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The Morning After: Sony looks beyond the PS4

And Elon Musk goes off on the media.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Morning there! The end of the PS4 has been greatly exaggerated, but Sony is already planning for it. Don't expect to see the PS5, however, until after 2020. Meanwhile, Apple is offering a tidy $50 of credit for people who replaced their iPhone batteries, and we get all the details on Battlefield V.

It's not all good news, however. The Morning After -- in its email form -- is taking a hiatus for a few weeks. We'll be making sure everything works like it should and upgrading parts in the process, so there's certainly something to look forward to. Our pre-coffee briefings will continue to go out daily, so we'd advise bookmarking this link to ensure you're up to date each morning. When our newsletter is once again ready for your inbox, we'll let you know!


But don't expect a new console before 2020Sony says it's the beginning of the end for PS4

The PS4 era is entering its final stages. Speaking to investors, PlayStation boss John Kodera outlined the company's three-year roadmap, and it seems console sales themselves are not going to be major source of revenue going forward. This is due to declining sales, which is, Kodera notes, typical of the usual profit- and life-cycle of consoles. It does also suggest a new console might be on its way -- likely the PS5 -- but Kodera didn't give away any specifics. It's likely to be a few years off, still. In the same briefing, Kodera noted that Fortnite, despite its status as a free-to-play game, is paying dividends for the game console, with enough in-game purchases and downloads to make a tangible effect on PSN revenue. That's how they get you.


And no more premium passes, yay!'Battlefield V' returns to WWII with ever-evolving multiplayer

Games in the Battlefield franchise have covered conflicts from the Vietnam War to a fictional future in 2142. EA DICE took the series into new territory in 2016 with the well-received Battlefield 1, setting the game in the rarely touched World War I. For Battlefield V (let's just not talk about the naming convention), things return to where the franchise started: World War II. DICE hopes Battlefield V will tell some of the second great war's untold stories, linking them to an ever-changing multiplayer experience intended to keep players fighting and playing. Oh, and you won't have pay for the privilege of new content either. It's a May miracle! Jamie Rigg dives deep into the latest reinvention of Battlefield.


Advanced functions while using less power.Snapdragon 710 will add flagship features to mid-range phones

Later this year, you can expect mid-range phones with Snapdragon 710 inside that are ready for features last year limited to high-end devices. That means AI processing, 4K and HDR video will all get a boost, and more mobile devices will be able to handle Animoji-style augmented-reality tricks. And, with Quick Charge 4+, you'll be able to get back to 50 percent in just 15 minutes.


That's not how any of this works.Elon Musk's interesting afternoon

During a tweetstorm, the CEO blasted the press for its recent coverage of Tesla, including a damning report from Reveal about factory safety. As a result, Roberto Baldwin's latest editorial is about how CEOs should handle criticism -- and not about how Tesla has finally met its Model 3 production goals.


It's like a personal, legal Aereo.Dish's new AirTV broadcasts over-the-air channels to all your devices

Dish just launched an even more ambitious $120 AirTV (the previous device is now the AirTV Player), a home server that connects to your antenna and broadcasts OTA content to all of your gadgets. Even better, it'll also let you watch live TV when you're away from home.


It only applies for replaced batteries in iPhone 6 or later.Apple offers $50 credit if you paid for a new iPhone battery last year

After admitting to slowing processor speeds on older iPhones, Apple discounted its out-of-warranty battery replacements. But if you paid to replace the battery in 2017 for iPhone 6 or later devices, the tech giant is offering you $50 credit. Terms and conditions apply: The replacement battery had to have been purchased from an 'authorized service location' -- and replacement batteries bought for in-warranty phones don't qualify.


Your nostalgia may vary.

'Knights and Bikes' captures childhood in '80s England

Knights and Bikes is a game about friendship, adventure and a county in the southwest corner of England called Cornwall. It's the first game by Crowle and his Foam Sword partner Anthony "Moo" Yu and revolves around two girls, Nessa and Demelza, who live on a Cornwall-inspired island in 1987.

You can play the game solo or cooperatively with a friend. Pedaling on your bike or running around like a lunatic, you'll pass through Cornish staples including harbor towns, caravan sites and abandoned amusement parks. All of your powers are charmingly pedestrian; a well-timed frisbee throw or water balloon, for instance, can dispatch enemies from a distance. As you explore the world, you'll also see the girls' imagination painted on top of the environment. A wire fence, for instance, will be supplemented with make-believe castle parapets and arrows falling helplessly beside you. It's all charmingly realized in a cartoon painting-esque style. Nick Summers profiled the two creators behind it.

But wait, there's more...


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