont have the performance numbers of a ferarri?
Besides i said i worked with the same computer for 3 years, i upgraded not too long ago running a geforce 7900 etc etc on my new rig ( i have 4 computers in my apartment by the way).
A lot of your arguments unfortunately TBag can be said about any field of technology where the consumer buys stuff. I know people who buy cell phones every 3 months, do they need to? No, but htey do because they like having the best of the best, same with the PC argument, the average person doesn't NEED to upgrade their computer all the time UNLESS they want to have the best of whats currently out... how is that hard to understand?
Besides what yous aid about my best of the best comment... just reinforced it and you call me an idiot?
I said you only need to upgrade your computer all the time if you want to be the best of the best in terms of performance and if you have money to burn and then you called me an idiot and said people do it for online competitiveness and while that may be true sometimes (although not always) you just reinforced my statement.
and by TV standard i dont me int erms of progressive scan lines i mean like in terms of a bigger set coming out, a set that capable of more colors, there's dozens of factors that go into a TV purchase and i'm sure those can change over time and just like there's people is aid who buy new computer parts all the time and people who have to get a new cell phone every other month, there's people that exist like that in any kind of consumer product. From clothes to technology. They always have to have the latest and the greatest.
I'll give you one more example, relating to cars since thats the field i'm in. i drive a new car every year. Do i need to? No I dont' i could keep the car i'm currently driving for several more years, but i wont, why? because i like having a new car every year, I like having hte latest and greatest and i can afford to do so. I'm sure its like that for a lot of PC gamers, but the fact of the matter is for a majority of people its NOT that way.
just like for a majority of people who own a PC, they see no NEED to upgrade all the time. You act as if you HAVE to upgrade every 3 months and thats not the case.
Also just because you use your computer mainly for gaming, doesn't mean youa lways need to be in competition with people. I use my gaming computer mainly for gaming and watching downloaded anime episodes of stuff, AND i like tos pend money on my computer... yet i dont upgrade it all the time because for the most part i see no need to, I play online yes, but its not like i play online professionaly to win money where i'd need to have the split second responsiveness to have fun. That seems to be your main argument, to be a PC gamer you have to WIN WIN WIN all the time and thats just not true... people play games to have fun too ya know.
I guess there's a reason you have -1 stars huh? You just like to troll dont ya even when ya dont make any sense.
JJ @ Sep 10th 2006 5:27AM
also Tbag gaming isn't what makes pcs cost so much, It can be if you choose it to be that way but i know plenty of people at my college that spend TONS on they're computers and they done game.
They use it for graphic designing, they use it for music producing, they spend thousands on software and stuff for their desktops laptops and such.
So its not always just gaming that can make computers expensive, its also the fact that its an open system and can be used for MORE than just gaming. There's a reason why there's more computers in households than video game systems. Its a jack of all trades machine that can be used for a myriad of purposes.
youa lso missed my point, I said i'm avid gamer, but i'm on my PC more because i use my multple pcs for MORE than just gaming, which makes them an all in one entertainment hub, more so than my consoles. Which i do play a lot as well.
JJ @ Sep 10th 2006 5:42AM
Dont worry Tbag i'll let ya off the hook. I wouldnt want to argue with me at 5:45 in the morning either.
I can rant for a LOOONG time if need be. =)
2 quarters of the day" @ Sep 10th 2006 6:04AM
"I'm not against computers, why would I be against the very thing that I basically use 2 quarters of the day?"
Defending and bashing hardware on the interweb really doesn't leave that much room for anything else, I'd imagine. So deliciously greazy.
darryl @ Sep 10th 2006 10:19AM
"Damn it's good to be a PC Gamer."
Especially when you find out that the latest game you bought runs like crap and you need to spend $600 in upgrades to get resonable performance. That's super!
Cronic @ Sep 10th 2006 11:17AM
ya lol its like if people had jobs or something gheyyyy.
Ben Hobbs @ Sep 10th 2006 1:13PM
Yay PC games with the upgrading of the drivers, BSOD's and the constant glitches arising from a modular system with billions of combinations of parts.
No PC for less than $1500 can run ANY PC game at full detail, I have a $1,000 PC with well specced parts that has extreme trouble with FEAR or other 18 month+ old games at even tame resolutions.
1920x1080 is 2 million pixels, whilst 1280x1024 is 1.3 million or so, thats almost twice as many pixels.
JJ @ Sep 10th 2006 1:41PM
Really ben hobbs my gaming PC is maybe mostly about 2 years old and the only thing really NEW on it is the new graphics card i bought for 300 bucks a few months ago and I can run FEAR at pretty much the full detail. Now when i got my new computer 2 years ago it cost around 1500, so now i'm assuming itd be half or even a quarter of that to build it spec for spec now and i seem to be running newer games no problem.
When did you get your $1000 dollar PC? if it was within the last year i'd be willing to be most of your parts are better than mine.
But then i only run my resolution between 1024/768 and around there so I guess at THOSE resolutions that would be a problem, but then i dont know many people that run their computers at those resolutions and those that do realize they need some muscle behind their computer to do so.
UCBlack @ Sep 11th 2006 5:49PM
$1100 for my pc, ready for SLI but only 1 7800 gtx in place. Smokes any game on the market at full detail....end of story.
I will also guarantee I can toast ANY console gamer in a FPS with my ratty old keyboard and mouse vs a controller.