It's been a busy couple of months for us as we ramp up for the summer. Keys got married, I took a vacation, and Rex got a dog! Ant and Azza have kept the fort held down with their weekly streaming but now we are all ready to get back into the swing of things just in time for the big summer events. And what a summer it looks to be with the NX announcement, Sony and Microsoft's next big plans, and VR taking a firmer foothold in the industry.
After some time off and brainstorming on our part we have decided to make 2 major changes to Hot Sauce Off the Presses.
First, we are moving to a biweekly format. This will allow us more time to let news develop and also a few of our streams are also on a biweekly format, specifically our Hot Sauce Play Dates (more on that later). Also, truth be told, I work on a biweekly schedule so getting this up on my work week is a huge struggle and I would rather give you guys all my attention than a thrown together piece.
Second, we are introducing some opinion pieces to the post. Our streamers are an amazing (and opinionated) group of gamers and I would love to give them an avenue to share those ideas. The two-week release schedule will allow us to develop these ideas into fully formed thoughts for your viewing pleasure. There may be weeks without an opinion piece, but we will try to at least have them every so often. Look forward to them starting in the near future!
I am also proud to announce the return of the TXK Hot Sauce Play Dates! Consider the first few weeks we did this as a beta for the full feature. We now have a permanent play date with as many friends and family of the TXK Hot Sauce group every other Thursday hosted by yours truly. We may bounce around games, or stick to the same one several weeks in a row. Really, this is just an avenue for all of us to hang out and have fun and letting everyone else join in and feel like part of the group. Can't wait to see you in the chat!
Previously on TXK Hot Sauce: AzzAlane has been hard at work tending her crops in Stardew Valley, while part-time adventuring with Ant in Twilight Princess HD. Rex has been praising the sun (and the continue screen) in Dark Souls III. Finally, the whole gang got together to overthrow two seperate governments in Coup and Secret Hitler on Tabletop Simulator.
Recent and Upcoming released we have all been looking forward to include: Dark Souls III, Ratchet and Clank, Bravely Second, and Star Fox Zero! Oh, and if you are reading this today, it was the return of Game of Thrones tonight. See you in Westeros!
Without further ado, here are the gaming stories of the past few weeks that have caught my attention.
~ SirOrin
HotSauce Off the Presses for the Week of 4-24-16
Details on the Sony Playstation 4K (Neo) Emerge
The specs and details on the new and upgraded Playstation 4 have come out and it seems pretty... benign. It is a slightly more powerful version of the previous console but will not have any "exclusive" titles that require the updated hardware. Games will have to be compatible with both versions of hardware starting this October but no actual release date has been announced. Games that have been released prior to then may choose to update their software but it is not required. The biggest concern will be whether the "base version" of the games will run poorly but given how massive the install base is of the current model PS4, hopefully that will be few and far between. Finally, no tie-in with the upcoming Playstation VR was given so we have yet to know if this will provide any improved experience for VR owners. I would expect a price and date announcement at this E3.
Microsoft May Want to Make a Neo Xbox Too
Technically, this story came out before the first leak of the Playstation 4 Neo but some more details have come to light since then. Since then Microsoft chief Phil Spencer has downplayed this original story and seems to say there will not be an actual XBOX One.Five console. Honestly, given Microsoft's significantly smaller install base than Sony, I would be expecting them to be leaning more heavily into the software side of things with Windows. This has already started with the release of Quantum Break (Preorders for the game on XBOX ONE also got a free version from the Windows 10 store). As an owner of both new consoles, I can't imagine a scenario where they entice me to buy upgraded versions of either console. I love them both but I would sooner save that money and upgrade my computer to a machine that doesn't sound like a plane engine starting up.
The Whole Internet Fell for a Fake NX Controller
So an image appeared several weeks ago of a supposed NX controller. It looked weird (you can either click the link or just imagine Stewie Griffin's head from Family Guy) and was almost universally called fake. Until a second image appeared from an entirely different source. Long story short, they were both actually fake, but the most amazing part was that they were both printed on 3D printers independently. The biggest story here to me is that with cheap, at home 3D printers, no "leaks" can be trusted anymore with physical evidence. And also, everyone thinks Nintendo is so crazy that any rumors about the NX could be true at this point.
VR is here! And you probably don't have your Headset.
So both of the major PC virtual reality headsets are now on the market but there are many reports of delayed shipments. Oculus owners were the first to suffer as it came out first, but it seems to be affecting the HTC Vive as well. If you purchased them on the day pre-orders went up you still probably haven't received your headset, and if you order today, don't expect it before the end of summer. Reports indicate that this is due to unexpected shortages of parts used to make the headsets. While there is no current indication if this will impact Playstation VR (the only headset I have pre-ordered), I expect Sony to be slightly better about supply and demand. But I won't be surprised if they are not. Welcome to the future!
Internet 1, Basic Human Decency 0 : Alison Rapp Fired at Nintendo
So I struggled whether to make this my final story but I think it deserves to be brought up. The internet can be a cruel place. And while I personally have a lot of conflicting opinions on the reasons that led to Alison Rapp being fired from Nintendo I ultimately feel bad for any people whose life and well being are targeted by the internet's most vicious trolls. Putting yourself out there, at any level, is hard. I know I struggle with opening myself up. Can't we all just get along?
This is both the obvious image and also the correct image. |
The specs and details on the new and upgraded Playstation 4 have come out and it seems pretty... benign. It is a slightly more powerful version of the previous console but will not have any "exclusive" titles that require the updated hardware. Games will have to be compatible with both versions of hardware starting this October but no actual release date has been announced. Games that have been released prior to then may choose to update their software but it is not required. The biggest concern will be whether the "base version" of the games will run poorly but given how massive the install base is of the current model PS4, hopefully that will be few and far between. Finally, no tie-in with the upcoming Playstation VR was given so we have yet to know if this will provide any improved experience for VR owners. I would expect a price and date announcement at this E3.
I'm really hoping I can figure out a way to tie in the Matrix to every story. |
Technically, this story came out before the first leak of the Playstation 4 Neo but some more details have come to light since then. Since then Microsoft chief Phil Spencer has downplayed this original story and seems to say there will not be an actual XBOX One.Five console. Honestly, given Microsoft's significantly smaller install base than Sony, I would be expecting them to be leaning more heavily into the software side of things with Windows. This has already started with the release of Quantum Break (Preorders for the game on XBOX ONE also got a free version from the Windows 10 store). As an owner of both new consoles, I can't imagine a scenario where they entice me to buy upgraded versions of either console. I love them both but I would sooner save that money and upgrade my computer to a machine that doesn't sound like a plane engine starting up.
This is obviously a Matrix controller. Wait... Let's keep this going, only two more stories to go! |
So an image appeared several weeks ago of a supposed NX controller. It looked weird (you can either click the link or just imagine Stewie Griffin's head from Family Guy) and was almost universally called fake. Until a second image appeared from an entirely different source. Long story short, they were both actually fake, but the most amazing part was that they were both printed on 3D printers independently. The biggest story here to me is that with cheap, at home 3D printers, no "leaks" can be trusted anymore with physical evidence. And also, everyone thinks Nintendo is so crazy that any rumors about the NX could be true at this point.
This one was almost too easy Matrix |
So both of the major PC virtual reality headsets are now on the market but there are many reports of delayed shipments. Oculus owners were the first to suffer as it came out first, but it seems to be affecting the HTC Vive as well. If you purchased them on the day pre-orders went up you still probably haven't received your headset, and if you order today, don't expect it before the end of summer. Reports indicate that this is due to unexpected shortages of parts used to make the headsets. While there is no current indication if this will impact Playstation VR (the only headset I have pre-ordered), I expect Sony to be slightly better about supply and demand. But I won't be surprised if they are not. Welcome to the future!
Sometimes the images caption themselves. |
So I struggled whether to make this my final story but I think it deserves to be brought up. The internet can be a cruel place. And while I personally have a lot of conflicting opinions on the reasons that led to Alison Rapp being fired from Nintendo I ultimately feel bad for any people whose life and well being are targeted by the internet's most vicious trolls. Putting yourself out there, at any level, is hard. I know I struggle with opening myself up. Can't we all just get along?
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