Phantasy Star Universe open beta coming "very soon"
by Ross Miller 
{ Oct 10th 2006 at 11:25PM }
Sega "highly recommends" that players who join the beta tinker with the plethora of customization options. Not only do they promise fun, but it also helps them work out the kinks ahead of time. Featured in the beta will be three planets (Parum, Neudaiz, and Moatoob), three classes (Hunter, Ranger, and Force), and an unfurnished personal space aptly dubbed "My Room."
We'll let you know when the official date is finalized. Phantasy Star Universe for Xbox 360 will land on store shelves October 24 (meaning any bugs you find will likely require a day-of-purchase online update).
[Thanks for everyone who sent this in!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mindstormy @ Oct 10th 2006 11:31PM
does anyone know if pc users and 360 users can play togeather when this game is offically released?
Kevout @ Oct 10th 2006 11:48PM
God dammit I can't wait another day
Dark Morford @ Oct 10th 2006 11:49PM
Nope. PS2 and PC users can play together, but us X360 folk are stuck with the other X360 people. I haven't seen anything official as to the reason, but I'm guessing it has to do with the X360 version supporting voice chat, while the other two require keyboards (on-screen or otherwise). Me, I'm either getting the PC or X360 version; the beta will help me decide how well I like running with the 360's controller.
Tamo @ Oct 10th 2006 11:54PM
I signed up on Sega's newsletter so I could beta this game.... but for the PC. I don't have a 360 and I don't really have the cash for one right now. That and I don't know if the 360 version is out or going to be coming out here in Japan.
Chuck @ Oct 11th 2006 12:01AM
Hopefully we can use the beta characters in the retail version of the game.
Efren @ Oct 11th 2006 12:04AM
Oh man I am so f*cking stoked for this game.. I can't wait, and this is the first news I've heard of an open beta.. FREAKING SWEET!
aZn_1080p @ Oct 11th 2006 12:17AM
I never played the first one... was it any goood? Old school PS was pretty sweet, maybe I should check out the PC version of this. What other MMORPG is it most like?
elmer92413 @ Oct 11th 2006 12:27AM
360 players can't play with PC/PS2 players because of the way Xbox Live works...
You can play with voice chat on the PC if you want...
...
..
.
Aprotosis @ Oct 12th 2006 2:25AM
I cant wait for this game and will be playing it on the 360. The original PSO was plagued with cheating after it came out on the PC. At least I know that Xbox Live is a more secure system that makes cheating much much harder, if not impossible. I will be selective with who I play with regardless of which platform, so the Xbox kiddies versus Battle.Net kiddies idea doesnt hurt me much.
craig @ Oct 11th 2006 1:02AM
Awesome. I was hoping they would start doing stuff like this for XBOX Live subscribers. I have the game preorder and am a tad bit upset regarding their decision to charge a monthly fee for online play, but I, nonetheless, am stoked to be able to give the game a trial run.
Lost_Watcher @ Oct 11th 2006 1:08AM
Yup, 360 stands alone because it has voice support.
Which is why PS2 and PC are cross compatable which is due to those versions not having voice support.
djphatjive @ Oct 11th 2006 1:48AM
Love how they sell us broken games and then update them later. Kind of wonder what happens if xbox goes under. you won't be able to play any of your old games.
Vex @ Oct 11th 2006 1:52AM
I lol'd at the picture.
Mindstormy @ Oct 11th 2006 2:01AM
@7
think diablo 2, in space
Whom @ Oct 11th 2006 2:12AM
11: And it's not the same for PCs?
Eric Von Shpeel @ Oct 11th 2006 5:39AM
a delay on the 360?! THIS IS A FIRST!. It seems like alot of companies give microsoft their stuff, be it demo, DLC or MMO and announce the date, only for microsoft to sit on their ass with it on their desks while the community complains
aldo @ Oct 11th 2006 7:33AM
now if they made zelda + star ocean MMO's we would live in a perfect world :)
BONESTOCK @ Oct 11th 2006 7:35AM
I hate how it'll have a monthly fee. But it'll be cool to try it out. Gamefly rulez!
BIGGEN @ Oct 11th 2006 8:08AM
see, i waited up until 1:00am (having to be at work at 5:30) on this shit just so i could download it and have it ready to go when i got home. supposedly it's going to be a "considerable" download and will take a while. what i would like to see for "Next Gen" is a real time update of LIVE happenings. if content is going to be delayed, released, whatever, we as paying customers should have access to it immediately. if downloads only took 10 minutes, i wouldn't care. now, i sit, at work, like a zombie. yeah, my own damn fault, shut up. LOL
subVert @ Oct 11th 2006 10:24AM
I hope that this open beta trend continues. I also hope that they have a good mechanism for reporting bugs. They must have a lot of confidence in this game. Word will spread really fast if it's not really ready for prime time.
Maybe they delayed the beta so that it wouldn't interfere with the Dig Dug downloads ;)
VampireHunter Z @ Oct 11th 2006 12:15PM
This is good news. I had no idea that a beta would be released for 360. It's also good that they don't put us on the same servers as PC/PS2. I don't want XBL standards to be lowered to the same as those platforms (i.e. FFXI). Voice chat is a good idea. I will definitely be beta testing this.
Verge @ Oct 11th 2006 12:40PM
If you buy the game do you get the first month free? Whats the cost to play this game? And what if you rent it..?
Shad Genki @ Oct 11th 2006 2:42PM
@Verge: It will be $10 per month, or you can pre-pay for 6 months for $49.99.
aZn_1080p @ Oct 11th 2006 8:31PM
thank you Mindstormy