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PSVR’s World Cup ‘executive suite’ is more ludicrous than luxurious
In case you wanted another way to watch this year's World Cup from Russia, PlayStation has you covered. Sony's gaming division has partnered with BBC Sports VR to put you in a virtual executive box replete with a gigantic window overlooking the pitch. More than that, you'll have a choice between three different "seats" on the fly, too: behind each goal and from the midfield line. You just need a PlayStation 4, PSVR helmet and the BBC's free World Cup PSVR app.
'Fortnite' marks World Cup with stadium and goal scoring challenges
You didn't think Epic Games would let a sporting event as momentous as the World Cup go by without a Fortnite tie-in, did you? Sure enough, the developer has made a slew of updates to mark the beautiful game's most important tournament. There's now a hard-to-miss stadium map, and your weekly challenges now include scoring goals on fields across the island. And naturally, there's plenty of themed items to buy with your spare V-Bucks.
Video referee technology influences its first World Cup goal
When FIFA greenlit the use of video assistant referees at the 2018 World Cup, there was one overriding question: how long would it take before the technology shaped an important call? Not long at all, apparently. Two days into the group stage, officiators have used VAR to call for a key penalty after Australia's John Risdon appeared to have fouled France's Antoine Griezmann with a sliding tackle, disrupting a charge toward a possible goal. Griezmann promptly scored on the subsequent penalty kick, giving France the lead.
RIP, 'Pro Evolution Soccer'
I have a mild obsession with FIFA video games, largely because I like playing with official teams and players rather than fictional ones. But, I always gave Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) a chance. Two years ago, I even wrote that Konami's title was actually better than EA Sports', much to the the disbelief of many of my football friends. A big reason I always kept coming back to PES (aside from its more realistic gameplay) was the fact it had licensing rights for the UEFA Champions League (UCL), Europe's most prestigious club tournament. Since 2008, FIFA players have had to make do with a generic version that EA Sports created, which simply wasn't good enough. You need that UCL orchestral theme song and the original trophy to make the competition feel real. But thing will be changing soon, and Pro Evolution Soccer is going to suffer as a result.
NBC Sports brings World Cup streams to PlayStation 4
NBC has brought its sports app to PlayStation 4, which is splendid news for gamers who are also mad about soccer. There's a certain convenience in playing Fortnite and being able to switch over to a live sports stream. Of course, NBC Sports already has apps on a number of platforms, such as Windows, Roku, Chromecast and mobile. The free app has already hosted a number of sports events this year, including the NHL Winter Classic, the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Tennis grand slam Roland Garros. NBC began its coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup yesterday, treating fans to a riveting opening match with Russia demolishing Saudi Arabia. NBC Sports doesn't have the rights to English-language coverage -- that's covered by Fox -- but it has locked in Telemundo's Spanish broadcasts instead. Watching the soccer from the comfort of your living room might not be as cool as experiencing it through VR, but you can still theorize about this year's winner -- Goldman Sachs' AI is tipping Brazil and EA has France down to win the tournament.
EA can’t buy what makes ‘PES’ great
It hasn't been a good month for Pro Evolution Soccer. Back in May, UEFA ended its partnership with Konami, a deal that allowed PES to include the biggest annual club tournament in Europe. And, perhaps more importantly, the teams that qualified for it. Some of those big names remain thanks to separate licensing deals with the club itself or with a league. It's true that EA is stacking the deck when it comes to teams and tournaments in FIFA, but the charm of PES goes way beyond its team roster.
Spanish soccer league app spied on fans to catch pirate broadcasts
Is your phone listening to you? After all, there has to be a reason why so many apps ask to access your device's microphone. App makers and websites have long dismissed creepily relevant adverts as merely "targeted advertising", but now one app has revealed the unnerving potential of this permission. Spanish soccer league app, La Liga, has admitted to spying on users, and in doing so it's turning sports fans into unknowing snitches.
How to watch the World Cup 2018
For soccer (er, football) fans everywhere, the next four weeks are going to be all about the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The globe's biggest sporting event, which takes place every four years, is kicking off Thursday, June 14th, when host nation Russia takes on Saudi Arabia at 11AM ET. And yes, we know the USA team won't be there, but football is bigger than just one nation. So even if you won't get to cheer on the Stars and Stripes this year, there's still plenty to look forward to at the World Cup.
YouTube's World Cup coverage includes near-live highlights in Spanish
If you're eager to follow the 2018 World Cup online en español and can't watch live, you might have a viable alternative. Telemundo has teamed up with Google to provide "close to real-time" video highlights in Spanish for American viewers. Search for matches, scores and teams and you'll see goals, halftime highlights and other stand-out moments through YouTube. It should be useful in between games, too, with match previews, news and other useful info.
Inside Fox Sports’ plan to bring the World Cup to your living room
Tucked in the back of Fox Sports' Charlotte facility, a typically unused storage space was abuzz with activity in early April. A Los Angeles-based crew took advantage of the extra room in what used to be the headquarters of the Speed network to test gear that will be used to broadcast live soccer action from this summer's World Cup. There's no eye candy inside this warehouse space, but the final preparations that went on here are essential to sniffing out any potential issues before all the gear is packed into shipping containers for a monthlong voyage to Russia. In the span of a few hours, I'd learn what Fox had planned for the 2018 World Cup -- from in-depth preparations to a special studio, AR, VR and streaming.
The Premier League is coming to UK Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime will show live Premier League matches from 2019 in the UK. The technology giant has bought a football package that will give it exclusive TV -- or in this case, streaming -- rights for 20 games per season, from 2019/20 to 2021/22. These cover some midweek fixtures in early December, and the games taking place over the Bank Holiday (Boxing Day). Earlier this year, the Premier League announced that it had sold five out of seven TV packages in the UK. BT bought one bundle, worth 32 games, while Sky secured four, representing 128 matches. Today, the league confirmed that Amazon and BT have secured the final two TV packages.
‘FIFA 18’ let me live out my World Cup fantasies
It took a few tries, but I was finally able to lift the World Cup trophy with my beloved Mexico in FIFA 18. It wasn't an easy feat, either; I had to get past football superpower Germany in the final. But it happened, a 3-2 win! And that's probably the only way I'll ever get to see Mexico win soccer's most important competition. Over the past few days, I've spent most of my spare time playing FIFA's new Russia 2018 World Cup mode, which EA Sports made available free to all owners of the game on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. That gesture alone deserves a lot of credit, since during the last World Cup in 2014 the developer released a standalone game for the tournament that was $60. And that was just for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The latest-generation of consoles only got a disappointing, stripped down version.
Fox Sports' World Cup Highlight Machine is powered by IBM's Watson
We're only ten days away from the start of the FIFA World Cup 2018. And for soccer (er, football) fans in the US, Fox Sports will be the TV network responsible for bringing them all 64 games from Russia, at least if they want to watch them in English. But, beyond its broadcast offerings, Fox Sports wants to keep people engaged in the competition in different ways. Aside from its partnership with Twitter, which comes in the form of a show that'll stream live from Russia, Fox Sports has teamed up with IBM to build the ultimate World Cup Highlight Machine. Powered by Watson artificial intelligence, this video hub lets you create on-demand clips from every FIFA World Cup tournament dating back to 1958.
'PES 2019' loses Borussia Dortmund ahead of launch
Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer series can't catch a break. It's been second fiddle to EA's FIFA series for years, and with news that another team has ended its licensing agreement with the underdog football franchise likely won't help matters any. Borussia Dortmund "prematurely" exited its licensing agreement with the game-maker ahead of its 2020 agreement, as spotted by Kotaku.
The World Cup is Twitter’s next chance at video dominance
As the 2018 FIFA World Cup gets ready to kick off June 14th, the 32 international teams competing in Russia aren't the only ones preparing for the big event. Fans are too, and Twitter wants to be the online place where they stay up to date on all the action. After striking deal with Fox Sports, the World Cup TV rights holder in the US, Twitter will offer users access to exclusive video content. That includes real-time highlights, player interviews, pre- and post-match press conferences, as well as a daily show called FIFA World Cup Now that will livestream 27 episodes. And outside of the US, Twitter has partnerships for live shows and highlight clips in Australia, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan and the UK.
Watch live World Cup games in Spanish on the NBC Sports app (updated)
You'll soon have a few easy ways to watch the 2018 World Cup en español. NBC's Telemundo Deportes has unveiled plans to stream live World Cup games in Spanish through the NBC Sports app (on mobile and living room devices) in addition to the apps from Telemundo itself and local stations. You'll also see Telemundo's content available through a link on the NBC Sports website. We've asked if you'll need a TV sign-in to watch matches online.
Amazon greenlights docuseries about soccer icon Diego Maradona
Ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Amazon has greenlit a new series about the life of soccer star Diego Maradona. The show will follow Maradona from early childhood to his rise in the world of professional soccer. It will cover his time playing in Spain and Italy as well as the 1986 World Cup, in which he led Argentina to victory. Darker aspects of Maradona's history -- such as failing a drug test during the 1994 World Cup -- will be included as well. "There are few players whose notoriety transcends generations and geographic borders -- Maradona is a household name around the world, and his career highlights are still discussed today among the biggest moments in soccer's history," Amazon Prime Video's Brad Beale said in a statement.
'PES 2019' hits PC, PS4 and Xbox One on August 28th
If you'd rather not support EA's definitions of "gambling" and "loot boxes" but still want to play virtual soccer football, maybe this year's Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami will tickle your fancy. PES 2019 will be in stores August 28th (US) and August 30th (Europe) for Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It'll feature 4K HDR video across "all capable platforms," too. Hopefully that means support for the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X in addition to PC. Earlier last month it was revealed that the franchise would lose its license for the Champions League teams and players, and Konami hasn't provided any information yet on what will replace them. However, its announcement trailer for the new game features and awful lot of David Beckham, and there will even be an edition of the game named after Posh Spice's husband. The game is up for pre-order right now, and we'll probably get answers to our burning questions about which leagues and stadiums will be featured next month at E3.
The Russia World Cup comes to 'FIFA 18' on May 29th
As the domestic football season starts to wrap up, all eyes are turning to the World Cup in Russia. EA, unsurprisingly, wants to celebrate the competition with a video game tie-in — this year, however, it will be released as a free update for FIFA 18. That's in stark contrast to 2014, when EA released a dedicated game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and a meagre Ultimate Team expansion for the PS4 and Xbox One. (Euro 2016, meanwhile, was owned by Konami and released as a free PES update.)
‘Football Manager 2018’ ads promote mental health awareness
Football Manager 2018, like previous games in the long-running franchise, is known for being the digital equivalent of crack. But in addition to providing endless hours of entertainment, its loyal UK playerbase may well get something more important out of the José Mourinho simulator. As part of a new NHS initiative, pitch-side advertising boards within the game have begun featuring messages for MindMate, a youth mental health awareness and support service run by the NHS Leeds Clinical Commission Group. The idea is to engage young people on home turf, pointing them towards the MindMate website if they click on the ads -- assuming they notice them while they're watching their team get thumped 4-0 in the relegation playoffs.
