That may disappoint gamers who were hoping the PS4 would be a floating white sphere. But, more important, the PS4 will cost $399 $100 less than Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One.

"The gaming landscape is changing with new business models and new ways to play," said Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment.

That wasn't the only shot fired at Microsoft during Sony's presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gambling industry's annual U.S. trade show. The loudest applause at the company's event show came when Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, announced that the company would not try to restrict used game sales. Tretton also said the PS4 would not require a persistent online connection.

"PlayStation 4 disc-based games don't need to be connected online to play or any type of authentication," said Tretton. "If you enjoy playing single-player games offline, PS4 won't require to you check in online period and it won't stop working if you haven't authenticated in 24 hours."

Microsoft has been criticized for its vague statements about whether it will allow buyers of its Xbox One to play secondhand software, as well as its requirement that the new console be connected to the Internet at least once every 24 hours.

Beyond those issues, Sony gave potential PS4 buyers plenty of games to look forward to. The company's Santa Monica Studios, the developer of the "God of War" franchise, introduced the steampunk thriller "The Order: 1866." Quantic Dream, the French studio behind "Heavy Rain" and the upcoming "Beyond: Two Souls," provided a comical glimpse at the fantasy "The Dark Sorceror."

Shu Yoshida, president of Sony Worldwide Studios, says the company's studios have more than 30 PS4 games in development, including 12 brand new intellectual properties.

Sony also showed new footage from previously announced PS4 games like the superhero adventure "InFamous: Second Son," the auto racing simulator "Drive Club" and the military shooter "Killzone: Shadow Fall."

Several third-party developers also debuted next-generation titles at Sony's event. Bungie, the creator of the blockbuster Xbox series "Halo," showed the first in-game footage of its highly anticipated first-person shooter "Destiny." Warner Bros. showed a clip from a new "Mad Max" game, while Square-Enix announced the long-awaited "Kingdom Hearts III" and "Final Fantasy XV." Overall, Tretton said, more than 140 PS4 titles are in the pipeline.

___

Online:

http://www.playstation.com

Like the rest of Iran's ruling Islamic establishment, the Guard, which has kept a tight lid on any hints of opposition for years, is for the moment embracing Rowhani, even though he is almost certain to return once-silenced moderates into the political fold and restore the voice of liberal-leaning Iranians who danced in the streets after his stunning election victory.

The reason is because in one of the more curious twists of Iranian politics the opposition's accidental hero Rowhani also may become a lucky charm for the ruling system.

His surprise victory allows the Islamic leadership to seek a bit of legitimacy among liberals and others who felt they exiled off the political map after the crackdowns following massive protests in 2009 over the disputed re-election of the now-exiting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"They counted my vote!" some Rowhani supporters chanted in a mix of celebration and shock after the announcement of the results from Friday's election.

Rowhani's mild manifesto sprinkled with words like "moderation" and "dialogue" also could provide a honeymoon period for the leadership as a whole. Factions in Israel and the U.S. that have promoted military options against Iran's nuclear program may find themselves in search of an audience with Rowhani playing the role of tension-easer.

Interviewed on the American CBS TV network, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough called on Rowhani to follow through with his plan to improve relations with the West. "I see it as a potentially hopeful sign," McDonough said.

The ecstatic outpouring of Iranians dancing and celebrating in the streets Saturday night and Sunday reflected the hopes that Rowhani can bring an end to the domination of hard-liners for the past eight years under Ahmadinejad, with arrests against the opposition and restrictions on rights. Many saw the win as a slap to the ruling clerics, sending a message that they cannot keep the opposition bottled up.

Rowhani does have a people-power mandate that certainly will be factored in by Iran's rulers. But the scope of his win more than three times of votes of the runner-up doesn't give him any extra-credit powers. Iran's presidency is still without the tools to take any major initiatives without clearance from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or, by extension, the Revolutionary Guard.

The ruling clerics not the president hold all the cards in policymaking and make every make decision such as nuclear efforts, dealings with the West or Iran's aid to its ally Bashar Assad in Damascus, who sent Rowhani a congratulations message Sunday that urged for the countries to remain united.

On Sunday, Rowhani had his first meeting as president-elect with Khamenei, who offered "necessary guidelines" to Rowhani, state TV said, without elaborating.

In reaction to the positive vibes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday against being lulled by "wishful thinking" and urged for increased sanctions to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions. Some Israeli commentators have even joked with a dash of truth that Israeli hawks will miss Ahmadinejad as the best salesman for their policies.

The West and allies fear Iran could be moving toward a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials including the 64-year-old Rowhani a former nuclear negotiator insist the country's only seek reactors for energy and medical use.

"With a moderate in as president instead of Ahmadinejad, Israel has to change its tone," said Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born political analyst based in Israel. "The sell-by date of repeating the same line of 'all options remain on the table' has expired."

The U.S. and other world powers, meanwhile, are likely to move quickly to restart nuclear negotiations, which have failed to make any headway after four rounds since last year. This sets up a potential quandary for Iran.

The current nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, finished a distant third in the election and is something of Rowhani's antithesis, insisting that Iran cannot give an inch to its foes. So far, Iran's negotiating position has been that the West must ease sanctions up front as a first step before anything else can happen.

What the Iranian president can offer is advice and attempt to nudge views in his direction.

Rowhani has been at the negotiating table before as Iran's envoy beginning in 2003, just a year after Tehran's revived nuclear efforts were revealed. Rowhani has been highly critical of Iran's leadership for not showing more nimble tactics and allowing the economic squeeze to become so painful, with inflation now galloping at about 30 percent and critical oil exports cut in half.

In some ways, Rowhani's rise may owe a bit to the sanctions and the predictions by Washington that they will embolden dissent. During the street celebrations for Rowhani on Saturday, there were many chants about Iran's sinking economy and international isolation peppered among the calls for greater freedoms and political rights.

Rowhani knew where to strike in the campaign, constantly returning to economic woes. "Which family today doesn't have someone who isn't unemployed?" he asked. "If the administration had a plan, couldn't this be solved?"

The pro-reform Etemad daily carried a front page image of the smiling cleric Rowhani flashing a V-for-victory sign: "A salute to Iran and to the sheik of hope."

"Rowhani may face problems like sanctions, inflation and so," said Mirzababa Motaharinejad, a member of the pro-reform Mardomslari party. "But authorities will cooperate with him."

Up to a point. Iran has been here before and it didn't end well for reformists.

In 2001, reformist Mohammad Khatami steamrolled into his second term as president. The next four years were a stalemate as hard-liners allied with Khamenei blocked attempts at political reforms in parliament. Authorities gave up some ground on social freedoms letting women's head scarves slide back and permitting more Western films and music but there also were pinpoint strikes on dissent with arrests and newspaper closures. The establishment eventually

Now, the Revolutionary Guard and its nationwide paramilitary force, the Basij, are far stronger and more deeply integrated into every level of society, including monitoring social media.

It's unlikely Rowhani will push too hard anyway. He is moderate in the mold of his political patron, former President Akbar Heshami Rafsanjani, who wages selective battles against the Islamic establishment but manages to stay an insider with a post within the ruling hierarchy. Rowhani's candidacy was something of a consolation prize after the ruling clerics barred Rafsanjani from running. Rafsanjani will now play the role of shadow president, advising from the wings.

A test ahead could be whether Rowhani attempts to win the release of the candidates from the disputed 2009 election, Green Movement leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and former parliament speaker Mahdi Karroubi, who have been house arrest since early 2011. Chants at his rallies and victory celebrations urged for their freedom.

"There is a lot to be cautious about. Rowhani is part of the system. He has served in some of the highest positions in Iran, including within the military and national security establishment," said Alireza Nader, senior policy analyst at the Rand Corp., a Washington-based think tank that receives U.S. funding. "He is not a reformist. He appears as an alternative candidate when compared to people like former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This is a low bar."

___

Murphy, the AP's bureau chief in Dubai, has covered Iranian affairs for nearly 15 years.

(Logo: )

SATURDAY, JUNE 15: DIGITAL DEBUT

Profile America Saturday, June 15th. This date 62 years ago was a Friday, and the first full, official day on the number-crunching job for UNIVAC I, after a dedication ceremony the day before. Delivered to the Census Bureau in late march, UNIVAC I was the first commercial electronic computer, and launched today's digital revolution by processing data from the 1950 Census of population. Now, over three-quarters of America's approximately 120 million households have computers, and 44 percent have Internet access either at home or outside such as at schools or libraries. You can find current data on the country's economy by downloading the new "America's Economy" mobile application at .

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Computer and Internet Use 2010, Table 1A, 1C

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at(look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

might actually help prevent damaging solar winds from bombarding planets in their system, allowing for a wider "Goldilocks zone" of habitability, Joni Clark, an undergraduate at New Mexico State University, said during a poster session at the 222nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society last week. []

"[The stars] calm each other down," Clark told SPACE.com of her . "It's like a really good marriage. They vent to each other, and they're not focused on anything else. They slow each other down and that causes increased magnetic protection of the planets."

When the stars in a binary are somewhat evenly matched in mass, they can enter into a synchronized dance that keeps solar winds to a minimum.

The stars also need to fully orbit one another within 10 to 30 days to expand the habitable zone. If they drift too far apart, it could put a significant gravitational strain on the orbiting planets. The magnetic fields of the planets aren't necessarily boosted in these kinds of binary systems, Clark said, but they don't have to deal with as much solar assault.

Water worlds and rocky planets could form in areas of the system that might not be habitable without the double star interaction.

"It also leaves the potential open for smaller planets that have less magnetic field protection to remain habitable because in a sense they don't have to protect themselves from as much as they would in a single star case," Clark said.

Clark found that some "p-type" planets (that orbit both stars in a binary system) receive 0.7 percent less flux from solar wind than Earth depending on their position in the solar system.

"Potentially, p-type binaries could have more potential for habitability," Clark added.

In these systems, it's also possible thatcould exist as close-in to their stars as Venus is to the sun.

While planets that circle both well-matched stars in a binary system might have an easier time, not all binaries create this extended oasis.

Planets that only orbit one star in a binary can have it rough. If a planet orbits the secondary star in a system, it could get a double dose of solar aggression from stars that are too far apart to synchronize.

Planets that orbit primary stars in a binary, however, basically behave as any planet would in a single star system, Clark said.

Follow Miriam Kramer onand . Follow us on , and . Original article on .

South Sudanese army spokesman Col. Philip Aguer said, however, that any violations of an African Union-mediated pact signed in March would be taken as an act of provocation.

"The oil can be shut down," he said from Juba, South Sudan's capital. "What may amount to a declaration of war is if the security agreements that have been reached are violated. Oil is just a bilateral agreement which the Sudanese government has the choice to accept or not to accept."

Aguer said Sudan had yet to implement President Omar al-Bashir's recent order to close pipelines carrying South Sudan's oil exports over charges the government in Juba supports armed rebels seeking to topple the Sudan's government. Mohammed Atta al-Moula, Sudan's spy chief, told reporters on Sunday that the country also will suspend its security and economic pacts with South Sudan if the country does not end its alleged support for rebels who recently have mounted attacks on the Sudanese army.

Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, told reporters in Washington that Sudan's threat to shut down oil pipelines "is deeply disappointing."

She said implementing this threat would be a "violation of Sudan's obligations under the September 27th agreements, which only allow for a shutdown with 60 days of notice for economic or technical reasons ..."

South Sudan which also accuses Sudan of supporting a rebel group led by a former South Sudanese army colonel named David Yau Yau denies backing Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, or SPLM-N, rebels.

"We are not helping any rebels," Aguer said. "The allegations are baseless. It's just because they have been unable to defeat the rebels that they are looking for an explanation elsewhere."

But Small Arms Survey, an independent Swiss research firm, said in a report in April that South Sudan provided logistical, financial and political support, but not weapons, to rebels fighting the Sudanese military. The group said South Sudan's government is providing vehicles, fuel and food to SPLM-N fighters and other rebel groups. The SPLM-N operates on the Sudan side of the border between the two countries but is ideologically aligned with South Sudan.

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war, pumps its crude exports through pipelines that run through Sudan. In early 2012 South Sudan charged that Sudan was stealing its oil and then shut down its oil industry, a decision that crippled the government budgets of both countries.

Since their 2011 division there has been fighting between the two countries, and threats to resume hostilities. International mediators including the African Union have been working to keep the peace and normalize relations between the Sudans.

Sudan and South Sudan signed an agreement in March that the United Nations said improved border security and could "lead to the permanent resolution of outstanding issues between the two countries."

___

Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

The email sent by AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips said the company was "scared to death" of drug injections given to Jackson.

Phillips told jurors the email was a response to a $48,000 bill that Jackson's manager received for the treatments by Dr. Arnold Klein.

"He scares us to death because he is shooting him up with something," Phillips wrote.

The email was sent to Jackson's business manager Michael Kane after a meeting was held at the singer's house to address his health and missed rehearsals.

The treatments included numerous shots of cosmetic drugs such as Restalyne and botox, as well as other unidentified intramuscular shots, Phillips said, citing the bill.

Klein's attorney has defended the doctor's treatment of Jackson.

Katherine Jackson is suing AEG Live, claiming it failed to properly investigate her son's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, and missed warning signs about his failing health. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after giving Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol.

AEG denies any wrongdoing, and Phillips and other executives have testified during the trial that it would have been inappropriate to ask about or intervene in Jackson's medical care.

Earlier in the day, Phillips was told by a judge to answer questions posed by a lawyer for Katherine Jackson without arguing and that his demeanor might be hurting his case.

Jurors were sent from the courtroom before Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos addressed Phillips, who has sparred with attorney Brian Panish throughout his testimony. The lawyers have been repeatedly warned by the judge about the behavior.

"Arguing with the lawyers isn't really going to help," Palazuelos told Phillips. "It's not going to help your case. It's not going to help anybody."

Phillips said Panish was repeatedly asking him questions about the same subject.

"I'm just trying not to say the wrong thing," Phillips said.

The admonition by the judge came after Panish asked Phillips about characterizations of Murray that Phillips made in an email sent five days before the singer died.

Phillips acknowledged that some of the statements including that AEG Live had checked out Murray and that the former cardiologist didn't need the job turned out not to be true.

When Panish asked if Phillips had acknowledged that some of his statements to the director of Jackson's "This Is It" shows weren't true, the executive said: "Honestly, only to stop you from badgering me, yes."

Palazuelos briefly stopped the testimony and issued the warning.

Jessica Stebbins Bina, a defense attorney for AEG Live, said some of Panish's questions had been argumentative. The judge disagreed.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

[More from BGR: ]

As a user, I count myself among those who are often very critical of Facebook.To be clear, I do not dislike Facebook as a company and I dont dislike the broad-stroke services it provides. For hundreds of millions of people, Facebook is an amazing product that helps them keep in touch with friends and family, plan events, play social games and plenty more. It brings the world closer together, theres no question.

[More from BGR: ]

For me personally, however, its just awful.

The constant trivial updates, the recycled posts, the event invitations from people I havent spoken to in 15 years, the app invitations, the game invitations, the fact that other people can check me into places and tag me in photos that appear on my page automatically it gets infuriating.

Privacy settings help, of course, but then every time a new feature is added, users have to tweak their settings to block it. Most of the time, Im not even aware new features roll out until I get some awful email notification about something that someone else posted on my wall. Then I have to log in, block the new feature and disable email notifications for another half-dozen list items.

So why do I even have a Facebook account? Good question. Sometimes I forget the answer.

There are two main reasons. First, we use Facebooks comment system here at BGR. Though this will soon change, I need an account for the time being to moderate things every so often. Second, I do use it to communicate with old friends from time to time, and I like that people I have known throughout the years have an easy way to find me should the need arise.

It couldnt be more clear that I am not the kind of user Facebook is addressing with . Not even close. I can still see plenty of potential in Facebooks new Home software though, and I think the company is really onto something here.

First and foremost, Facebook Home is not a Facebook phone. The HTC First is also not a Facebook phone. There is no Facebook phone, despite the fact that many blogs and news organizations continue to reference the fictitious handset in headlines.

This is important. Facebook is not making a phone. The company is also not making an operating system. , and this is absolutely the right strategic decision.

Rather than make a phone and sell a few million of them at best each quarter, . The fact that Android is open source practically invites this type of invasive mobile strategy and , or company executives are putting on a happy face in public, at least.

And so Facebook has the green light to take over Android.

Facebook Home has three main components. The first is a home/lock screen replacement that cycles through images and status updates posted by your friends, the second is an app-launcher screen, and the third is Chat Heads, a new notification system that ties in with Facebooks Messenger app.

Starting with the home screen, Home is a dynamic window into the users life on Facebook that updates in real time. Images posted by friends automatically pan from side to side, refreshing every few seconds with a new photograph. Status updates appear overlaid above the photos and tapping an update brings up options to like it or post a comment.

Notifications such as wall posts and event invitations pop up in boxes at the center of the home screen as they arrive. They can be tapped twice to open the Facebook app to the appropriate screen, or swiped to the side to be dismissed.

Finally, the users profile photo appears in a circle toward the bottom of the screen. Tapping and dragging it in one of three directions allows the user to either open Facebooks Messenger app, Homes app launcher, or the most recently used application.

The app launcher is the second piece of the puzzle, and it replaces Androids standard app icon grids with one that is smaller and less attractive. It is still configurable though, and it fits up to 16 icons per page. Above the app grid are three buttons that allow the user to quickly post a status update, upload a photo, or check into a location.

The home screen interface is sleek and smart, with full-screen photos, simple fonts and a minimal feel. The app-launcher interface, on the other hand, is antiquated and odd Im really not sure why Facebook chose to waste so much space around the launcher, which only takes up about 65% of the display and wastes the rest of the screen.

Another curious note about Homes UI on the home screen and on the launcher screen: Androids status bar is hidden, along with important information like the current time, date, signal strength, remaining charge and many notifications.

Im all for moving some less important info off the screen. Windows Phone does a great job of this. But removing all of the information contained within the status bar is a bit excessive. It also means the user must swipe down twice from the top of the display to open the Android notification pane once to expose the status bar and a second time to open the pane.

The third and final element that completes the Home experience is chat heads, which are likely the most widely discussed element of Facebooks new software suite.

Falling squarely into the bells and whistles category, chat heads replace standard notifications for Facebook messages and SMS. Contacts profile photos contained within small circles pop onto the screen when messages arrive on the phone. They can be tapped to open the associated conversation in Facebooks Messenger app, or they can be playfully dragged around and repositioned if theyre blocking something on the screen.

As a whole, its very clear that Home isnt fully baked yet.Facebooks launch version of the software is fairly well made and the concept is intriguing, but I think its just a taste of the things to come.

From the users standpoint, Home is not for everyone. Its certainly not for me. But we all know plenty of people who check their Facebook news feeds every time they pick up a phone, and who constantly post photos, links and status updates. Facebook Home is for them.

For these users, Home has the potential to completely change the way they use their smartphones. The lock screen, home screen and app grids are no longer barriers standing between users and their Facebook friends. Just pick up a phone, tap the unlock button and Facebookimmediatelytakes center stage.

It should be noted, though, that the home screen and lock screen are one in the same with Facebook Home, so any security the user has in place sits behind the photos and status updates that appear on Homes main screen. In other words, even if you protect your phone with pattern or PIN code security, anyone can still pick up your phone and scroll through your friends photos and status updates.

From a business standpoint, I like Home. I like it a lot.

Taking advantage of Androids open nature as opposed to building an own-brand smartphone or a Facebook operating system is absolutely the right move. Its obvious Android smartphone sales as a whole will always dwarf sales of any one handset or any smartphone line, so why limit your reach when the only thing that matters is putting your services, and ads, in front of users eyeballs and collecting as much data as possible?

And make no mistake. Ads and data collection are key here.

Facebook launched Home without any advertising tie-in, but the company has made it clear that ads are coming. And beyond any direct revenue benefit Facebook sees from adding advertisements to Home, of course, the software itself serves a clear and important purpose: Gather data.

Home immerses users in Facebook.Facebook, Facebook and more Facebook.The moment they pick up their phones, they see Facebook photos, status updates, shared stories and more. This entices them to like stories and post comments.Moving on to the app launcher screen, nice big buttons above the application icons beckon users to post status updates, share photos and check in, thus recording their locations on Facebooks servers.

Of course, the more status updates, likes, shared photos, comments, shared links and check-ins Facebook sees, the better it can target ads. The better it can target ads, the more likely people will be to click on them and the more likely companies will be to continue advertising on Facebook.

And this reinforces the notion that Facebook made the right move by launching a new product on top of Android rather than its own platform or an own-brand phone. Why spend a huge amount of time, money, R&D and other resources building an operating system or a phone when you can launch Home using a fraction of the resources and potentially reach an exponentially larger number of users?

So in the end, I like where Facebook is going with Home despite the fact that I personally cant stand Facebook as a service.

Home has a long way to go before it can be called a finished product. New features are coming, ads are coming, and the current feature set needs refinement in a number of key areas. And the security issue mentioned above is just one of a number of oversights and poor design choices there are plenty more where that came from.

One more example: navigating Home gets a bit odd at times.Tapping the home button on your phone while in an app takes you to the app launcher page instead of the home screen. Tapping home again will then take you to the home screen. This isnt that annoying once you get used to it, but its illogical and representative of a number of irregularities. If I tap a status update on my home screen to open it in the Facebook app and leave a comment, tapping home should bring me back home.

, and it only works on four smartphone models beyond the HTC First, which launched recently with Home pre-installed. Those are solid numbers and they should grow at a brisk pace once Facebook makes Home available on a wider range of handsets.

In the meantime, Home is a glimpse of things to come. Facebooks mobile strategy isnt about launching its own devices and competing with juggernauts like Apple and Samsung. Facebooks mission is to make every phone a Facebook phone, and Home is a big step toward realizing that goal.

This article was

Back on the ice just three days after their heart-stopping Game Seven overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks had to come from behind to beat the Kings, last year's Stanley Cup champions.

The Kings, who were also taken to seven games in their semi-final with San Jose, snatched the lead in the first period despite being heavily outplayed.

Justin Williams scored against the run of play, grabbing a loose puck and sending it past Chicago goalie Corey Crawford.

The Blackhawks, who won the Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the regular season, tied the game early in the second period.

Patrick Sharp, who has scored a league best eight goals during the playoffs, reacted quickly to score from a shot by Chicago's Johnny Oduya that rebounded off the pads of Jonathan Quick.

The LA netminder made 34 saves but gave up two goals in four minutes in the second period, the first by Sharp then the second by defenseman Marian Hossa.

Crawford turned away 21 shots for the Blackhawks, who host Game Two of the best-of-seven series on Sunday.

The Western Conference winner will play either Boston or Pittsburgh for the Stanley Cup.

(Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Patrick Johnston)

That makes South Florida, in the midst of a spat over expensive stadium renovations, a loser for the 2016 game.

And Miami took a double defeat when Houston was awarded the 2017 championship game.

In two separate votes, NFL owners Tuesday went with the both San Francisco Bay Area and Houston on the first ballot at their spring meetings. The 49ers' new home is set to open next year in Santa Clara, and will host the first Super Bowl in the area since 1985.

Houston staged the 2004 Super Bowl. Miami has hosted 10 of them including the Jets upset of the Colts in 1969 and is tied with New Orleans for the most. But South Florida got rejected twice after the Florida Legislature did not support financing to renovate Sun Life Stadium.

"We are so excited to be able to be able to put on the 'Golden Super Bowl' in the Golden State," 49ers CEO Jed York said.

They will stage it in what is being promoted as the most technologically advanced stadium in the world, and earned that right on a day when the NFL made a $400 million deal with Microsoft to upgrade the fan viewing experience. Levi's Stadium figures to be the first cashless, ticketless venue in NFL championship history, with WiFi capability for 75,000 people.

"After losing a Super Bowl (to Baltimore last February), it feels really good to win a Super Bowl," York cracked.

Houston hosted once before, in 2004, and is calling the 51st Super Bowl an international experience that will include fans from Mexico.

"I think a lot of them just felt like, hey, it's Houston's time," Texans owner Robert McNair said of his colleagues. "They knew we could do a good job. From 2004 to '17, that's 13 years. So I agree, I think it's Houston's time."

The only previous Super Bowl played in northern California was at Stanford Stadium in 1985.

When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the 2016 decision, members of the San Francisco bid committee let out a roar of approval, then toasted each other with champagne.

Asked what he believed swayed the owners to vote for San Francisco, York added: "It's the will power of an entire area that gave an overwhelming push for us."

It was the first time in a decade that a Super Bowl was awarded on the first ballot.

"The Bay Area has been waiting for a (title) game since 1985. We have a stadium now ... we are just thrilled and couldn't be happier about this," said Daniel Lurie, a leader of the San Francisco bid.

"We are going to get to highlight the best the Bay Area has to offer."

That includes donating 25 percent of the proceeds from the game to fight poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area, York said.

The Dolphins were denied public money for a stadium upgrade in South Florida following widespread complaints about the public investment sunk into the Marlins' new baseball home.

Multibillionaire Dolphins owner Stephen Ross contends $350 million in stadium improvements are badly needed, but he doesn't want to pay for them by himself. Nor does he want a scaled-down renovation of the 26-year-old facility.

"I suspect there's a couple of state reps down in Miami-Dade County where I live who are going to look at this and realize this was a huge mistake," South Florida bid committee chairman Rodney Barreto said. "We had the better bid. I could just look at the body language from the NFL staff. It's a shame. We may not see another Super Bowl for another 10 years."

But, Ross said, South Florida "won't stop trying" to get one.

Goodell said some owners privately told him they were concerned with the stadium situation in Miami.

49ers owner John York suggested that San Francisco's winning effort offered a lesson in political cooperation.

"If this Super Bowl can show the state of California and other communities the opportunity with a new stadium to bring in fresh business, it could be a catalyst that stadiums can be built for Oakland and San Diego, which are in need of new ones," he said. "This may be the impetus to get one of those done."

For years, it was thought the NFL would seek to stage the 50th Super Bowl in Los Angeles, where the first one was played (but did not sell out) on Jan. 15, 1967. But with no franchise in LA and no suitable stadium projects approved, that hope disappeared.

Next Feb. 2, the game goes outdoors in a cold-weather site for the first time, at MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands. If that gamble pays off for the NFL, look for other cities in similar climates Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver to bid for future Super Bowls.

The 2015 game will be played in the Phoenix area.

Earlier Tuesday, owners approved a $200 million loan for stadium construction in Atlanta. The multipurpose stadium could cost as much as $1 billion, with team owner Arthur Blank committed to funding most of it. Blank, speaking at the NFL's spring meetings, called the decision by the team owners an "important milestone" in moving the project forward. The owners also approved financing for renovations of stadiums in Charlotte and Philadelphia.

Speaking with reporters after the votes, Goodell also said:

The draft will be held between May 8 and May 17 next year because the venue, Radio City Music Hall, is hosting an Easter show in April. He expects the draft will remain in May, with other adjustments to the NFL's calendar, including the dates for the combine and the opening of free agency, to be discussed with the players' union.

A third international game in upcoming seasons could be added now that both games for 2013 in London have sold out.

The Pro Bowl could be moved from Hawaii back to mainland cities after the 2014 game, but will remain on the Sunday one week before the Super Bowl.

Expanding the playoffs, and cutting two games off the preseason, still are being discussed. A reduced preseason could happen with either the current 16-game regular season or with an 18-game schedule.

___

AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES, May 29 (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Kings are taking a much more tension-filled route toward the Stanley Cup finals this year than the squad that came out of nowhere in 2012 to steamroll their way to a maiden championship.

The Kings survived Tuesday's do-or-die Game Seven by holding off the visiting San Jose Sharks in a 2-1 nail-biter that put Los Angeles back in the Western Conference finals for a second consecutive year.

It was the kind of challenge the Kings never faced during their remarkable 2012 playoff run when they practically breezed to the Cup title as an eighth seed that grabbed a 3-0 lead in each best-of-seven series and went 16-4 in the postseason.

The Kings never faced an elimination game during last year's remarkable run, yet this year's squad seems to be enjoying their current march just as much even though they fell behind early in the opening round before being pushed to the limit by San Jose in the second round.

"Our backs were against the wall, it's us or them, and that's what hockey players like," veteran wing Justin Williams told reporters after scoring both goals in the Kings' victory, giving him nine points in four career Game Sevens.

"(You want) a chance to show up for your team when it's do or die. We have confidence, I guess knowing that we've been there before."

Williams embodies some of the team's toughness that may have been overlooked during the last campaign when everything seemed to come easily.

The 31-year-old Williams has dealt with several injuries over the years and was mired in an eight-game goal drought before coming through with the season on the line.

Then there is goaltender Jonathan Quick, last year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner as most valuable player of the playoffs, who is further spreading his reputation by thriving through more adversity in these playoffs.

The Kings fell behind 2-0 in their best-of-seven first-round series against St. Louis before their netminder kicked things into another gear.

Quick has three shutouts during the playoffs, and his 25-save effort in the decider against the Sharks was worthy of a highlight reel.

When asked what made the difference in the Kings' tight series against San Jose, Los Angeles center Anze Kopitar got straight to the point.

"Our goaltender," he said. "He pulled some saves off that kept us in the lead."

Added San Joe Sharks coach Todd McLellan: "We couldn't find a way to get another puck by Quick. Trust me, it wasn't because we weren't bearing down."

Los Angeles has certainly been bearing down at their home Staples Center - another distinct difference between the 2012 run - where they have now won 14 consecutive games, including seven straight in the playoffs.

A year ago, the Kings were road warriors as they set an NHL record by winning their first 10 post-games away from home.

Nothing appears the same for the fifth-seeded Kings, except for their confidence level as they pursue a second straight championship banner.

"The way we're built, we've been together and have dealt with adversity," said winger Dustin Brown, whose Kings await the winner of Wednesday's Game Seven between Detroit and Chicago.

"We're comfortable." (Editing by Frank Pingue)