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MLB at Bat for Windows Phone adds push notifications and pitch tracking
Opening day is here! ...sort of. This year's quest for a World Series ring kicks off Down Under today, with the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks squaring off at the Sydney Cricket Ground (yes, they're still playing baseball). Of course, everyone else is still playing Spring Training games until the weekend of March 31st. But Major League Baseball is making sure all of its mobile app ducks are in a row ahead of time. In particular its Windows Phone MLB at Bat app is getting a long overdue update for the 2014 season. Now you can get live pitch-by-pitch tracking for games and set up push notifications for scores and news. Those features have been available on iOS and Android for quite sometime now, so this is less a major step forward and more about feature parity. But still, we're sure those that fall in the middle of the baseball and windows phone fan venn diagram are extremely happy.
MLB 14, NBA 2K14 team up in PS3 double pack
Hoping to tap the lucrative Venn diagram overlap that includes both basketball and baseball fans is PlayStation Sports Pack Volume 1, a compilation that offers PlayStation 3 owners NBA 2K14 and MLB 14: The Show. This two-game package debuts on April 1, six months after NBA 2K14 first hit store shelves, but the same day that MLB 14: The Show goes on sale. The compilation is priced at $90, and offers players both games in their entirety alongside "6000 STUBS for MLB 14 The Show and 20,000 Virtual Currency for NBA 2K14." If you haven't played either of these games, think of STUBS and Virtual Currency as proprietary points that allow players to pick up additional in-game content. While the package is labeled "Volume 1," it's unknown if this is the first entry in an ongoing promotional series or if somebody at Sony simply thought that addition might make the compilation sound more fancy. We contacted Sony for clarification, but the company is currently only willing to discuss this entry. [Image: Sony]
MLB 14: The Show arriving May 6 on PS4
The PS4 version of MLB 14: The Show will launch on May 6, Sony announced via Twitter today. Sony San Diego's baseball sim will land on the next-gen system just over a month after the PS3 and Vita versions arrive on April 1. MLB 14: The Show marks an introduction in career mode transfer options for the series, as players will be able to bring their created athlete and franchise data to future iterations of MLB: The Show. The baseball game also features an online franchise mode with draft, free agency, trading and scouting systems and community-created challenges. [Image: SCEA]
Two-button slugger RBI Baseball 14 goes retro with unlockable jerseys
In 1986, Namco launched RBI Baseball for the NES (Famcom in Japan), and it grew into a household name before Time Warner Interactive's RBI Baseball 95, the heretofore last game in the series. Now, the MLB will publish RBI Baseball 14 on April 10, and MLBAM Vice President of Games Jaime Leece expects the game will remain faithful to the treasured series. Much like those classic games, the developer created three body types and preset batting stances for those character models as opposed to painstakingly differentiating every batter. And while NES games in the late 1980s were naturally restricted to two face buttons and a d-pad, Leece's team intentionally opted for two-button controls for the modern take on the baseball game. Leece believes that these decisions immediately separate the game from other sports games in the genre. "When you take away the barrier of control, it leaves the competition pure," Leece told Joystiq. "It's you against me, it's not your dexterity versus my dexterity. Having to deal with button combinations and things like that creates an extra challenge that's, I think unnecessary and certainly gets in the way of the enjoyment of the product itself."
Report: RBI Baseball 14 takes the current-gen mound on April 10
RBI Baseball 14 will reportedly launch on April 10, according to a tweet from ESPN Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell. Rovell noted that the launch date applies to the game's Xbox 360, PS3, iOS and Android versions, though there's no word on the Xbox One and PS4 versions as of yet. The resurgence of the RBI Baseball series was first announced in January, and is in development by MLB Advanced Media, the baseball league's in-house interactive entertainment division that handles mobile games and broadcast tools like MLB.TV. We've reached out to MLBAM to confirm the game's release date and will update as we learn more. [Image: MLBAM]
Your iPhone can now help you find your way around MLB ballparks
iPhone owners should have an easier time getting around the ballpark this season. Following a trial run last year, Major League Baseball is now deploying Bluetooth-based iBeacons at its stadiums. If you use the MLB At the Ballpark app, your iOS 7-equipped device will receive notifications as you visit different points at a given venue. MLB isn't yet saying just what those notices will involve, although the pilot project helped fans find their seats, score discounts and queue up videos. Only Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium and San Diego's Petco Park have the iBeacons so far. However, the league promises that more than 20 parks will have iBeacons when the season starts -- odds are that your home team will be ready on opening day. [Image credit: Brendan C, Flickr]
Nintendo's free-to-play game lets you haggle for bargains
Nintendo announced a 3DS mini-game collection by the name of Rusty's Real Deal Baseball during today's Nintendo Direct livestream. The game is free to download, and offers one demo game by default. The rest are cartridges that players purchase for their "Nontendo 4DS," a small console inside the game that houses all the baseball mini-games. The catch to Rusty's Real Deal Baseball is the haggling system within the game, in which players attempt to talk the mini-game store's owner (Rusty, who happens to be a dog) into lowering the real-life prices of the mini-games. This is accomplished not only by chatting Rusty up at the right times, but by bribing him with items earned within the games players already own until the shopkeeper (or one of his kids) announces the minimum price has been met. Completing rounds in mini-games also earns players collectible stamps, which unlock items for use in bargaining. Nintendo first released the game as Darumeshi Sports Store in Japan in August 2013. [Image: Nintendo]
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]
R.B.I. Baseball returns this spring to consoles, phones and tablets
The MLB recently dropped a bombshell: One of the most beloved baseball games of all time, R.B.I. Baseball for the NES, is getting an update. It's coming to current and next-gen consoles in addition to mobile devices, and given the span of time between now and its vague spring 2014 release window, it being a downloadable arcade title seems likely. The game's webpage doesn't offer much by way of details, but according to Joystiq it's being developed internally by Major League Baseball Advanced Media -- the division responsible for WWE's streaming channel, MLB.tv and At Bat. Sure, it probably won't stand toe-to-toe with Sony's MLB: The Show franchise, but, for non-PlayStation gamers it's the only real option for a virtual home run.
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.
Major League Baseball offering gift subscriptions for MLB At Bat 2014
Major League Baseball has added the ability for users to gift MLB At Bat premium subscriptions to owners of iOS and Android devices. Previously the only way to give someone an MLB At Bat premium subscription was to buy them a generic credit card gift card and then have them use that card to purchase a subscription. Now, however, users can simply buy an MLB At Bat premium gift subscription for US$19.99 for the user of their choice from MLB.com. Subscriptions to MLB.com At Bat, the 10th highest-grossing mobile app in App Store history, are now available as holiday gifts for the first time. Instead of waiting in bricks-and-mortar store lines or giving a generic gift card, anyone can gift At Bat for the 2014 MLB season, through a direct purchase of the $19.99 full-season subscription from MLB.com. With access to the complete set of premium features in 2014, including live audio of every game and the MLB.TV Free Game of the Day, At Bat 14 will be the perfect holiday gift for any baseball fan. At Bat currently offers full coverage of the Hot Stove and the upcoming Baseball Winter Meetings in December. MLB Advanced Media's mobile developers also are working on new features to be unveiled in the 2014 edition of At Bat. Complete details will be available at launch next year. It seems that MLB At Bat premium subscriptions have arrived just in time for the holidays, ensuring that they'll be a hot gift this year for iOS-loving baseball enthusiasts. MLB.com At Bat is a free download.
MLB releases Franchise MVP for Android, lets you live your baseball fantasies
The World Series is over, and it's a long three months before Spring Training begins. What's a baseball fan to do until then? Well, if you're an Android user, you could pick up Franchise MVP, a new game released by none other than Major League Baseball. MLB's no stranger to apps, of course, with its popular At Bat programs for iOS and Android, but mobile gaming is relatively new territory. Franchise MVP isn't like MLB 2K13 though; instead of creating a team, you follow an individual player through his career in the majors. You can play any position on the field and for any MLB team, building skills like batting, pitching and fielding along the way and making key in-field decisions. The game is free to download, but if you want to hurry things along, you can choose to spend real money for in-game currency. So if your favorite team missed out on taking home the Commissioner's Trophy this year, you can at least console yourself by using Franchise MVP to become the baseball player of your dreams.
MLB 14 The Show on PS4 has far more faces in the virtual crowd
MLB 14: The Show will launch in spring 2014 for PS4, PS3 and Vita, Sony announced. Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera will be featured on the game's cover. Developer Sony San Diego unveiled a teaser trailer that boasts the ways that the game will take advantage of the PS4's graphical upgrades. For instance, MLB 14: The Show designer and community manager Ramone Russell notes that the PS3 only allowed for 42 different character models for fans in the virtual crowd for the game, whereas the PS4 allows for over a thousand. Russell says the game will also be "feature complete" on the next-gen system, and won't lose the series' Road to the Show and franchise modes in its transition to the PS4. Speaking of which, Sony added that starting with MLB 14: The Show, players will be able to carry their save files over to subsequent releases in the series, giving players' Road to the Show athletes and other career mode efforts life beyond the annual game's limited life cycle.
Apple hires Toronto Blue Jays assistant GM to manage Sports section of the App Store
The Toronto Blue Jays' Assistant General Manager Jay Sartori is leaving the team to become the manager of the Sports section of Apple's App Store, according to SportsNet.ca. As Shi Davidi first reported: The Toronto Blue Jays are on the lookout for a new assistant general manager with Jay Sartori set to leave his job next month after accepting an executive position with Apple Inc. Sartori is taking over as the tech titan's manager of the App Store's sports and entertainment category, a departure from the arbitration, contract and collective bargaining agreement interpretation work he handled for the Blue Jays. Apple has not made an official announcement about the hire (and, indeed, probably won't). However, it's likely Sartori will act in an editorial / curation role, seeking out the best apps to highlight for the Sports section of the App Store.
MLB to use iOS 7's iBeacon for pointing out sights (and seats) in stadiums
Major League Baseball is becoming very iPhone-friendly: it gave iOS 6 users Passbook ticketing this season, and it's now planning a treat for iOS 7 users. A 2014 update to MLB's At the Ballpark app will use iOS 7's iBeacon feature to guide sports fans as they pass by low-power Bluetooth transmitters in the stadium. Enter the ballpark and you'll get seat directions; visit specific points and you may get coupons or highlight videos. Only the New York Mets are testing the feature at Citi Field, but the league believes that other teams are likely to follow suit.
MLB.com At Bat app embraces iOS 7
Just in time for the postseason, MLB.com's At Bat app has scored an update for iOS 7. Along with compatibility with the new version of iOS, the refresh brings with it postseason stat sections, a news feed and series scoreboards. But most importantly, the update adds the ability to watch multiple live camera angles of upcoming showdowns including the AL and NL Wild Card games and Division Series, and the NL Championship series. [via 9to5Mac]
MLB.com At Bat gets iOS 7 support, multi-camera postseason video
We know you've likely had your fill of app updates for iOS 7, but bear with us -- this one's likely worth your attention. Major League Baseball has updated the MLB.com At Bat app to both support Apple's new software and introduce host of postseason-friendly features. Sports fans can now watch live Wild Card games, division playoffs and National League championships from multiple camera angles. The updated app also brings a full suite of postseason info, complete with dedicated news and stat sections. If you're worried that you'll miss a crucial game on the road, you'll want to grab the new At Bat release from the source link.
Google Glass app Blue puts real-time baseball info in your eye (video)
The boys of summer are about to come home, but that doesn't make developer Aaron Draczynski's Google Glass baseball app any less rad. Blue uses geolocation to determine what park you're at and feeds all manner of ball diamond-data directly into your eye. Whether it's displaying play-by-play descriptions, who's on the mound or how fast and what type his last pitch was, sitting in the stands no longer means missing out on the info you'd get from a TV broadcast. While this might seem like it'd be a better tablet or phone app, wearing Glass to a ballgame does have a distinct advantage: it lets you hold more than two $15 beers at a time.
