T-Mobile’s annual deal for baseball fans is back. From Tuesday through Sunday, the carrier’s customers can claim a free yearlong subscription to MLB.TV for live and on-demand streaming access to the entire Major League Baseball season.

This is the ninth straight year T-Mobile has offered the deal, which the companies have extended through 2028. MLB.TV lets you watch all out-of-market regular-season games and select Spring Training games. (Unfortunately, blackout restrictions, universally loathed by everyone not profiting from them, apply to in-market games.) They stream in HD, and the service supports DVR and in-game playback controls.

The streaming package usually costs $150 for the season or $30 per month, so this is a nice perk for baseball fans. You can claim the offer in the T Life (formerly T-Mobile Tuesdays) app (iOS and Android) from tomorrow through Sunday only, so don’t forget to claim it during that short window.

As a promotional gimmick to help plug the deal, T-Mobile is introducing a “Secret Baseball Button.” The Bluetooth device connects to your computer and can be set to “discreetly switch from baseball to ‘work’ with the literal click of a button.” (It’s the same idea as the March Madness Boss Button, only in physical form.) If you care about such things, you can enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win one.

The social network Threads is going to start showing live sports scores, starting with NBA basketball. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the initiative and wrote that it’ll be adding more leagues in the near future. 

Here’s how it works. During a game, just search for the teams and you’ll see an up-to-date score. If the game is over, a search will bring up the final score. You can also find out when a game will start by searching for it ahead of time. This obviously resembles how X does things, as the platform began showing live sports scores back in 2017, when it was called Twitter.

Each score is accompanied by the two team logos. Tapping on these logos redirects users to a conversation about that team. Threads, along with Instagram, recently decided to stop recommending political content, so emphasizing sports is a decent way to capture the “real time” vibe of a hip and happening social network.

To that end, Instagram head Adam Mosseri has been, sigh, courting NBA diehards for months, calling the community of basketball fans on Threads a “great example of the kind of thing we hoped to see” on the app. A Threads spokesperson told Engadget that “basketball has become one of the most popular topics” and that “NBA Threads has become one of the app’s most active sports communities.”

This makes sense, as NBA discourse is also huge on X. NBA Twitter, as it's still called in sports media, regularly drives coverage and conversation about the pro basketball league. It sure seems like Meta hopes to siphon away some of that influence. Apple also recently announced its own sports-related initiative. The first-party Sports iPhone app offers real-time stats for a number of major leagues, including the NBA, and throws up live score data on the lock screen during a game.

Threads is all over the place this week. The platform introduced a new algorithm-tuning feature that works by swiping left and right on posts and announced a beta test that lets users share content to Mastodon and other fediverse services. The live scores feature is also in its testing phase. 

The 2024 Summer Olympics are just 128 days away. They'll be here before you know it, so what better time to learn about all the groovy features that the Games' streaming home, Peacock, has lined up?

The platform will host more than 5,000 hours of live coverage across the two weeks, including each of the 329 medal events. That's far more than anyone could possibly watch during the Games, so to help you keep track of several events at once, Peacock is offering several multiview options. On TVs, tablets and desktop browsers (but not phones, sadly), you'll be able to watch four matches at the same time in sports such as track and field, soccer and wrestling in a traditional multiview format. 

A mode called Peacock Discovery Multiview aims to direct you to the most important events. Here, you'll see on-screen descriptions telling you what's at stake (such as whether there's an elimination risk or if it's a medal event) or if you're watching a first-time Olympian. In both multiview modes, you can move the screens around, choose the audio track you want to listen to and click through to watch an event in full screen. Peacock will offer you up to four multiview options at any given time.

Peacock / NBCUniversal

Another key new feature is called Peacock Live Actions. The idea here is to help you follow the events you're most interested in. So, if you're really enjoying a live gymnastics session but the whip-around coverage on the Gold Show broadcast is about to switch over to weightlifting or something, you can hit a button to keep watching the action on the parallel bars. Peacock says the feature will also allow those watching the NBC primetime simulcast to add events to their My Stuff list to watch later.

Elsewhere, you'll be able to browse through the coverage by sport and check out an interactive schedule. The Catch Up with Key Plays tool will be available for basketball and golf on top of soccer. And along with up-to-date medal standings, you'll be able to search for your favorite athletes. This will bring you to live events and replays including your favorite competitor, regardless of whether they're competing individually or as part of a team.

While the Olympics don't start for another few months, you can subscribe to Peacock now. If you do so and opt for an annual plan, you'll get 12 months of access for the price of 10.

Blizzard is finally making it easier to unlock new heroes in Overwatch 2. This is big news, as players regularly complain about how difficult it is to obtain new characters in the live-service shooter. Currently, people get new heroes by paying for and grinding through a battle pass, buying them outright or waiting until they become available as a reward for winning a certain number of games. That changes with the forthcoming season 10, as the company will make new and old heroes available for free to all players.

This not only pertains to Venture, a new hero created for season 10, but all of the game’s previously released heroes, like Mauga, Illari, Sojourn and Lifeweaver, among many others. New players will still have to complete the intro, but “once the heroes from the original Overwatch roster have been unlocked, all Overwatch 2 heroes will also become available.”

This will even extend to future heroes. The entire roster of Overwatch 2 characters will be playable in all game modes when season 10 officially begins this April.

This is just one change coming to how the game handles its battle pass, as suggested by director Aaron Keller in a video. Blizzard is also going to start selling mythic skins that were previously available only through a paid battle pass, though pricing and availability is still up in the air.

In addition, Overwatch Coins, the game’s dominant currency, will soon be easier to earn. Right now, people accrue coins by accessing a premium battle pass, completing weekly challenges or buying them outright. In season 10, they’ll become available in the free tracks of the game’s battle pass system. Fans will be able to earn up to 600 coins per season for free, up from 540.

Finally, there’s a new in-game competition called Clash, which was first announced at last year’s Blizzcon. This team-based PvP mode features five points lined up in a row, and the first team that captures all five points or reaches a maximum score wins. It looks like the full Clash mode won’t launch alongside season 10, but will come later this year and will include two dedicated maps.

Blizzard also previewed season 11 today, which is due later this year and will include a new Push map set in Peru, as well as a reworked version of the Rome-based Colosseo map.

Respawn, the EA-owned studio behind Apex Legends has postponed the North American Finals tournament after hackers broke into matches and equipped players with cheats. The developer posted to X, formerly Twitter, that the delay has been caused due to the "competitive integrity of the series being compromised." Footage of the hacks, available available on Twitch, gave players the ability to see their opponent's location while notable player ImperialHal was handed an aimbot which artificially improves their aim while playing.

Cheating has been a continual issue for EA — and one that players claim the company is doing little to mitigate. Frustrated posts on EA's general discussion page include statements like "If EA gonna ban all the cheaters it wouldn't be enough players to play the game," and "The real issue lies in the process of banning/suspending players." Other grievances include a focus on profits over experience, such as bumping up the price of skins.

Furthermore, EA laid off five percent of its workforce — about 650 people — at the end of February. Respawn's in-progress Star Wars first-person shooter game was canceled alongside the terminations. At the time CEO Andrew Wilson told employees that EA was "streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere."

A new time for the North American Finals of Apex Legends hasn't been announced, but the X post stated that it would "share more information soon." In the meantime, EA and Respawn have to determine how to block the hacker's current access and how to reopen qualifications without risking further hacks.

If you're ready to commit to a year of Max, you can do so for a 40 percent discount. Right now, every tier of the streaming service is on sale — that includes the ad-free, 4K version for $140 annually, which works out to $12 per month instead of the regular $20 monthly. The least expensive sub is ad-supported and goes for $70 yearly, or $5.83 per month as opposed to $10. Between the two is an ad-free level without 4K support that's going for $105 for the year, when you'd usually pay $192 for 12 months.  

The deal is open to all new subscribers. Existing subscribers who buy their service direct from Max.com can also take advantage. If you're a returning subscriber and previously went through Max.com, the Apple App Store or Google Play, you can also get the discount. Unfortunately, only new subscribers via Fire TV are eligible. The timing of the deal is tied to March Madness promotions, as Max will stream all 2024 Division I NCAA men's basketball championship games live, along with other live sports. 

For those who don't remember, Max is the name given to the streaming service that combines HBO's programming with Discovery+ content. While the name may be less memorable, the smooshing of the two services means more content to peruse — from brands like HGTV and Food Network — in addition to fine HBO fare like The Last of Us and True Detective. It's also where you can find Studio Ghibli films and A24 movies. Plus Our Flag Means Death, though canceled, was fantastic. There's a reason we named Max one of the best streaming services out there. 

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If you happen to find yourself at a loose end this weekend, it might not be a bad idea to fire up the Apple TV app and check out some Major League Soccer action. All 14 of this weekend's games will be available to watch for free in English and Spanish, so you won't need an MLS Season Pass subscription.

Apple Vision Pro users will be able to check out MLS games on a virtual screen that appears to be up to 100 feet wide. The Apple TV app is also available on smart TVs, set-top boxes, game consoles and of course on Apple's own devices.

Among the games you'll be able to watch are Inter Miami's visit to DC United. Ticket prices for Miami games have gone through the roof since Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all-time, joined the team last year. So, getting to watch the match for free is nothing to complain about. (Messi is likely to miss the game due to injury anyway, so you might be glad you didn't spend up to four figures on a ticket.) I'll most likely be watching my local team CF Montreal playing away at Chicago Fire, which takes place at the same time as the Miami match on Saturday afternoon.

On Wednesday, Sony unveiled the latest catalog of games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. The latest batch of titles includes the Resident Evil 3 remake, Marvel’s Midnight Suns and NBA 2K24 (among others). You can play the games for free starting on Tuesday, March 19.

Capcom’s Resident Evil 3 remake (PS5 / PS4) arrived in early 2020. You play as Jill Valentine as you try to escape the virus-infected and zombie-overrun Raccoon City. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Midnight Suns (PS5 / PS4) is a tactical RPG set “in the darker side of the Marvel Universe.” Playable characters include Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Deadpool and Captain Marvel.

2K Sports / Take-Two Interactive

You can also claim the NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition (PS5 / PS4). The most current version of 2K’s long-running basketball franchise has updated rosters and historic teams, along with a “Mamba Moments” mode that relives some of the late Lakers Hall of Famer’s most memorable career highlights.

Lego DC Supervillains (PS4 only) is a 2018 game that takes the Lego franchise’s goofy, family-friendly fun and flips the script — letting you play as the bad guys. You can control villains like The Joker, Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Penguin.

Other claimable titles include turn-based death match Blood Bowl 3 (PS5, PS4), puzzler Mystic Pillars: Remastered (PS5), side-scrolling RPG Super Neptune (PS4) and action RPG Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS5). The classics appearing this month include the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (PS4), Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PS5, PS4), Cool Boarders (PS5, PS4), Gods Eater Burst (PS5, PS4) and JoJos Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R.

The fifth edition of Summer Game Fest takes place this year and now we know when the main showcase will take place. The two-hour stream of trailers, hype, announcements and game updates is set for Friday, June 7 at 5PM ET. So, if you notice any typos in Engadget's coverage of the event, it definitely won't be because we're watching with an end-of-week cocktail in hand.

The SGF showcase will once again stream live from the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles with a live audience. The Geoff Keighley-run event has quickly become one of the key events on the games industry's calendar, as several notable projects, big and small, have been announced there. 

With E3 now completely dead, SGF could be poised to take the expo's place as the anchor for the various gaming events that typically take place in early June. The smart money's on an Xbox showcase happening on the following Sunday, for instance.

Netflix has been experimenting with live sports over the last few months with golf and tennis exhibition events. The company has announced the biggest test for its livestreaming capabilities to date: a boxing match between YouTuber (and pro boxer) Jake Paul and former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

The fight is going to be a spectacle for a number of reasons. Both fighters bring star power to the table. There's a 30-year age gap between them. Despite his 9-1 record, Paul can hardly be described as an elite fighter. While Tyson is regarded as one of the best heavyweights of all time, he retired 19 years ago and has only fought in two matches since then. Paul's second match was on the undercard of Tyson's last bout, which was against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.

The battle will take place at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It's bound to attract a decent audience through Netflix as well. Most major boxing matches are on pay per view, but Netflix's 260 million subscribers will be able to watch at no extra cost.

Netflix hasn't released viewership figures for the Netflix Cup (its golf event) or the Netflix Slam (a recent tennis exhibition). Combat sports tend to deliver high viewership, though, suggesting that Netflix's infrastructure will have to handle more simultaneous streams than any of its other live events so far.

The company has dabbled with other live events over the last year or so, including a Chris Rock comedy special, the SAG Awards and a weekly cooking show with David Chang. However, the company has faced issues with livestreams in the past — it was forced to abandon plans for a live Love is Blind reunion due to technical issues.

Netflix has around nine months to make sure its livestreaming capabilities are in order before it embarks on its most ambitious sports (well, sports-adjacent) project yet. Starting in January, Netflix will be the home of WWE's live weekly shows in many markets, including the flagship program Raw in the US.