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MLB 14: The Show takes the mound April 1, PS4 version arrives in May
Just as everyone's favorite pitchers and catchers report this week ahead of the MLB's spring training sessions, Sony opted to reveal the launch dates for MLB 14: The Show today. The Sony-published baseball game will arrive on PS3 and Vita on April 1 with the PS4 version stepping up to the plate in May. Sony San Diego discussed some of the game's new features in a PlayStation Blog entry, such as cross-platform save compatibility and the guarantee that players will be able to transfer their careers from this year's game to future versions. MLB 14: The Show will also include community-created challenges, an online franchise mode with draft, free agency, trading and scouting support and some as-yet-unannounced improvements to the Road to the Show career mode. Additionally, Sony will implement a universal in-game currency for MLB 14: The Show called "Stubs." Stubs will be earned from general gameplay (similar to experience points) and can also be purchased using real-life dollars. Sony stressed that it is "not designing the system to pressure players into spending money. It will be the same system it's been in years prior, just all rolled together with a new name." Stubs can be used to purchase career mode boosts like training points for players' Road to the Show athletes and increased franchise budgets. [Image: Sony]
MLB.TV app coming to PS4, Xbox One this spring
Major League Baseball's streaming app, MLB.TV, will arrive this spring, coming to PS4 and Xbox One in addition to the myriad of other platforms it calls home plate. The professional baseball streaming service is now available for purchase at two price tiers: The standard MLB.TV subscription for $109.99 per year and the Premium subscription for $129.99 per year. Though no details on the next-gen console versions of the baseball app have been provided, MLB Advanced Media tells Joystiq the features found on the Xbox 360 (seen above) and PS3 versions are a "good indicator" of what's to come on Xbox One and PS4. The Xbox 360 version included a split-screen mode for baseball fans to watch two games at once. The Premium tier grants viewers the ability to watch on connected devices like the aforementioned game consoles, so those looking to stream through their PS4 or Xbox One consoles will need to pony up the extra $20. Premium subscriptions also include access to the mobile app, MLB At Bat 14, viewable on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and Windows Phone 8 devices. Subscriptions for the 2014 baseball season kicks in with spring training game broadcasts, which begin on February 26. [Image: MLBAM]
RBI Baseball returns this spring to consoles, mobile
After being absent for two decades, a formerly long-running sports series is returning this spring in RBI Baseball 14. Developed by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the MLB's in-house interactive entertainment division, the game will launch on all current and next-generation consoles in addition to smartphones and tablets. RBI Baseball 95, a Time Warner Interactive-developed game for the Sega 32X, was the last entry in the series, which began on the NES/Famicom. The timing of the announcement is appropriate, given that 2K Sports officially canceled its own baseball series just one week ago, putting an end to its exclusive third-party licensing agreement. The MLB currently has a landing page with a spiffy logo set up for the game, though no other details are available at the moment.
MLB 2K baseball series canceled
2K Sports has officially canceled its MLB 2K baseball game series. A 2K representative told Joystiq today that it has "decided not to renew our MLB 2K series for 2014. We are very proud of the achievements made by the MLB 2K team and look forward to their contributions to our future titles, including NBA 2K - our industry's #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise." The final game in the series was MLB 2K13, a game that was panned critically for its stark similarities to its predecessor, MLB 2K12. The confirmation of the series' closure comes after the publisher took steps to remove the brand from its various pages – an indicator that it no longer has the appropriate licensing obligations to fulfill. As pointed out by Pastapadre, 2K Sports recently took down its Facebook page for the series, videos from its YouTube page and forwarded each landing page for games in the series to its global 2K website. Of the few MLB-branded pages that remain are a few of the game's online manuals, though it's uncertain how long those will be available to view. Being that 2K Sports was the only company delivering a simulation baseball game for Microsoft's Xbox 360, thanks to an exclusive third-party licensing agreement it signed with the MLB, the Xbox One will be without a Major League Baseball game for the time being. The MLB: The Show series is developed by Sony's San Diego studio, which will launch MLB 14: The Show this spring on PS3, PS4 and Vita.
Sports fans with iPads score with in-stadium WiFi
A lot of sports fans are going to be, in the words of Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, "Happy, happy, happy" this fall. That's because a number of stadiums are installing WiFi networks that make toting the iPad to a football game a great way to access the second screen that fans enjoy at home. ZDNet's Jason O'Grady attended the Philadelphia Eagles home opener at Lincoln Financial Field last weekend and was delighted to find a free WiFi network that can fulfill the bandwidth requirements of 45,000 simultaneous users (the stadium holds 69,000 fans). A dozen NFL stadiums are currently outfitted with WiFi, although NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants all stadiums to be equipped so that fans can use their smartphones and tablets for fantasy football and social networking. According to a press release sent out by the Eagles last week, here's what fans can do with their iPads and the free Eagles iPad app: Fans will have the ability to stream the popular NFL Red Zone Channel live through the app, allowing them to watch action from around the league. Live camera view of the player tunnel prior to the game, which will give fans a unique glimpse of the players pumping each other up right before they run onto the field. Live stream of the video board, allowing the user to get a better view of the replays that are displayed on the big screen. A dynamic stats channel that provides fans with updates from the Eagles game, as well as information and statistics from around the NFL. Social media hub, which will make it easy to log on to various popular social platforms including Facebook, Twitter and others without having to leave the Eagles app. Many of the original features remain, including news, game previews, video clips, photo galleries, fantasy stats, rosters, depth charts, bios, stadium information and much more. Some Major League Baseball parks have also made free WiFi available for fans, including four of the five teams in the NL West -- San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Arizona. My favorite ballpark, Denver's Coors Field, doesn't provide WiFi -- between that and the Rockies' season record, it's been a lousy year for baseball.
Think before you switch carriers
With a new iPhone or two on the near horizon and plenty of people ready to buy one, there are probably a few million people who are also thinking about switching mobile carriers. Last year, when the iPhone 5 was the newest kid on the block, I decided that I was through with AT&T and I switched to Verizon. Let's just say that I'm now wishing that I had stuck it out with Big Blue instead of jumping to Big Red. Here's my tale of woe, and I hope that it keeps you from making a similar mistake in the next few weeks. My primary reason for switching last year was the incredibly slow and essentially unusable service that I received on AT&T's network when attending Colorado Rockies baseball games at Coors Field in downtown Denver. On certain occasions, it was apparent that AT&T was bringing in COWs (cells on wheels) to provide extra bandwidth for the crowds of 50,000 attending opening day or a special event. But for the most part, trying to use MLB At Bat in the ballpark was a futile effort as AT&T's network just didn't have the capacity. So, I complained. For about two full baseball seasons, one of the first things I'd do at a game was to pull out my iPhone and use AT&T's app to send a network complaint. This seemed to be a fruitless effort, as by the end of the 2012 season, I had seen no improvements in service. That's when I decided to bail on AT&T. I was out of the country when the iPhone 5 first hit, but when I got back, I checked the Early Termination Fee for saying "au revoir" to AT&T and balked at the US$120 or so I still owed on the contract. My initial iPhone 5 order was for the AT&T model... but then I went to my last baseball game of the season and got hit with incredibly slow service again. I canceled my order, and decided to take the hit and move over to Verizon. When I got my Verizon iPhone 5, the first thing I noticed was that the service at my home was as crappy as it had been with AT&T -- I just live in a shadowed area with lousy service, I guess. But I stuck with it, having heard from others that Verizon's service in the Denver area was awesome. Yeah, right. Apparently AT&T had acted on my complaints over the winter of 2012-2013, since when we went to the first Rockies game of the season, my wife -- who had stayed with AT&T -- was amazed with the speed of the service at the ballpark. I figured it was just another COW helping things out and that she'd be griping about the service at the next game. Nope, the service was speedy and reliable for the entire season. Apparently AT&T's nationwide investment in 4G LTE had finally reached downtown Denver and really made a difference. How was my VZW service at the ballpark? Horrible. Oh, on occasion when the Rox weren't pulling in a crowd and the ballpark was relatively uncrowded, I'd be able to get highlights from another game on MLB At Bat, but for the most part, the 4G service was incredibly slow. Regardless of where I seemed to be with the Verizon iPhone 5 over the past year, my wife almost always had better service on AT&T. The kicker was a trip around Colorado we took over the Labor Day weekend. I'd be looking at one bar and "1x" on my Verizon iPhone, while my spouse was happily pulling down maps and information with four to five bars of signal strength on 4G on AT&T. This happened all over the state, from the beautiful Mesa Verde National Park to the high-country town of Ouray. The moral of the story? If you're unhappy with the service and coverage you're getting from your current mobile carrier, think long and hard before switching, as you may be going from bad to worse. Of course, you might not have the same experience I did, and you might have much better Verizon coverage in your part of the world than AT&T does. I don't want to pay another Early Termination Fee to Verizon to switch back to AT&T; perhaps some kindly AT&T rep will read my story and offer to refund last year's ETF if I return to the fold. Please?
Five apps to help you follow the 2013 baseball season
Major League Baseball kicked off its 2013 season last Sunday and we are entering our first full weekend of games. If you are ready to fill your iPhone or iPad with apps to follow every home run, then check out our list of some the best baseball apps available for iOS. MLB.com apps [iPhone or iPad; varies] You can't talk about baseball apps without mentioning MLB.com's suite of outstanding apps. The list includes At Bat 2013, At The Ballpark, Beat The Streak and Full Count. At Bat's most compelling features (game audio and video) require a $19.99 in-app subscription for the season or $2.99 a month, but MLB.TV Premium participants get the app's full suite of options for no additional cost. Team Stream [iPhone; Free] Team Stream is a sports news aggregator that lets you set up personalized streams about your favorite teams. It supports notifications so you will be alerted with breaking news of trades, injuries and the like. Baseball Outs [iOS Universal; Free] Baseball Outs is a a mini-fantasy baseball game that makes watching a baseball game with friends even more enjoyable. You can create a game, draft players and compete against your friends. Fantasy Baseball apps [iPhone or iPad; $4.99 or less] The baseball season gets more involving if you're competing in your fantasy leagues against your friends. You can manage fantasy teams using the official ESPN Fantasy Baseball app or the official Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball app. If you use both leagues, then you might want to check out Fantasy Baseball '13 for ESPN/Y from Bignoggins Productions. Bignoggins also makes Fantasy Monster Pro, which supports ESPN baseball, Yahoo baseball and several different sports. MiLB [iPhone; Free] MiLB is for the minor league baseball fans in our audience. You'll get complete stats, schedules, standings and the latest news for every Triple-A and Double-A team. Like At Bat 2013 and the other titles above, the MiLB app is sold by MLB.com.
Breakfast NY's Mission Control Center merges MLB info with NASA-flair, uses 20 feet of switches and screens
The team at Breakfast NY never leaves us hungry when it merges the digital and physical worlds -- and this time it's created something that hits it out of the park for the start of this year's US baseball season. Here at the Major League Baseball Fan Cave in downtown NYC, the team has just unveiled its space program-inspired Mission Control Center. As creative director and co-founder Andrew Zolty explained, "The idea is try and pull in pretty much everything you can possibly imagine that's going on during the 2013 MLB season, and do it in a way that feels reminiscent of NASA's control room: Mission Control." The 20-foot-long installation houses 30 screens measuring roughly eight inches each. The displays are grouped into two sets of 15 (one side for American League teams and the other for the National League), separated in the middle by a large LCD and a consumer-grade webcam. Below the screens you'll notice a plethora of switches with LEDs, info lights and a trio of gauges. Both sides feature three rows of five screens, each pertaining to one of the 30 MLB teams and their stadiums. At the flick of a switch, the screens display real-time connected data like recent Foursquare check-ins, weather, Facebook Likes and Instagrams, along with team stats, facts and more for each stadium at once. %Gallery-183916% Those smaller screens, by the way, are actually physically modded Android-tablets -- unfortunately, Breakfast wasn't at liberty to tell us exactly which kind they are. Essentially, they are all running custom apps, with support from MLB.TV to pull real-time, live streams from each stadium in the league. In total, we're told that 13 APIs and seven software languages work in conjunction to make up the Mission Control Center. The setup will also allow players visiting the Cave to have live chats with roughly 10 fans at a time who participate from MLB's site (sort of like Google+) -- of course, the chats allow an essentially unlimited number of spectators. Curious for more of the nitty gritty? Join us past the break.
Passbook ticketing available in 13 MLB stadiums this season
Major League Baseball and Apple's quest to banish paper ticketing received a boost last night after the former revealed that 13 stadiums would offer the latter's Passbook integration this season. Seven teams, including the Oakland A's, Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins are signed up, with a further three to be announced separately. How long will it take before the duo hit it out of the park and get a grand slam of all 30 MLB teams? Hopefully long enough for us to learn some more baseball slang.
Apple's Passbook: Helping to make baseball tickets extinct
According to a post on MarketWatch today, Major League Baseball would love to stop selling paper tickets. It turns out that Apple's Passbook might very well help them to accomplish that goal during the next year. Traditional ticket sales have been dropping quite a bit anyway -- from 55 percent in 2011 to less than 33 percent so far this year -- as fans are picking up tickets from MLB and other outlets (most notably StubHub) in digital formats. But Passbook was apparently a huge hit in a test run during the final two weeks of the 2012 regular season. Bob Bowman, CEO of MLB Advance Media, told MarketWatch that during the test with four teams, 1,500 e-ticket buyers -- or about 12 percent -- chose delivery through Passbook. Said Bowman, "That adoption rate really floored us -- there is no question our fans want digital tickets. Fans can use the tickets, forward them to a friend, resell them or even donate them to charity -- and they never get lost or left at home." If you happen to attend an MLB Playoff or World Series game this fall, hold onto your physical ticket if you get one. It may very well be a collector's item in the near future.
MLB.tv Premium for Xbox 360 now live in 18 more countries, CinemaNow adds rentals in the US
Feels like it was only yesterday that the MLB.tv app was landing on Xbox consoles in North America, and starting today, the application will be available to more baseball lovers around the globe. As Major Nelson notes (again), the Major League Baseball service is now live in Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, South Africa, Spain and the UK, among a few other nations. Naturally, if you're hoping to catch any ball games via MLB's Premium goods, you'll have to shell out a subscription fee along with having a fancy Xbox Live Gold account. In other 360 news, CinemaNow has made the switch from being a locker-only application to now offering TV show and movie rentals to folks in the US. You can check out what other countries made the MLB.tv cut at the Major Nelson site, link is down below.
MLB Network launches Strike Zone all-highlights channel on four providers
For football fans the NFL Red Zone and ESPN Goal Line Channels have streamlined game day viewing by focusing on switching between scoring opportunities from simultaneously airing games and now Major League Baseball has its own version (there's already a web edition dubbed Full Count). The MLB Network Strike Zone went live Tuesday night on Bright House Networks, DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable, airing live look-ins on league games and highlights without any commercial breaks. Although there are baseball games throughout the week, Strike Zone will only broadcast on Tuesday and Friday nights during the regular season. We're not entirely convinced this will work as well as baseball or cause people to sign up for the sports tiers it seems to mostly be placed on the same way its football counterparts have, but it might be just the thing for baseball fans that can't stand following just one game at a time. Check the press release after the break for channel lineup details, and let us know if you've had a chance to check it out yet.
Pro baseball players and staff eager for new iPad
Major League Baseball spring training is well underway, and the 2012 season starts up in less than two weeks. We're anxious for the first pitch on opening day, but USA Today is reporting that MLB players and staff are excited about today's "season opener" for the new iPad. USA Today interviewed Ron Coughlin of the Cincinnati Reds. Coughlin, the manager of video scouting for the team, noted that just about every Reds player has an iPad that they can use to watch video and prepare for games. The Reds have installed high-definition video cameras at Great America Ballpark this year to capture game footage, and Coughlin thinks the new iPad will be the perfect companion device. "With the '3,' now you're going to be able to see the grip on the baseball, perhaps even the rotation of the baseball and be able to (better) break down mechanics. A decade ago (the latest) was VHS tapes, then the quality of video improved when everything went digital. Now, the next step is getting everything in high definition. The clearer the picture, the clearer you can see what the pitcher is trying to do." The Reds aren't the only team embracing the iPad and anxious for the newest device. USA Today talked with Philadelphia Phillies catcher Brian Schnieder, who noted that the Phils' video team loads imagery of pitchers in the upcoming series onto iPads before the team flies to its next road stop. Schnieder also uses FaceTime to talk with his three kids. Players and staff aren't allowed to use the devices in the dugout or bullpen, but it appears that for our favorite boys of summer, the new iPad will be a useful tool off the field for work and play. [via Gizmodo]
MLB at Bat 2012 app out for iDevices and Android, brings in-app monthly subscriptions to iOS
It's that time of year when the hot stove league gives way to spring training, and people start talking less about things like El Hombre's move to LA and more about batting averages and home runs. Thus, MLB has unleashed the MLB At Bat 2012 app to keep you up to date on your favorite squads and stars, and unlike previous iOS iterations, this time it's free. That gratis version gives users limited info (scores, standings, news, and team content), but those willing to drop $14.99 get full access for the year, which includes audio game casts, live game video look-ins and the game of the day. Additionally, there's a $2.99 monthly subscription option if you find forking over for the full season distasteful. Unlike the iOS version, Android users currently only have the $14.99 option, though the same interface is present in both apps to provide a consistent UX. Subscribers of MLB.tv get all of what At Bat 2012 has to offer for free, with Android users gaining access through the existing At Bat Lite app. Sound good? Head on down to the source and get your download on.
MLB simplifies iPhone, iPad app pricing for MLB TV subscribers
For baseball fans, there's no happier day than Super Bowl Sunday, since we know that means that in a few weeks catchers and pitchers will be reporting for early Spring Training. Well, the pitchers and catchers are warming up and now another sign of spring has appeared -- news about pricing of Major League Baseball's MLB At Bat 12 app for iPad and iPhone for MLB TV subscribers. If you subscribed to MLB TV in the past or plan on subscribing to a year full of baseball games, you're in luck -- MLB At Bat '12 will be available for free. That's a nice little bonus, since the MLB TV subscription plan costs US$124.99 for the 2,430 game baseball season ($119.99 if you subscribed last year). In the past, subscribers had to pay for the iPad and iPhone apps separately, which could add about $30 to the tab for baseball fans. The apps will be available on February 29, 2012 so that you're able to start watching streaming video of games on your iPad or iPhone as the Spring Training season begins. There's no word, however, on what content (if any) the free apps will provide for baseball fans who don't want to pay the MLB TV subscription fee.
How the iPad is changing baseball
Baseball is undergoing a digital revolution thanks to the iPad and the iPhone. Sports fans, management and even players are using the iPad to improve America's favorite game. Fans can watch every Major League game on their phone or tablets. Managers can keep track of their rosters and players can analyze both their own performance and that of their competitors. Companies like Baseball Info solutions have embraced this trend. The service compiles the statistics for every player in the Major Leagues and makes it available to all thirty MLB teams. Sports professionals are not alone in this move to a digital future. Recently, we took a look at Extra Innings Mobile Instructor, an app which lets coaches and parents record and analyze the technique of both hitters and pitchers. And baseball isn't the only sport being transformed by the iPad. Recently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handed out iPads to all its players and management to replace the paper-based playbook.
Apple Stores receive more visitors than Major League Baseball stadiums
The old saying "as American as baseball and apple pie" may have to be amended to include Apple and its retail stores. According to an article by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Apple may be more popular than America's favorite pastime. Before you roll your eyes and dismiss the idea, take a look at the financials of the Cupertino company and compare it to Major League Baseball. DeWitt points out that Apple is more profitable than Major League Baseball -- Apple reported revenue of US$65.2 billion in 2010 compared to the $7 million reported by the MLB. Apple stores alone even beat out baseball with $9.8 billion in FY2010 revenue and four times the foot traffic of all the Major League Baseball stadiums combined. While Apple's revenue streams are increasing, MLB's revenue from ticket sales and advertising is sliding. So what do you think, should we start working on some new words to the old tune Take me out to the ballgame?
MLB At Bat 11 apps for iPhone, iPad now available
With the wintry weather that seems to be hitting a lot of the U.S. today, most people probably aren't thinking about the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. There are two sure signs of spring today -- the MLB players started playing Spring Training exhibition games today, and the MLB At Bat 11 apps for iPhone/iPod touch and iPad are now available for sale in the App Store. At this point you'll be able to watch about 150 Spring Training games through a free preview of MLB.TV, and listen to available radio broadcasts of Spring Training games. Like the 2010 version of the app, you can get a close-up batter's view of every at-bat, breaking news, schedules, rosters, and players stats. The description of the app notes that additional features and functionality will be released for Opening Day on March 31. Major League Baseball apparently didn't listen to user complaints from last year, however. The iPad and iPhone apps are still separate apps, and each costs $14.99. On top of that insult, the league advertises in articles found in the app. Once the MLB season begins, you'll be able to watch one free televised game per day and listen to as many games on Internet radio as you'd like, but there's no way to purchase a package to watch all games for a specific team in the app or beam the games to an Apple TV via AirPlay. Early reviews on the App Store are saying that the performance of the MLB At Bat 11 app does seem to have improved over last year's iteration, which was notable for slow loading of articles and videos.
Play ball by proxy in MLB Manager Online
Sega is expanding its "Manager" series beyond Football Manager, with the free-to-play MLB Manager Online. Launching in March alongside the beginning of the baseball season, in the US, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. MLB Manager allows players to create teams from over 900 (not over 9000) real Major Leaguers, check their stats, and trade them with other managers. It's a different kind of sports game, one in which you handle all the "telling people to play baseball" and leave the "playing baseball" bit to the experts. Prospective managers have the chance to build their teams in advance of the March release. Sega is holding a limited closed beta starting January 7, 2011. If you're interested in checking out the browser-based management sim early, you can sign up here.%Gallery-110561%
Safari extension highlight: MLB.com Toolbar
With the addition of the Safari Extensions Gallery to Apple's website over the last few days, TUAW will be highlighting extensions that we think are special, useful, or just plain fun. I'm a baseball fan, but other than my beloved Colorado Rockies and the rest of the NL West, I don't follow a lot of other teams. While it would be nice to have a browser window open to MLB.com all the time, my screen is just too cluttered with work for me to be able to keep an eye on what's going on in Major League Baseball and get work done. So what's a Mac-lovin' baseball fan to do? One of the first Safari Extensions I downloaded was the MLB.com Toolbar. Written by the staff at MLB Advanced Media, it adds a tiny toolbar to the top of your Safari page, as well as an icon emblazoned with the unforgettable MLB icon. The extension displays scores of games in progress as well as games that are completed. As with the example above, you can see that the team logos are nicely rendered, the score is easy to see, and the winning (Ubaldo Jimenez 16-2!) and losing pitchers are listed. Each score remains visible for 5 seconds before fading away and being replaced with another. A control on the right side of the toolbar allows you to stop the parade of scores and "fast-forward or rewind" to the next or previous score. If the scores are getting too distracting, you can make the toolbar disappear with a click on the MLB icon. Want to bring it back? Click again. This extension is a perfect example of what a Safari extension should do -- add functionality without being too distracting. Let's hope that the NFL follows the lead of MLB with a well designed and executed scoreboard extension.
