MLB The Show 26: Gameplay Feature Premiere Breakdown

MLB The Show 26's Feature Premiere season has officially kicked off.

The first Feature Premiere was focused on gameplay features and additions. There was quite a bit covered, including some detailed breakdowns from SDS gameplay designers. This was possibly the most detailed and thorough gameplay stream we've ever gotten, and was a very fun and informative watch as a longtime player.

Let's get to the good stuff.

MLB The Show Gameplay Updates

Hitting

Big Zone Hitting arrives as a middle ground between Directional and Zone. Players control quadrants of the strike zone, with Contact being the most important attribute driving outcomes. Zone Hitting remains the highest-skill, highest-reward option.

Fixed Zone is a Zone variant that locks the PCI in place once the stick is released, paired with a new PCI Sensitivity setting for Zone and Fixed Zone users. PCI Sensitivity is one of the most requested changes in years, and I'm actually stoked for the Fixed Zone Hitting and will adopt it as I've always hated that letting go of the stick moves the PCI.

Pressing R2/Right-Trigger no longer pauses pitchers. Pitch information will still be displayed, but the button no longer delays the pitcher from throwing the ball. Another long requested feature that will eliminate one of the most frustrating "cheese" moves in online play.

There is now a slight delay in the beginning of the animation when pitchers are throwing from the stretch to compensate for "quick pitchers." This has a benefit for the pitcher, as it provides more time to make the correct gesture without being affected by extremely fast stretch-animations.

Pitching

Bear Down Pitching is a stackable and earnable feature that increases Control on a selected pitch. These earned pitches do not expire inning over inning, and only disappear when used or you change pitchers.

Players are still required to successfully input their pitches. Bear Down does not automatically become perfectly located pitches.

In Diamond Dynasty, attributes have been completely revamped. Pitchers now have separate H/9 ratings against batter handedness. BB/9 ratings have become Control, as individual pitch Control ratings have been removed.

Clutch rating directly affects how easy it is to earn and store Bear Down pitches. It is easier to earn with higher Clutch and vice versa. Throwing strikes and getting Strikeouts is the core mechanic to earn. High-Clutch pitchers are capped to 4 maximum Bear Down pitches per inning that can be stored.

Hitters are unaware when Bear Down pitches are being used.

SDS gameplay designers broke down why Sliders low and away have lower PCI sizes. They provided an amazing graphic that breaks down the in-game impact comparing different situations and how they affect PCI placement. SDS also explained that the shrinking PCI on Sliders low and away was the answer to excessive foul tips, which have been significantly improved over the years.

Pitches are aligned based off pitcher usage, and primary pitches will have smaller PAR sizes (easier to locate) while the least used pitches will have larger PAR sizes. It feels safe to assume that the actual in-game effects will be minimal at most, as PAR sizes will probably be similarly designed to when pitches did have individual Control ratings.

Online Co-Op Updates

Squad leaders can now tune team strategy by setting a rotation order for fielding responsibilities.

Pitchers only pitch now. Infield users control the Pitcher and Catcher defensively now.

General Updates and Tweaks

There is now a setting to set all pitchers to pitching exclusively out of the stretch.

The online default is set to stretch but can be changed offline.

Taking timeouts in the middle of an at-bat has returned. Elevation still affects gameplay.

A Depth of Field option has been added to camera settings universally across the game. This blurs out a set area in the background, allowing you to more clearly see the pitcher and the release of the ball.

You can now customize the pitch history graphics displayed in-game.

Card UI in Diamond Dynasty displays only the relevant attributes that affect gameplay.

Pop-Time is now a specific attribute unrelated to Arm Strength.

Pitch Com comes to the game with an audible call-out that mimics what pitchers using the program in real life.

ABS also comes to the game, with umpires being defaulted to Personalities which means they'll miss calls. This feature is only offline and does not apply to any online game modes.

In Road to the Show, Reaction is not split directionally. SDS did not want to force players to spend extra tokens in each direction.

Closing Thoughts

I'm a big fan of basically everything SDS discussed today. Fixed Zone Hitting letting my PCI where I aimed my thumbstick anywhere in the zone, and customizable PCI Sensitivity are huge additions for me personally. Bear Down Pitching is an interesting mechanic, and having the ability to "empty the tank" in tough situations add a competitive wrinkle. Skilled pitchers will stack more of these pitches on-average, which will play out in a noticeable way over time.

Pitchers having separate H/9 depending on handedness is huge and will add a ton of depth to gameplay. Depth of Field allowing me to cut out the noise is a huge plus, and I love the new card UI.

For a first stream, this was a huge win to me and I'm excited to see everything else to come.

Full release date and pre-order information here.

Gameplay Trailer 1 breakdown and commentary here.

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