GI: Will all the expansions come with the Xbox 360 version?

Tanaka: All of the data in the boxed version of the game up to Promathia is included. All of the updates will take place at the same time with the 360.

GI: How are you going to handle future expansions? When you came out with expansions previously you bought another disk for both the PC and PS2 versions Will you download it through Xbox Live or will you buy another disk?

Tanaka: It still hasn’t been decided yet but there will still be the usual expansion packs. We are considering using the Xbox Live for downloading.

GI: I’ve been playing it on PlayStation 2 and PC so when I get my Xbox 360 and Final Fantasy XI, I’m assuming I can use that same character, correct?

Tanaka: You can use that same character on any machine.

GI: You did a “Welcome Back to Vana’diel” campaign. Are you going to continue that so when people get their Xbox 360 they’ll be able to bring that character back if they shut down their account?

Tanaka: The campaign’s finished at the moment, but if there’s enough demand we’ll bring it back again. So you will be able to do that on the 360 as well.

GI: I’ll need to be welcomed back. (laughs) Is there going to be any keyboard support with FFXI Gil on the 360?

Tanaka: Microsoft is thinking about a text input device separately.

GI: But I can just use any USB PC Keyboard?

Tanaka: Yes

GI: You’re going to support widescreen mode like the PC version. What resolution will that be at? 720p, 1080i?

Tanaka: We will support different settings but the standard we are using now is 480p (progressive scan). We are experimenting with the 1080i but it’s stressful on the video RAM.

GI: So if the standard is 480p, then will we see 720p – the next step up?

Tanaka: We currently have 720p running

GI: At the Xbox Summit the frame rate seemed a little slower than the PC or PS2 versions. How early is that version you showed at the Xbox Summit?

Tanaka: At that time, it was not fully optimized so when the full functions of the Xbox 360 are used, it should be faster. The machine we were using at the time was just a prototype, not a full 360.

GI: How far along is the game in development right now?