While North American and European gamers sit twiddling their thumbs waiting for the domestic release of Final Fantasty XI, our Japanese counterparts are already gearing up for the PC version of the game. Square held a press conference today to mark the occasion, with upper management mucketymucks having statistics for its PS2 brother on hand.

It seems that around 120,000 eager moogle-lovers have already taken the plunge, though only 50,000-60,000 have paid for an online subscription to PlayOnline. About 15,000-30,000 bleary-eyed gamers take advantage of the online world on any given night, and Square is hoping that the introduction of the PC version of the game will push those numbers up a bit. The company's president, Yoichi Wada, said that he was heartened by the numbers and stated that releasing the game in territories outside of Japan is important for the success of the game. Encouraging words, given rumors floating around recently that the game is facing hurdles pertaining to the domestic network infrastructure.

Square has also announced a partnership with Dell in Japan to create a bundle that will include Final Fantasy XI. Specs for the system, known as the Dimension 4500, include a 2.4 GHz P4, 128MB RAM, 80 GB hard drive, and there will be a Final Fantasy XI Strategy Guide somewhere in the box too. Expect to pay about 179,800 ¥ ($1450) if this tickles your fancy.

Final Fantasy XI for the PC will retail for 7,000-8,000 ¥ ($56-65) when it hits shelves in Japan next month. The PS2 version of the game is slated to hit North America some time next year, though no mention of the PC installment has been made.