It won't be much longer until the Final Fantasy MMO hits the Xbox 360. Beta sign ups for Final Fantasy XI are up, but you'll need to buy the Offical Xbox Magazine to get the demo itself.

After applying, gamers will need to get their hands on the February issue of The Official Xbox Magazine and its demo disc, which includes the beta versions of the original game and both the Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia expansion packs. The beta period will be free of charge to players, and the game can be logged onto using either a premium Gold or fee-free Silver Xbox Live account.

When the game goes live in May, Xbox 360 players will be able to rub elbows and swap healing potions with their PlayStation 2 and PC counterparts. But for the duration of the beta test, Xbox 360 users will be kept on their own servers. They will be able to interact with beta testers from Europe and Japan, however. While Square Enix has issued a list of known issues with the beta game, support for USB keyboards and mice has been included.

** Update **
There is a delay with the release of the magazine in the UK, it's expected to be out on Monday at the earliest.