What follows is a brief excerpt from P.T. – A Video Game Ghost Story, a new ebook written by Gamasutra contributor Joel Couture that’s being sold exclusively as part of the current StoryBundle (curated by UBM EVP and expert Gamasutra blogger Simon Carless).

In this excerpt, Couture chats with P.T. speedrunner luxox18 about some of the secrets hidden in the game, and luxox18’s process for working with other fans to ferret them out.

Secrets have given P.T. an incredible power to frighten, but did we discover them all, yet? What else lies buried in the game’s code, waiting to frighten unsuspecting players?

Luxox18, a data miner who uncovered what may be the last of P.T.’s secrets back in December 2016, just wanted to know what was still lying there that hadn’t been seen.

“Silent Hill is a very important franchise to me. I’ve played the games for years, and just like a lot of players, I want a new Silent Hill too. This new game, P.T./Silent Hills, promised a change in the franchise under the direction of people with a long career and great prestige. Unfortunately, none of this happened, converting the game into a kind of internet legend that was almost buried, generating a special interest in many people,” says luxox18.

“Personally, I love the ambient and mystery that we can see and feel in Silent Hill games, where everything, in the end, is paranormal and there are not answers for everything, contrary to games like Resident Evil where everything has a human origin in its creation (Resident Evil is a good game too [laughs]).”

“Now, based on my experience in game data during these years, it’s very common that developers add content to the final game (intentionally or not) that will not be used. This happens due to multiple factors like time, sudden changes, future plans, lots of people working in the project, large amounts of data, etc. Maybe you know that developers need more storage to create a game than players will need in the final game. For example, Killzone Shadow Fall, a game developed by Guerrilla Games released during 2013, had a size of 45GB approx, but developers needed about 12TB of storage during its creation. That is lot of data discarded that we will never see. Imagine that in famous titles like Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, etc.”

Data for unused objects, creatures, and music is often left inside the game, whether by developers forgetting about it, meaning to use it later, or for any number of reasons that busy professionals might not remove it over. This possibility was tantalizing for luxox18, especially given the already mysterious nature of P.T.

“Obviously, we don’t know if a game has removed content that is still included until we can research the data. This increases the desire to find out their secrets. I would have loved to know the development and have the end of the story told,” says luxox18.

Luxox18 found a few interesting tidbits inside of the game, doing so with the help of many other users and dedicated fans across the world, all of whom played a part in the multiple steps required to crack their way into the game’s code. “The security added by Sony in the PS4 console and in the game packages is very strict, so to data mine the game, it was necessary to obtain a decrypted version. This was finally possible thanks to the members of the PS4 scene that were able to obtain data, bypassing the security measures added by the developers. Otherwise we would have to wait more months or years.”

A level designer’s view of P.T.‘s memorable hallway, extracted from the game’s code by fans

“With the first part solved the next task was figure out the Fox Engine formats,” luxox18 continues, trying not to get too technical. “Fortunately, this was resolved too, because a lot of people developed tools some months before for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain that basically used the same engine with some minimum changes. Then, the most difficult task was converting models and textures, but some people from the Xentax forum (a forum for deep game research) made great discoveries that helped us to find more things and to automate the process.”

This process, while different every time, has allowed luxox18 to make some interesting discoveries in multiple games, some interesting and some silly. “In part, I feel good for find things the devs invested time and effort into, but we will never see due to unknown decisions. Some of the hidden models have amazing details, and I feel that basically means that the time invested was important. Also, there are other models that are used as placeholders, at times. These models have zero relation with the game or ambience, but are sometimes very funny.”

Luxox18 feels that many of these discoveries are important, archiving things that developers put a ton of work into and that deserve to be seen, whether they made it into the full game or not.  He often wonders whet these games would have been like with this kind of content included. “I feel bad sometimes, because some of the content is amazing! Imagine what kind of game would have resulted if that content was added (music, models, images, story, dialogues, etc)!”

This attitude led them to work on seeing what they could discover within P.T., hopefully to find even more interesting secrets that still lay buried outside the game. And indeed, they found some, revealing creatures and details that could hint at more of the game’s stories and secrets.

“In mining P.T., it was very interesting to find the monster with the big hand that we can see during the trailer (the one from Tokyo Game Show 2014), or see some extra details in characters.  The main character, for example (Norman Reedus), had a phone in his pocket.”

The “gray, humanoid creature” model implemented in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The monster with the large hand, a gray, humanoid creature, and some other details became known through luxox18’s efforts. It was revealed that the inside of the paper bag – the one that talks to the player – is empty, although this may not be for any deep reason. The character models for Lisa and the protagonist were even made available for some people online to make silly videos with. The strange creature, the one we would see in the later trailer, hints that perhaps more was slated to be added to the demo at a later date, or perhaps some features had been cut for various reasons. 

Still, many have developed complex theories on the game based on these unveiled secrets, which pleased luxox18, but he remains humble about it. “The questions based on the content that I found and in the content of other people are infinite, basically as far as the human mind can imagine, without receiving official feedback from Kojima. My finds have helped some people develop elaborate theories that are wonderful, but it is not just my own merit. Lots of people have found amazing things in the games and in P.T. I just was the first guy to check the game files – sooner or later, another person would have found the same things.”

Are these all that remain in P.T., though? Do we know everything about it, and can lay our fears of its mysteries to bed? Judging from Lisa’s still-mysterious behavior and some words from luxox18, perhaps not.

When asked what he was looking for, he answers: “I was hoping to find ‘something’. Nothing specific. Maybe a discarded character, some unreleased sounds and/or textures, or an image with a message that we cannot see in game because we are not able to correctly trigger the action. And, yes, basically all that I expected has been found. Except the actions, because I’ve not checked the scripts to find other triggers in-game, so maybe there are more secrets still there.” 

There are still some things that luxox18 hasn’t looked into – still some final mysteries that the game holds in store for those who play it. While knowing everything might have eroded some of those fears players get while exploring P.T., even four years later, there are still some questions on how our monstrous ghost behaves, as well as what other behaviors the game has hidden and done. There is still much we may not know about the game, as while we can see all that it holds, we still may not know all of what it chooses to do to us.

Sony has sold 73.6 million PlayStation 4 systems since releasing the first version of the hardware back in 2013. And while sales have remained strong for the console in the last few years, Sony’s latest financial statements show that the company is preparing for hardware sales to slow down in the 2018 fiscal year.

Right now, that predicted decline is responsible for a 2 percent decrease in forecasted sales for Sony’s Game and Network Services segment, though rising software sales are expected to help soften the blow. 

According to the company’s predictions, hardware sales are expected to fall to roughly 16 million units during the current 2018 fiscal year. For reference, the PlayStation 4 is currently sitting at 73.6 million sold, with 19 million of those systems sold during its last fiscal year, down ever so slightly from the 20 million reported in 2016.

This all comes as the PlayStation 4 edges ever closer to the lifetime sales of the PlayStation 3, which saw roughly 83 million systems sold in just over a decade.

As those sales fall, however, Sony is banking on rising software sales to keep the company’s operating income on the up and up. Speaking during a presentation to investors earlier this week, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki noted that hardware sales fell year-over-year between 2016 and 2017, but that sales overall rose 18 percent thanks to rising software sales. The company’s forecasts for the current 2018 fiscal year show that Sony is banking on this trend to continue. 

Sony saw ¥920.1 billion (~$8.4 billion) from game software sales in its 2017 fiscal year, up from ¥718 billion (~$6.6 billion) in 2016 and ¥560.9 billion (~$5.1 billion) in 2015. The company didn’t specifically note where it expects game software sales for the 2018 fiscal year to fall, but did say that it expects PlayStation 4 software, especially digital, to continue to increase. 

E3 is coming up quick, and the team is hard at work on a bunch of exciting new things that we can’t wait to show you in June. But before E3 arrives, we still have a chance to add in a few more exciting features onto your Xbox One that we think you’ll enjoy.  Some of these build on the new features we introduced last month; others are new ideas that the team has implemented for you, the Xbox Insider community. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect in the coming weeks:

120Hz Comes to Consoles

In April, we added variable refresh rate, 1440p resolution support, and auto low latency mode. But we aren’t done just yet. In May, we’re adding support for additional panel refresh rates. Gamers with gaming monitors and televisions that support a 120Hz refresh rate can now turn on 120Hz support for 1080p and 1440p output resolutions. This high refresh rate option means you can now take full advantage of displays with 120Hz capabilities.

Group Your Games and Apps

Our fans asked for new ways to organize their library of games and apps. In response, we’re introducing a powerful new enhancement to Pins which we call “Groups.” With Groups, you can create multiple collections of content made up of anything from within My games & apps. You can also assign custom names to each Group, organize and order them, and add individual Groups to Home. Groups will appear across My games & apps, Home, and Guide, so you’ll be able to access your Groups at a moment’s notice. Best of all, Groups are tied to your account, so they will automatically sync across multiple Xbox One consoles. We’ve started you off with a Group that should look very familiar — your Pins!

We’re doing something a little different with the rollout of this feature: Groups will not initially be enabled for everyone in the Alpha ring. In order to gauge interest and collect feedback, we will instead gradually roll out Groups over time within Alpha.

Trim Clips Directly in the Guide

Last month, we added a new sharing feature that helps gamers upload their captured screenshots and videos directly to Twitter. This month, we’re improving on the sharing experience even further; you can now trim your recent game captures directly from the Guide, so you won’t need to switch to Upload Studio to make a quick cut to your saved clips.

Improved Family Settings

Xbox One is also helping parents keep their family safe with updates to family settings. We’re adding a “Details” page where parents can easily find and manage all family settings on Xbox One. Parents will easily be able to tell which family and content settings are set up and configured. Important setting that are turned off or require attention will be flagged as well. Some settings, such as activity reports and screen time limits, can only be accessed through the web: We’ll identify those settings and provide links where parents can easily set them up.

Improvements to the Xbox Accessories App

We’re also modernizing the Xbox Accessories app to make it easier to navigate, and to look and feel more consistent with the rest of the Xbox One dashboard.

Intuitive Button Commands

We’re also making changes to some of the button commands throughout the dashboard. For example, you can now use the View button on Home to edit the order of blocks or reorder items within Groups.  Pressing the “View” button on the main tab of the Guide will also now display additional capture options. If you group your collections in My games and apps by letter, you will now need to select a letter to view all groups.

As usual, a subset of users may also see additional experimental features that we didn’t mention here. These features are only enabled for a portion of the Xbox audience to gauge interest and collect feedback.

While it may have struggled to keep a place in the charts, that doesn’t mean Bayonetta 2‘s much-welcomed Nintendo Switch port hasn’t performed in terms of sales during the first nine weeks of release – especially so when you compare it to sales of the original Wii U version over the same period.

A report released by Nintendo in the wake of its most recent fiscal results shows just how well the Bayonetta sequel fared during its February release. According to the sell-through figures, the Switch port shifted almost 400K units, while the Wii U version didn’t even break 300K back in 2014. Both figures combine stats from North America, Europe and Japan.

Let us know what you make of these intriguing figures from the big Nintendo financial results. Are you still playing Bayonetta 2? Let us know below…

One of the Dragon Quest franchise’s most influential developers has parted ways with the publisher. Jin Fujisawa, who worked on nine entries on the series (from Dragon Quest VII on PS1 to Dragon Quest X Online) has moved onto pastures new and is now working with a different company on an as-yet-undisclosed project.

The Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies director made the announcement on Twitter, leaving many wondering what the veteran developer has moved on to after all these years working on Square properties.

So what do you think Fujisawa-san is working on now? And what are your favourite DQ memories on Nintendo? Share your thoughts and memories below…

AI Nightmare (a 360 Video), is Now Available on Steam and is 40% off!*

Abducted by futuristic AI robots, you race against the clock to solve a cryptic message and prevent Earth’s coming destruction – only to question if what you experienced was actually just a nightmare.

Official Selection of 2018 Mammoth Film Festival
Official Selection of 2018 Capital City Film Festival
Official Selection of 2018 New Media Film Festival (LA)
Official Selection of 2018 Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes (France)
Honorable Mention from IndieTO VR Film Festival

*Offer ends May 3 at 10AM Pacific Time

You’ve already seen the header image. Do we even need to say anything else?

A full changelog for the Snapshot can be found on Minecraft.net.

• New entity: Dolphins
• New block: Conduit
• New block: Blue Ice
• New item: Heart of the Sea
• New item: Nautilus Shell
• Icebergs now generate in frozen oceans
• You no longer have “night vision” effect underwater
• Water now has different colours based on the biome
• New video option: Biome blend distance
• Going in and out of swimming should now feel smoother
• You can now swim through 1×1 holes! Again!
• Fog colour underwater now changes much smoother between biomes
• Optimized fog rendering
• Light now goes much further through liquid blocks

DOLPHINS

It’s happening!

• Spawns in any ocean that isn’t frozen
• They’re just cute, okay?
• Dolphins are very playful and love floating items
• They also love to chase after boats
• If you upset one, you upset them all
• More behaviours coming soon

Blubb blubb blubb blubb

• Water now only blocks 1 light per block, instead of 3
• This only affects newly placed water – we will relight all chunks in an upcoming snapshot
• Every ocean biome has a unique water colour, and swamps are icky and gross
• In newly generated chunks, you’re less likely to find frozen ocean next to warm ocean (and similar)

CONDUIT

?????

• ????
• I’m not sure.
• What is this?
• Where are we?

To get snapshots, open your launcher and go to the “launch options” tab. Check the box saying “Enable snapshots” and save. To switch between the snapshot and normal version, you can find a new dropdown menu next to the “Play” button. Back up your world first or run the game on in a different folder (In the “launch options” page).

Please report any and all bugs you find in Minecraft to bugs.mojang.com.

Snapshots can corrupt your world, please backup and/or run them in a different folder from your main worlds. 1.13 will have a lot of experimental snapshots that may break everything and smell funny. This may be one of those snapshots. This is what happens when Mojang are changing all the things! 

Share your thoughts on how 1.13 is shaping up in the comments below!

The community focus is our celebration of the player. When you do great things, we put you in the spotlight. We’ve had artists, musicians, guides, badasses, and a long list of others share their stories in the past. Our goal is to introduce you to a new face. This week, we have two faces that are part of a streaming duo. They’re not just good friends that stream together. They are a father-son duo that offers up their raid expertise to help others. 

Let’s meet the gentleman of WTFGameNation.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you fit into the Destiny 2 Community.

P and T: Our names are Peanut and Toast, and we are a partnered Father/Son stream that focuses mainly on “raiducation,” specifically for the Prestige raid. “Raiducation” is the term we use to describe our method of teaching: We teach the raid the way it’s meant to be played with integrity (all the best positions, strats, weapons, subclasses and everything to help for a successful raid).

We have been raiding consistently since Destiny first launched, and have made it our focus to teach the raid and all of its mechanics to those who have not had the opportunity to attempt/complete it. Or for those who just need a team to play with. Our community is filled with people whose desire is to help others learn and grow as players.

We appreciate you taking the time to pass your knowledge to others. Where can we find you on the internet?

You can learn a lot about a Guardian by their preferred weapons and abilities. What is your favorite Subclass and weapon?

P and T: Sunbreaker Titans all the way! For Toast, Better Devils is by far the weapon that he has the most fun with. For Peanut, it’s The Doubt from FWC.

At least you didn’t say Warlock. What kind of content can we find on your Twitch Channel?

P and T: We play many different games, but Destiny raid help is what we spend the majority of our time streaming. You’ll find us helping people through the hardest PVE content to date on a regular basis.

How many Raid completions do you have?

P and T: At the time of writing this, we have over 600 raid clears. Over 200 of those are Prestige clears.

That’s a lot of raiding! What Destiny 2 changes or additions are you most looking forward to?

P and T: The Return of the Shoulder Charge! The potential behind mods 2.0 is something we are really looking forward to. And of course, we are extremely excited for the next raid lair. 

Anything else you would like to add before we wrap up? 

P and T: Our community is one of integrity, kindness and support. We are a family first and foremost. We welcome new members and teach all the mechanics with patience and respect. As sherpas, we take great pride in teaching how the raid works to all people of all ages. 

If you’re looking for help with the raid, or want to meet some of the best people we have had the pleasure of knowing, we invite you to check out our community. Stop by and raid with us!