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Sony has revealed the PlayStation Plus monthly games lineup for June. These are the three titles that folks on the Essential, Extra and Premium tiers can all claim and retain access to as long as they continue to subscribe. The headliner for June is NBA 2K23. The most recent edition of the long-running series features the return of the Jordan Challenge, in which you can play through 15 key moments from Michael Jordan’s legendary career.Also in the lineup is Jurassic World Evolution 2, a construction and management sim in which you'll build your own Jurassic World theme park. Perhaps you'll have better luck at keeping the dinosaurs in their enclosures than the characters from the movies.Your PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for June are:➕ NBA 2K23➕ Jurassic World Evolution 2 ➕ Trek to YomiFull details: https://t.co/kvzqaSJ9U4pic.twitter.com/rjXUuFSLlv— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 31, 2023The third game PS Plus subscribers will able to snag next month is Trek to Yomi. It's an Akira Kurosawa-inspired action-adventure set in the Edo period of Japan. You play as a young samurai who seeks revenge against those who attacked his village. I enjoyed Trek to Yomi quite a bit. It's more style than substance, but goodness is that style gorgeous — I've used a screenshot as my desktop background for the last year.You can add these games to your library at no extra cost starting on June 6th. PS4 and PS5 versions of all three will be available. In the meantime, you still have a chance to claim May's games: Grid Legends, Chivalry 2 and Descenders.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-playstation-plus-monthly-games-for-june-include-nba-2k23-175506332.html?src=rss

The pro League of Legends scene has been upended after players voted "overwhelmingly" in favor of a walkout to protest changes Riot has made to the minor leagues. Now, the publisher has threatened to cancel the summer season of the League Championship Series (LCS), which would prevent North American teams from qualifying for the LoL World Championship, if an agreement can't be reached.Players approved the action only a few days before the Summer Split of the LCS, the top level of LoL esports in North America, was set to start. Riot has delayed the season by two weeks in an attempt to resolve issues with players and the LCS Players Association (LCSPA), the association that represents them."Hopefully, this two-week window will give us time for productive dialogue between the LSCPA, teams and the league and then resume LCS competition this summer," Naz Aletaha, Riot's global head of LoL esports, wrote in a blog post, which was published after a meeting with the LCSPA. "The LCS will not be penalizing the teams for not fielding their rosters during this two-week period to allow everyone space to focus on constructive dialogue. We are doing our best to ensure LCS employees, contractors and others supporting the LCS are not negatively impacted by the delay."The company said although it needs "an LCS that is thrilling to watch and showcases the highest levels of League of Legends play," it wouldn't be able to delay the Summer Split any further. Aletaha said doing so "would make it nearly impossible to run a legitimate competition," and as such Riot would be prepared to nix the season entirely. "That is not an outcome we’d want, but it’s unfortunately the reality of ensuring we run a fair, competitive global system," Aletaha added.The LCSPA claimed on Monday there had been "attempts to require teams to field scab players at the start of the season." The LCSPA urged potential replacements to refuse to play for an LCS team because "crossing the line puts all players’ futures at risk" and "undermines player negotiating power."pic.twitter.com/dr4aHrpv8T— LCS Players Association (@NALCSPA) May 29, 2023On Sunday, a majority of the 50 LCS players voted in favor of the walkout, resulting in one of the first major instances of collective action in esports. They are protesting a decision Riot announced earlier this month to no longer require LCS teams to field a team in an official farm system. The company agreed to a request from the teams in order to "support the continued, long-term success of the teams and the professional esports ecosystem in North America."Most LCS teams swiftly said they'd be dropping their North American Challengers League (NACL) rosters. The LCSPA said the move would result in "as many as 70 players, coaches and managers" losing their jobs and that most of the current LCS players came through the official farm system. The LCSPA claimed the average salary cost of an NACL roster "accounts for less than 17 percent of an average LCS organization's League-based salary costs in a year." It claimed that although farm systems in other regions were working well, "North America now has a developmental product with no viewership, no institutional support, no paying jobs and no future."The LCSPA urged Riot to agree to several conditions, including a promotion and relegation format between the LCS and NACL. It also wanted the publisher to "commit to a revenue pool for player salaries of $300,000 per NACL team per year."Aletaha addressed each of the LCSPA's five requests in the blog post. In terms of the revenue pool, "this ask is for multiple millions in subsidies for the NACL. That simply isn’t sustainable — and to be brutally honest, it shouldn’t be necessary. We have other Tier 2 leagues around the world which thrive on their own, and we believe the NACL can get to that place too." Aletaha noted that Riot is giving the organization that operates the NACL a one-time payment of $300,000 to "jump-start" the season and provide support to teams."Without players, there is no league, and there is no esport," the LCSPA said in response. The association planned to today start discussions "that result in meaningful collaborative action to get our players back where they want to be: competing for fans on the LCS stage."pic.twitter.com/PFjtbhphWh— LCS Players Association (@NALCSPA) May 31, 2023This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/riot-threatens-to-cancel-a-league-of-legends-esports-season-after-a-player-revolt-165429365.html?src=rss

Streaming promised us a world without cable contracts and the satisfaction of only paying for what we actually wanted to watch. But at what cost? Cutting the cord can mean you don’t get to watch local channels, live sports or certain “cable only” networks. If you want to get back some of what cable has to offer – without signing a contract – a live TV streaming service may be what you need. We tested out six of the most popular offerings, comparing the features, prices and usability of each to come up with recommendations for different types of TV lovers.What to look for in a live TV streaming serviceWhat you need to stream live TVStreaming live TV is a lot like using Netflix. You get access through apps on your phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device and the signal arrives over the internet. A faster and more stable internet connection tends to give you a better experience. Most live TV apps require you to sign up and pay via a web browser. After that, you can activate the app on your device.PriceWhen I started my research, I was struck by the price difference between live TV and a standard streaming app like Netflix or Peacock. Where the latter cost between $5 and $20 per month, many live TV services hit around the $70 mark and can go higher than $100 with additional perks, channel packages and premium extras. I also learned that when it comes to base plans, higher price tags are mostly due to the cost of providing multiple networks – particularly sports and local stations.Local channelsOnly two of the services we tried don’t include full local channel coverage and one of those makes no effort at carrying sports. That would be Philo and, as you might guess, it’s the cheapest. The next most affordable option, Sling, only carries three local stations, and only in larger markets, but it still manages to include some of the top sports channels.When you sign up with any provider that handles local TV, you’ll enter your zip code, ensuring you get your area’s broadcast affiliates for ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. Of course, you can also get those stations for free. Nearly all modern television sets support a radio frequency (RF) connection, also known as the coaxial port, which means if you buy an HD antenna, you’ll receive locally broadcast stations like ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. And since the signal is digital, reception is much improved over the staticky rabbit-ears era.SportsOne reality that spun my head was the sheer number and iterations of sports networks in existence. Trying to figure out which network will carry the match-up you want to see can be tricky. Google makes it a little easier for sports fans by listing out upcoming games: if you click on one, the “TV & streaming” button will tell you which network is covering the event.That just leaves figuring out if your chosen service carries that regional sports network. Unfortunately, even with add-ons and extra packages, some providers simply don’t have certain channel lineups. It would take a lawyer to understand the ins and outs of streaming rights negotiations, and networks leave and return to live TV carriers all the time. That said, most major sporting events in the US are covered by ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT, USA and local affiliates.Amy Skorheim / EngadgetTraditional cable networksDozens of networks were once only available with cable TV, like Bravo, BET, Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Lifetime, SYFY and MTV. If you only subscribe to, say, HBO Max and Netflix, you won’t have access to any of those. All the options we tested deliver sizable lists of cable networks, though only DirecTV gives you all of the top 36 channels ranked by Nielsen as the most watched in 2022.Media conglomerates continue to merge, rebrand or reenter the streaming market, which means you can find many cable networks on traditional streaming platforms like Peacock. Other channels like AMC+ have their own stand-alone apps. If you’re just interested in live TV for cable-only shows, there are cheaper alternatives. I was particularly delighted by the 20 ad-free channels you get on the Discovery+ app for $7 per month. In addition to original content, Paramount+ has shows from multiple brands like MTV and Comedy Central, while Peacock has Bravo and Hallmark shows.There’s even a service called Frndly TV that costs a mere $7 per month and streams A&E, Lifetime, Game Show Network, Vice and about 35 others. We didn’t test it for this guide because it doesn’t give you local access, news or sports and most people would be better served by the broader coverage on a cheap option like Philo.I should also mention free ad-supported TV (FAST) streamers like Plex, Tubi, PlutoTV and Sling Freestream that let you drop in and watch a decent selection of live networks at zero cost. Some don’t even require a credit card. And if you have a Roku device or a Samsung TV, you can access hundreds of live channels via the Roku Channel or through the Samsung TV Plus app.Digital video recordings (DVR)Every option we’ve included offers DVR storage and all content is stored in the cloud, so you don’t need a separate physical device like you often do with traditional cable. You’ll either get an unlimited amount of recordings that expire after nine months or a year, or you’ll get a set number of hours (between 50 and 1,000) that you can keep indefinitely. Typically, all you need to do is designate what you want to record and the DVR component will do all the hard work of saving subsequent episodes for you to watch later.Aside from being able to watch whenever it’s most convenient, you can also fast-forward through commercials in recorded content. In contrast, you can’t skip them on live TV or video-on-demand (VOD).Most live TV subscriptions include access to a selection of VOD content including movies and shows that are currently airing on your subscribed networks. This typically doesn’t cover live events, local shows and news programming. But it does let you watch specific episodes of ongoing shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives or BET’s Sistas. Just search the on-demand library for the program, pick an episode and hit play.Tiers, packages and add-onsComparing price-to-offering ratios is a task for a spreadsheet. I… made three. The base plans range from $25 to $75 per month. From there, you can add on packages, which are usually groups of live TV channels bundled by themes like news, sports, entertainment or international. Those cost an extra $5 to $20 per month and simply show up in the guide where you find the rest of your base-level live TV.Then there are more premium VOD add-ons, such as HBO Max, AMC+, Starz or Showtime. You may already have these through standalone apps. If you don’t, or if you prefer a combined bill and one access point for your streaming, many live TV subscriptions let you add them.How we testedWhen I begin testing for a guide, I research the most popular and well-reviewed players in the category and narrow down which are worth trying. For this space, just six services dominate, so I tried them all. After getting them set up using my laptop, I downloaded the apps on a Samsung smart TV running the latest version of Tizen OS. I counted the local stations and regional sports coverage, and noted how many of last year's top cable networks were available. I then weighed the prices, base packages and available add-ons.I then looked at how the programming was organized in each app’s UI and judged how easy everything was to navigate, from the top navigation to the settings. To test the search function, I searched for the same few shows on BET, Food Network, HGTV and Comedy Central, since all six providers carry those channels. I noted how helpful the searches were and how quickly they got me to season 6, episode 13 of Home Town.I used DVR to record entire series and single movies and watched VOD shows, making sure to test the pause and scan functions. On each service with sports, I searched for the same four upcoming NHL, NBA, MLS and NCAA basketball matches and used the record option to save the games and play them back a day or two later. Finally, I noted any extra perks or irritating quirks.Here’s the full list of everything we tried:PhiloSlingYouTube TVHulu + Live TVDirecTV StreamFuboTVMost well-rounded: YouTube TVGoogle’s live TV streaming service has a lot of strengths. Compared to our top pick for sports, YouTube TV covers major and minor teams, regional games and national matchups almost as well. It gives you clear navigation, a great search function, unlimited DVR and broad network coverage. It's not quite as affordable as it once was, as YouTube recently raised the price to $73 per month – and it's even more financially precarious if you're not great at resisting temptation.Upon signup, you’re presented with nearly 50 different add-ons, including 4K resolution, premium channels and themed packages. Even if you fight the urge to roll HBO Max, Shudder and AcornTV into the mix at signup, the enticement remains as it’s dangerously easy to add more to your subscription. If you search for a program on a network you don’t have, you’re prompted to add it. And of course, you can also rent or buy movies that aren’t currently showing on any channels, just like you can via YouTube. While it’s convenient to be able to order up anything you might want on a whim, I imagine this pushes many users’ bills far above Google’s listed $73 per month.Still, it’s nice to have all your entertainment in one place. And if you only want the add-ons, you can actually subscribe to most of the standalone networks without paying for the base plan. Either way, you get a familiar user experience, with navigation you’ll recognize if you’ve spent any time on regular ol’ YouTube. Unsurprisingly, Google’s search function was the best of the bunch, finding the shows and games I searched for quickly and giving me clear choices for how to watch and record.At signup, you’ll also pick the shows, networks and teams you like, which are added to your library. YouTube TV then automatically records them. You get unlimited cloud DVR space (though recordings expire after nine months) and it’s dead simple to add programming to your library. Like a real cable experience, YouTube TV autoplays your last-watched program upon startup by default, but it was the only service that allowed me to turn that feature off by heading to the settings.Searching for and recording an upcoming game was easy. Once the game was recorded, I had to hunt a little to find it in my library (turns out single games are listed under the Events heading, not Sports). But after that, playback was simple and included a fascinating extra feature: You can either play a recorded game from the beginning or hit Watch Key Plays. The latter gives you between 12 and 20 highlight snippets, each about 10 seconds long. It focuses on the most impressive shots in an NBA bout and includes every goal in an MLS matchup. The feature was available for NCAA basketball and in-season major American leagues (hockey, soccer and basketball at the time of testing). Foreign and more minor games didn’t have the feature.YouTube TV also gives you the most in-app settings. You can add parental controls to a profile or pull up a stats menu that shows your buffer health and connection speeds. You can lower playback resolution for slow connections and even send feedback to YouTube. It was also the best at integrating VOD and live programming. For example, if you search for a show that happens to be playing live, a red badge in the corner of the show’s image lets you know it’s on right now. Other services didn’t display this info as clearly.Now that YouTube TV is $73 per month, it's no longer cheaper than Hulu + Live TV, which is $70. And if you already subscribe to the regular Hulu app, this is definitely the better better choice. Hulu's option gives you live TV streaming, plus all of Hulu’s content, some of which you can't get elsewhere.  Hulu + Live TV carries your local affiliates and 32 of the top 36 cable channels, which is the same number as YouTube TV. For sports, you get all available ESPN iterations plus FS1, FS2, TBS, USA, TNT, NBC Golf and the NFL Network. You can also add on premium VOD channels like HBO Max and Showtime, and it’s the only provider that includes Disney+ at no extra cost.Navigation on Hulu + Live TV isn’t as smooth as most of the other options – it felt like the live component had been shoehorned into the standard Hulu app. But if you’re already comfortable with (and paying for) Hulu, upgrading to the live TV bundle might be worthwhile.YouTube TVBase plan: $73/moLocal channels: YesTop cable channels: 32 of 36DVR limits: Unlimited, 9-month expirationProfiles per account: 6Simultaneous at-home streams: 3 (unlimited with upgrade)Picture in picture mode: YesHulu + Live TVBase plan: $70/moLocal channels: YesTop cable channels: 32 of 36DVR limits: Unlimited, 9-month expirationProfiles per account: 6Simultaneous at-home streams: 2 (unlimited with upgrade)Picture in picture mode: NoBest cable without a contract: DirecTV StreamCanceling cable is no joke – those contracts are binding. But if you enjoy the serendipity of flipping from one channel to the next and having access to as many networks as possible, DirecTV Stream will give you a very similar experience to cable without shackling you to a contract. Like cable, it allows you to jump to the “next” sequential channel (yes, DirecTV Stream numbers its channels) with a single button press, transforming the left and right d-pad buttons of a smart TV remote into the rocker on a standard clicker.It carries all the top 36 cable networks (though Game Show Network and Animal Planet are only available at the second tier and above) and lets you add multiple packages and premiums like Showtime, Starz, AMC+ and Discovery+. You can also add HBO Max, just like on YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, but DirecTV is the only one we tried that lets you add Peacock. Of course, you can always add those apps separately to your smart TV, but for anyone who prefers the all-in-one convenience of cable, it’s a nice perk.When you fire up DirecTV Stream, whichever network you last watched automatically starts playing. It continues when you switch over to the guide or other menu pages. If you’re used to the quieter experience of traditional streaming apps (after you turn off autoplay), you might find that a little distracting.The navigation didn’t feel intuitive, partly because the menu options overlay the currently playing show and because there are so many ways to browse, access and control live, recorded and on-demand content. The search function was the least integrated of the services I tested. Instead of live-suggesting as you type, it forces you to enter your full search term on a separate keyboard interface. Even with that limitation, it found the shows and movies I searched for and accurately presented the upcoming games I wanted just from typing in one of the teams.You can’t add new channels or packages through the app, which might be a relief to anyone worried about succumbing to subscription overload. Everyone else may just find it annoying.Base plan: $75/moLocal channels: YesTop cable channels: 36 of 36DVR limits: Unlimited, 9-month expiration (maximum of 30 episodes per series)Profiles per account: 1Simultaneous at-home streams: UnlimitedPicture in picture mode: NoBest for live sports: FuboTVWhen you first sign up for FuboTV, it asks what teams you follow across all kinds of sports. Pick teams from in-season leagues and you’ll quickly have DVR content to watch. That’s because Fubo records every game your teams play as long as it’s aired on a supported channel – and its sports coverage is vast.I tested out a premium subscription and the guide said there were 118 sports networks to choose from. In addition to the usual suspects from ESPN, Fox, NBC and CBS, you can watch motorsports, international leagues, adventure sports and even poker. Add-ons give you NBA TV, NHL Network, NFL Red Zone and MLB Network. And if you need access to all one thousand games the NBA plays in a season, you can add the NBA League Pass to your lineup for $15 per month. FuboTV even has its own sports channels.Yes, the coverage is comprehensive, but FuboTV also made finding and recording specific games very easy. Searching for an upcoming game was simple, as was sifting through the ample amount of recorded games I ended up with. I particularly liked FanView for live games, which inserts the video into a smaller window and surrounds that window with continually updating stats plus a clickable list of other games currently airing.FuboTV has made an obvious effort to win at sports, but recently it’s tried to deliver on the live TV experience as well. Based on what I've seen so far, it's certainly made strides. The guide was impressive in the number of ways it let you organize live TV, yet everything felt clean and uncluttered. The Home, Sports, Shows and Movies pages were filled with recommendations and many iterations of categories, with almost all suggestions being live TV.Where FuboTV falls short is in VOD access and DVR playback. It wasn’t the best at finding the shows I searched for, and navigating available VOD content wasn’t as breezy as browsing through live programming. The lack of a pop-up preview window as you fast forward or rewind through recordings makes it tough to gauge where you are in a show. As for price, FuboTV ties with DirecTV Stream for the most expensive base package at $75. But if you need all the sports – and want some nicely organized live TV during the few moments when there’s not a game on – this is the way to go.Base plan: $75/moLocal channels: YesTop cable channels: 29 of 36DVR limits: 1000 hours, no expirationProfiles per account: 6Simultaneous at-home streams: 10Picture in picture mode: Yes (Apple TV only)Most customizable: Sling TVTo me, the idea of spending time fine-tuning channel choices sounds exhausting. But if you’re the type who wants to get exactly what you want without paying for too much of what you don’t, Sling TV may be your best bet. It breaks its base plan into two packages, Blue and Orange, with different channels on each. Blue, which costs $45 a month, carries a larger number of networks, while Orange seems to have spent its lineup dollars on ESPN and ESPN 2. But at $40 monthly, Sling Orange is the cheapest way to get those two sports outlets.After picking a plan, you can choose from a stable of add-on packages, with monthly prices ranging from $6 to $11. These include blocks of sports or lifestyle channels, kid-friendly fare, the Discovery+ bundle and a news package. There are 46 individual premium offerings, including Showtime, Starz, MGM+, Shudder and Acorn, which go for between $2 and $10 per month. Sling has pay-per-view movies, too.As far as local coverage, Sling Blue grants access to ABC, Fox and NBC local affiliates in about 20 of the larger US markets including Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, NYC, Miami and DC. ABC coverage began in March 2023, but unfortunately, that raised the price of Sling Blue in supported markets from $40 to $45. For people not in those areas (or who opt for Orange) Sling is currently running a promotion for a free HD antenna to catch local stations.Navigation is speedy and the interface is nicely organized, putting an emphasis on what you like to watch, with recommendations that are pretty accurate. The UI also makes the add-ons you’ve chosen easy to find. In my tests, though, the app froze a number of times as I navigated. While most services froze once or twice, it happened enough times with Sling to frustrate me. I had to force quit or back out of the app and start over five or six times during the three weeks of testing. Compared to others, Sling’s DVR allowance is on the stingy side, only giving you 50 hours of recordings, though they won't expire. You can pay for more DVR storage, but that will increase your overall costs.I tried not to wander too far off-path during testing, but I feel it’s my duty to inform you that Sling has an Elvis channel, a Bob Ross channel and ALF TV (yes, an entire station devoted to the ‘80s sitcom starring a puppet). There’s also a Dog TV network intended to be played for your dogs when you leave the house, which you can add to Sling or get as a standalone app.Base plan: Starting at $40/moLocal channels: ABC, FOX, NBC in limited marketsTop cable channels: 22 or 29 of 36DVR limits: 50 hours, no expirationProfiles per account: 4Simultaneous at-home streams: 1 or 3Picture in picture mode: YesBest budget: PhiloAt just $25 per month, Philo is one of the cheapest ways to get a cordless live TV experience. The biggest caveat is that you won’t find any local stations or sports programming on it. If that’s not an issue, Philo is great, with a clean, streamlined interface and generous DVR limits.I’m a fan of minimalist design, so I appreciated the way Philo presented its menus and guide. There are just four top navigation headings: Home, Guide, Saved and Search. And instead of the usual guide layout that stretches out or shortens a show’s listing to represent its air time, Philo’s guide features monospaced squares in chronological order with the duration of the program inside the square. Another nice touch is when you navigate to a square, it fills with a live video of the show or movie.Philo doesn’t limit the amount of programming you can DVR and lets you keep recordings for a full year, which is more than the nine months other providers allow. Like all live TV streamers, Philo won’t let you fast forward VOD programming. If skipping commercials is important to you, I recommend taking advantage of that unlimited DVR policy and hitting “Save” on any show or movie you think you may want to watch, then fast forwarding it on playback (you can do this with all the services we tried).As far as channels, Philo covers 23 of the top 36 cable networks, with notable exceptions including Fox News, CNN, ESPN and MSNBC. Anyone looking for great news coverage should look elsewhere anyway, but the lack of a few must-have entertainment outlets like Bravo and Freeform was a little disappointing.Base plan: $25/mo.Local channels: NoTop cable channels: 23 of 36DVR limits: Unlimited, one year expirationProfiles per account: 10Simultaneous streams: 3Picture in picture mode: Yes (browser only)This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-live-tv-streaming-service-133000410.html?src=rss

Samsung's The Frame is a smart TV that has a nifty trick up its sleeve. When you're not watching something, it looks like a piece of art. It's an intriguing alternative to the standard gloomy black box that can dominate a living room when a big-screen TV is turned off. Now, over at Woot, you can snap up a Frame TV at a discount. The retailer is running a sale on several 2022 models and it has dropped prices by up to 33 percent.You'll need to make up your mind whether to take the plunge relatively quickly, as the sale will run for nine days or until the smart TVs are sold out. The biggest discounts, percentage wise, are on the 50-inch and 75-inch models, as both are a third off. The 50-inch model has dropped by $430 to $870, while the 75-inch model is $1,000 off at $2,000.When Art Mode is enabled, The Frame can display the artwork of your choice. Some of the pieces are available at no extra cost, though you'll have access to a wider selection with a Samsung Art Store subscription. The options range from iconic works such as the Mona Lisa and The Starry Night to modern photography. The Frame has a low profile and anti-reflective matte glass to bolster the illusion that you're looking at framed art instead of a TV. The bezel is customizable too.When you do want to tune in to a show or movie, you'll be able to watch in 4K, unless you opt for the 32-inch model, which doesn't have a QLED 4K display. The Frame also has the Alexa voice assistant built in and it uses Samsung's Tizen OS.Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-2022-the-frame-smart-tvs-are-up-to-33-percent-off-145612737.html?src=rss