Triband, the studio behind early Apple Arcade standout What the Golf, is back with a new game on a completely different platform. What the Bat is a virtual reality title that's coming to Meta Quest 2 and SteamVR headsets later this year

It looks like another ridiculous physics-based game where part of the fun is in figuring out what exactly is going on in each of the more than 100 levels. This time around, you'll have baseball bats for hands and you'll use them for cooking, petting a dog, painting, playing pinball, pickling, parking and brushing your teeth. Although What the Bat isn't really a baseball game, you will still get to do some batting too.

For the first time in more than 20 years, F1 fans will soon have a new manager-style game to play. On Tuesday, Formula 1 announced it would release the highly anticipated F1 Manager 2022 on August 30th. The organization also shared a new gameplay trailer showcasing various aspects of the upcoming title.

Created by Frontier Developments, a studio best known for its work on the Elite Dangerous series, F1 Manager 2022 puts you in the shoes of a team principal. Instead of driving a single Formula 1 car, you’ll need to oversee an entire team. Naturally, that means not only picking all the components for your vehicles but also recruiting the drivers who will pilot them to victory. With Formula 1 involved, the game models all 22 Grand Prix circuits and includes real-world drivers from the F1, F2 and F3 segments. What’s more, Sky Sports host David Croft and former F1 driver Karun Chandhok recorded commentary and analysis for the game.

F1 Manager 2022 is available to preorder today on PlayStation, Xbox and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Pre-ordering F1 Manager 2022 will get early access to the game on August 25th.

NFL Madden 23 will prominently feature the legendary Oakland Raiders coach and Hall of Famer, John Madden. It will mark the first time Madden has appeared on the cover of the eponymous game series since Madden 2000 in 1999. EA Sports revealed the news in a tweet today, adding that it will release a trailer with a full reveal of the game tomorrow. The three covers released today each pay homage to a different era in Madden's career: as a coach, a broadcaster and "a video game icon."

The new title will also pay tribute to the beloved coach within the game itself. The game will feature two versions of Coach Madden leading opposing teams of “All Madden” athletes facing off in the Oakland Coliseum. We’ll also hear from Madden through a series of remastered audio clips that hail from his days as a broadcaster.

Other than that, there’s still a lot that we don’t know about Madden 23, which is expected to release sometime in August. EA hasn’t hinted at any of its new features. Similar to older editions of Madden, there will be three different versions of the game. Most likely there will be a basic version that is priced the lowest, along with two premium bundles with added extras and perks for hardcore Madden fans. For more details, be sure to tune in to EA’s preview of the game, which will air on YouTube tomorrow at 7 am PT/10 am ET.

New England sports fans now have a direct subscription streaming option for Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games. NESN has unveiled NESN 360, a paid streaming service that enables fans to watch live and on-demand games on their computer or streaming device of their choice. Fans who are already NESN subscribers through their cable provider can access the app for free.

“We believe the direct subscription option will build on NESN’s reach in the region, and will be an excellent complement to the existing, valuable partnerships we have with TV providers to bring NESN to all homes in New England,” said Sean McGrail, NESN’s President and CEO in a statement.

One thing to note is that NESN is pricey — the monthly subscription is $29.99 per month — and fans will still need access to ESPN or other broadcast networks for nationally-syndicated games. The annual subscription is priced at $329.99 per year and also includes 8 tickets to a Red Sox’s game of your choice.

NESN 360 is only the latest move by the world of sports to further embrace streaming. Amazon’s Prime Video is exclusively streaming select New York Yankees games for in-market customers this baseball season. NESN is the first regional sports network to launch a streaming service, but it won’t be the last. Both Sinclair Broadcasting Group and NBC Universal are preparing direct-to-consumer options for the regional sports networks under their ownership, as Deadlinenoted.

NESN 360 is only available in New England, and can be downloaded on your computer, iOS, Android, Apple TV or Roku device. Both annual and monthly subscribers will be billed $1 for their first month. 

For Boston fans who live outside of New England, a better option would be to go with MLB.tv, which has the rights to out-of-market games but blackout rules still apply to your region's own games. A monthly subscription to MLB.tv is $24.99 a month, and a single team subscription will set you back $99 a year. 

On Sunday, the final day of Disney’s Star Wars Celebration 2022 event, the company shared the first trailer for season two of The Bad Batch. And while we’ve known since last year that Disney planned to continue the series, the new season now has a release timeframe. It will debut on Disney+ this fall.

The trailer the company shared suggests the story will pick up following a time skip that leaves the members of Clone Force 99 looking older than they were in season one. Each one also is also seen wearing updated armor, with squad leader Hunter sporting a new scarf, for instance. As ever, it looks like the group has a tough journey ahead of them as they try to find a place in a changing galaxy. Oh, and there's a Wookie with a lightsaber. 

A release window for season two of The Bad Batch was one of a handful of announcements Disney shared during Star Wars Celebration 2022. We also got our first look at Rogue One prequel Andor and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to Respawn’s Fallen Order, in addition to updates on The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.

Young golfers can now turn their physical surroundings into a digital putting green, courtesy of the same tech behind Niantic's Pokémon Go. The PGA Jr. League today unveiled Safari Par-Tee, a new AR mobile gaming platform available on both iOS and Android. Trigger — the developer behind the app — built it with Niantic’s Lightship kit for AR apps. Players can use their smartphone to scan their physical environment into an interactive golf course.

While Safari Par-Tee is aimed toward youth golfers (it even features very cutesy animal avatars), its AR capabilities will likely make it a draw for parents and older family members to join in as well. The game has a number of multiplayer options, allowing players to match with other local players in real-time, or connect with specific players over WiFi The game also allows players to hold communal scoring contests with multiple rounds and different clubs. For players who are new to golf, the game introduces them to the fundamentals of the game as well as the various styles of play. The game features three different terrains, all with different obstacles and objectives. 

Given that the world of golf video games has plenty of options geared to adults (such as PGA TOUR 2K21, Tiger Woods PGA Tour and the recently delayed EA Sports PGA Tour), a free entry for kids seems like a refreshing change of pace. Safari Par-Tee is now available to download on either Apple’s App Store or the Google Play store.

The NFL may launch its own streaming service as soon as July. The long-rumored NFL+ could allow fans to stream some live games on phones and tablets. It may feature other content, such as podcasts, radio and team-created content. According to Sports Business Journal, NFL+ may cost $5 per month, but pricing isn't set in stone.

It's believed the games fans will be able to stream on phones and tablets will be restricted to those that they can see on local TV. Yahoo (Engadget's parent company) and carriers previously streamed those games. However, those deals have expired and it seems the NFL is retaining the rights.

The report also notes the league has been in talks with potential suitors, including Apple and Amazon, about taking an equity stake in its media business. If such a deal goes through, NFL+ could be made available as part of another streaming service. Amazon already streams Thursday Night Football games on Prime Video. Apple's has moved into sports as well — it streams exclusive MLB games every Friday.

Speaking of the MLB, the NFL looks set to follow in that league's footsteps. It has streamed out-of-market games on MLB.TV since 2002. The MLB is reportedly planning to debut a broader streaming service next year that would include in-market games for fans' home teams. FIFA also waded into the wide world of streaming last month, with the free, ad-supported service FIFA+.

EA and developer Maxis are bringing a welcome inclusivity feature to The Sims 4. Starting today, you'll be able to customize the pronouns of your Sims. The feature is only available in the English version of The Sims 4 for now. EA and Maxis plan to improve it over time and make it available in more languages. They say it's "one step in the direction of a more inclusive experience for Simmers."

A screenshot of the feature suggests players will be able to enter whichever pronouns they prefer into text boxes. The settings show how the pronouns will work in context too — e.g. "he/she/they would like a grilled cheese."

The developers worked with GLAAD and the It Gets Better Project to gain a deeper understanding of the impact and use of pronouns. The organizations helped the team grasp where and how binary representations of gender are used in the game.

Although The Sims 4 was originally released in 2014, EA and Maxis have continued to support the game with expansion packs and updates. It has a thriving modding community too. According to Mat Piscatella of The NPD Group, The Sims 4 was one of the 10 most-played games in the US in the first three months of this year, beating out the likes of Rocket League and Elden Ring.

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and Team Coco's other podcasts now belong to SiriusXM. O’Brien has sold his digital media company and podcast network to the satellite radio giant.

As part of the deal, which The Wall Street Journal says is worth around $150 million, O'Brien has signed a five-year talent agreement to keep hosting his podcast. He'll also create and produce a Team Coco comedy channel. In addition, SiriusXM will have the right to distribute some videos from O'Brien's podcast, along with archival footage from his TBS late-night show.

Team Coco's staff of around 50 will continue to produce existing shows and work on other SiriusXM content. The network's other podcasts include Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan (a spin-off of the flagship show) and Parks and Recollection, a Parks and Recreation behind-the-scenes show hosted by star Rob Lowe and writer Alan Yang. Collectively, the 10 podcasts have been downloaded more than 418 million times.

Don't worry too much if you listen to Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and other Team Coco shows elsewhere. They'll still be available on other podcast platforms.

"When I started in television my ultimate goal was to work my way up to radio," O'Brien said. "This new deal with SiriusXM builds on the great relationship that began several years ago with a team that is the standout in their field."

SiriusXM has been trying to become a bigger player in podcasting amid stiff competition from the likes of Spotify. Over the last couple of years, it has scooped up the Stitcher platform and podcasts such as 99% Invisible. SiriusXM has also beefed up its original content with exclusive shows from the likes of Marvel. It bought podcast hosting and analytics platform Simplecast too.

Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, claims it has won “concessions” from Google in its antitrust battle against the search giant. On Friday, Match withdrew a restraining order after the two sides came to a temporary agreement on in-app payments.

Match filed the order against Google one day after it sued the company, alleging it had broken federal and state antitrust laws. At the center of the dispute is a policy change Google plans to implement next month. In the fall of 2020, the company “clarified” its stance on in-app payments, announcing it was moving toward requiring all Android developers to process payments involving “digital goods and services” through the Google Play Billing system. Following multiple extensions, developers have until June 1st to comply with the policy.

Match, however, claims Google had “previously assured” the company that it could use its own payments system. The company also claims Google threatened to remove its apps from the Play Store if Match did not comply with the policy change by the upcoming deadline.

Under their temporary agreement, Google will allow Match apps to remain on the Play Store and won’t remove them for including alternate payment systems. Additionally, the search giant has agreed to make a “good faith” effort to address Match's concerns with Google Play Billing. Match, in turn, will make an effort to offer Google’s billing system as an option to consumers.

Lastly, instead of paying Google a commission on in-app purchases that occur outside of the company’s payment system, Match is establishing a $40 million escrow fund. Starting July 1st, Match will keep track of fees it would have normally owed Google. The fund will stay in place until the two sides go to court next April.

Following Match’s announcement, Google accused the company of publishing a “misleading” press release that “mischaracterizes” the terms of their agreement. "Match Group’s claim that it can't integrate Play’s billing system because it lacks key features contradicts the fact that Match Group has been proactively and successfully using Play’s billing in more than 10 of its apps," Google said. The company added it would file a countersuit against Match for violating its Developer Distribution Agreement ahead of their 2023 trial.