MLB 15 The Show Features & Improvements on PS4, PS3 & PS Vita Detailed

With just over two months to go until launch on March 31 in North America, Sony San Diego have revealed further details about MLB 15 The Show on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita, including that it will launch in Europe on April 1 as a digital title.

There’s a ton of features coming in MLB 15 The Show, though not all of them will be available on all platforms:

Year-to-Year Saves (PS4, PS3, PS Vita)

Users who purchased MLB 14 The Show will be able to continue their Franchise and Road to the Show progress in MLB 15 The Show with the Year-to-Year Saves feature. Saves between the two versions will be forward-compatible, meaning you don’t have to worry about starting your Franchise or Road to The Show seasons over!

Franchise Mode Refresh (PS4, PS3, PS Vita)

With the addition of General Manager Contracts, you now have to consider Ownership Expectations when running your team, and your performance will determine the job offers that come your way. Building a championship-caliber team is more fun and dynamic than ever before, with the new Performance-based Player Progression, as well as much improved Trade and Contract logic. Partner up with Brand Sponsors, giving your broadcast elements an official sponsor and earn some extra dough to spend on your team.

Directional Hitting Interface (PS4, PS3, PS Vita)

Featured for the first time in MLB 15 The Show is the new Directional Hitting interface, which allows you to influence the direction of your hits in real-time while you swing. Using the L-Stick, you can attempt to influence fly balls, ground balls, pushed hits, pulled hits, or any of those in combination.

Legends (PS4, PS3, PS Vita)

We partnered with the MLB Player’s Alumni Association to make a total of 30 Legends playable in MLB 15 The Show. Collect an entire MLB team, and you’ll unlock an iconic alumni player from that team. There’s one from each team, and though you’ll have to find or unlock the card to slot them into your Dynasty squad, you can simply opt in to utilizing the whole pool of Legends in your Franchise mode.

Gameplay Improvements (PS4, PS3)

Advanced AI logic results in outfielders taking more realistic routes to the ball
Upgraded motion system allows for dynamic speed matching from run to catch to throw
User controlled cut offs
All new slide and tag system
New speed paradigm for fielders and base runners
Enhanced ball physics for pop ups, fly balls, and shots into the gap
Dynamic pitch breaks: allows for more realistic pitch recognition when batting
Simplified Analog swing controls
Dynamic Difficulty 2.0
New situational base covering intelligence allows for new animations to play when a player has time or is in a hurry to get to his base
More than 70 new situational third out fielding animations
New Input Type option for hitting: We’ve separated swing input as a separate option

Licensed Equipment (PS4, PS3)

For the first time ever MLB The Show will include licensed equipment from some of the most recognizable brands in baseball. Earn as you play to enhance your RTTS or Diamond Dynasty players and partner with iconic brands by bringing sponsorships to your Franchise team!
Note: Equipment on PS3 version is not seen during gameplay.

Universal Rewards (PS4 & PS3)

Virtual Baseball cards to be collected and easily assembled into a competitive Diamond Dynasty team
Licensed Bats, Gloves, Batting Gloves, and Cleats that enhance your Road to the Show or Diamond Dynasty players’ abilities
Brand Sponsorships for your Franchise team that spice up your in-game interface and earn your team some extra income
Collect entire teams to unlock MLB legendary alumni players from each MLB team

Players & Teams Get Personality: Aesthetic and Emotion (PS4, PS3)

Players on the field get improvements to show their individuality. (Necklaces, Tilted caps, etc..) Real-time situational/emotional AI scenes (dugouts, crowd, etc..) have also been added, and more Team and Player celebrations.

Diamond Dynasty Distilled (PS4, PS3)

Diamond Dynasty is melted down to its core. Now driven by just a handful of systems, it is much more accessible and less daunting to manage. Driven heavily by a new collection based management system, everyone is building a Diamond Dynasty team just by playing any mode in MLB The Show.

New Slide Step System (PS4, PS3)

Perform a slide step while pitching to combat pitchers with a slow delivery to the plate, or runners who consistently get great jumps. This “game within a game” creates a risk/reward factor when performing a slide step. The pitcher will now have less control and slightly less velocity when a slide step is executed, but will be quicker to the plate. As a runner, you now have to worry about your opponent using a slide step when you are attempting a steal.

Play-by-Play, Commentary, PA Improvements (PS4, PS3)

Improved strike zone accuracy with new pitch locations for on-the-black calls and borderline balls & strikes
Improved hit call accuracy through new field zone locations and deeper parameter logic
Improved runner rounding base and runner scoring content for more exciting big-play calls
Improved deep fly ball logic that allows more diverse calls on potential home runs, and prevents the user from hearing calls that give away the play result before it occurs
Improved foul ball logic to allow for open-ended play-by-play on playable or nearly playable balls, prevents user from hearing calls that give away the result
New batter introductions and pitch result content for the new skip batter walkup system (speeds up gameplay, tightens play-by-play)
New system for handling safe result calls that includes proper acknowledgement of the runner’s slide type
New conversations with color commentary that remember and discuss the team’s recent record
New conversations with color commentary that highlight the impact of important double plays
New PA batter introductions and content for the new Home Run Derby format
New batter introductions that call out the three part stat line for Average, Home Runs, and RBI’s on the year
New create-a-player first and last names
New play by play and color commentary content for the manager challenge system
Over 1,700 new lines of play-by-play content
Over 1,400 new lines of color commentary

‘Inside the Show’ News Suite (PS4, partial PS3)

Franchise, RTTS, and Season modes all feature a new suite of features centered on providing news updates from around the league. Inside The Show is a new radio broadcast that will be heard at the beginning of each new day and will discuss recent scores, notable performances, team news, milestones, records, standings, and more. In addition, the new League Updates panel, found in season based modes, gives the user a quick snapshot of updates from around the League so you don’t have to dig through multiple screens to get the basics.

Graphical Improvements (PS4)

Real-time seasonal sun and shadows
Player Skin tone realism. More variations of skin tones with gloss and specular improvements
Revamped night lighting
More accurate and photorealistic rendering system
PS4 gets 10 more Minor League stadiums

Presentation Improvements (PS4)

Dynamic stat based presentations
Split screen functionality
Real-time situational/emotional AI scenes (dugouts, crowd, etc.)
All-new Jumbotron movies
More Team and Player celebrations

General Improvements

More than 90 new personal batting stances
More than 120 batting stance re-captures
More than 50 new personal pitching motions
More than 120 pitching motion re-captures
More than 45 new signature HR swings
More than 900 new presentation animations
More than 700 new gameplay animations
Editable Contracts (Franchise mode)
Player contract interest improved (based on MLB service time) (Franchise mode)
Player salary guide (Franchise mode)
GM History records (Franchise mode)
Trade Finder (Franchise mode)
Vastly improved trade logic (Franchise mode)
New crowd placement logic to reduce fans sitting in “cheap” seats
New Quick Shifts feature and revamped Defensive Positioning screen
Quick Counts balancing adjustments (I.E. less 3-2 counts, pitchers start with 1-1 counts, etc.)
Four new brands for Fielding Gloves. Each brand has three different styles.
Four new brands for Bats. Each brand has three different styles.
Four new brands for Batting Gloves. Three brands have three styles and one brand has two styles.
Three new brands for Cleats. Each brand has three different styles.
Updated shin guard, new “Without foot guard” option added.
Updated batting helmet with no flaps to pay homage to Old Time players. (PS4 Only)
New Necklace accessory with Thin or Thick as options. (PS4 Only)
Wrist tape has now been separated into left and right wrists with a new “Long” wrist tape option added.
New “Extra Wide” wristband AND armband option added. (PS4 Only)
New Base runner Wrist Guard accessory added. (PS4 Only)
New “Stirrup Low” Pant Style option added. (PS4 Only)
***anese and slap-hitter swing types now selectable (PS4 Only)
Left analog stick bunting influence
Hours of new custom stadium and ambiance music (over 40 new tracks)
RTTS camera improvements after the ball is in play
New Home Run Derby Format: Aligning Major League Baseball’s new Home Run Derby rules and progression (PS4, partial PS3)
Instant Replay Challenge System: The MLB’s Instant Replay protocols are now in The Show. Certain plays give users an opportunity to challenge the outcome of a close play. (PS4, PS3)
All the MLB stadiums will have updated dirt and grass.