Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.'s MLB 08: The Show will be available in Autumn 2008, exclusively for PS3, PlayStation 2 and PSP.

Reflecting on the history of the franchise, the longest-running officially licensed baseball title on PlayStation platforms, Sony says the SCEA San Diego Studios development team went into this season looking to build upon the history and success of the franchise, by raising the level of authenticity and realism, and creating the perfect blend of features and unique gameplay opportunities.

To deliver the closest experience possible, MLB 08: The Show introduces an improved Road to the Show mode. As gamers attempt to make a starting line-up in the Big Leagues, playing on both offence and defence from a custom-created player’s perspective, a more robust dynamic goal system and a new career advancement system will determine when a player is eligible for a promotion. Additionally, custom-created players are more interactive. As a position player, gamers will be able to further adjust positioning, catchers will endure more defensive situations, and pitchers will now experience mound visits with user interaction – all making Road to The Show mode even more realistic.

“Baseball fans know that the MLB franchise has been met with critical acclaim and has a long-standing winning tradition,” said Scott Rohde, senior director, product development, SCEA San Diego Studios. “MLB 08: The Show continues to display our commitment to delivering highly innovative and improved features in order to provide an unrivalled simulation with a broadcast-quality presentation.”

As the only first party franchise officially licensed by Major League Baseball Properties, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and the Major League Baseball Players' Association (MLBPA), MLB 08: The Show features more than 3,000 individual player animations, including personalised stances, pitching animations, individual swings, batting rituals and motion captures from MLB players. Additionally, the franchise adds to the realism by including Umpire Personalities combined with Interactive Hot and Cold Zones and player-scaled Strike Zones, Release Point Pitching combined with Adaptive Pitching Intelligence (API) and the Pitch Command System (PCS), and the most comprehensive commentary ever produced for a sports title, featuring the three-man booth of Rex Huddler, Matt Vasgerian and Dave Campbell.

Providing players with some additional performance incentives, the MLB franchise introduces the new Progressive Batting Performance feature, which will both reward players for superior performance and penalise them for hitting slumps. Specific to each individual batter, players will be rewarded with slight contract bonuses, or punished with slight decreases in contract, based on how that batter that performs beyond his 'natural ability' while under user control. Adding to the online feature set, which includes customisable Online League Play with up to 30 teams, scrolling MLB Score Ticker and more, MLB 08: The Show introduces SCOUT (SportsConnect Online User Tracking), which allows gamers to set and store their game preferences on the MLB server, and then enables the system to look for a Quick Match with opponents that fit similar competitive criteria.

For PS3 and PSP owners, MLB 08: The Show serves up the new Pitcher/Batter Analysis, both in-game and post game, offering a breakdown of how a batter has performed based on LHP or RHP, pitch type and the result. And for fans who want to create their own soundtracks, MLB 08 THE SHOW offers the opportunity to take music stored on a PS3 system’s HDD or a Memory Stick Duo and add tracks to the list of music played in the JukeBox.

Along with all the key franchise features, gameplay favourites for PlayStation 2 include Franchise Mode, where players take control of the entire team, Rivalry Mode, which allows fans to set-up, track and maintain heated rivalries, the Home Run Derby and EyeToy functionality. MLB 08: The Show for PSP continues to be a fan favourite with its core features and ability to play any time, anywhere, on the go. Plus, sports fanatics can utilise the system’s online news service to get the latest MLB news feeds online or save them to the Memory Stick Duo and review them offline at their convenience.