RUMOR #3: Final Fantasy XI will not undergo any graphical enhancements before it is ported to the Xbox 360.
Source: Gee whiz! It's G'biz! Again! Again!
The official story: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."--Microsoft spokesperson. Square Enix was unavailable for comment as of press time.
What we heard: One of the biggest selling points of Microsoft's press conference was the fact that it was publishing Final Fantasy XI for the Xbox 360. However, by itself, that "revelation" was only moderately impressive. Considering that Sony showed off Final Fantasy XII at its conference, people naturally assumed that FFXI would be graphically upgraded to fit in with Microsoft corporate vice president and chief XNA architect J Allard's self-proclaimed "HD era" of high-resolution graphics. So when G'biz wrote that no such upgrade was in the works, people were surprised. However, GameSpot's source close to Microsoft said not to worry...sort of. "Every next-gen Xbox title will be optimized for 720p and 1080i resolutions, and at least support 5.1 surround sound. You won't get that with another version of FFXI." That said, you'd think that if the $50-billion-cash-flush Microsoft was using Final Fantasy XI as its centerpiece launch MMORPG, it would likely shell out for some new textures. And if it is, why isn't Microsoft talking about it?
Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus...we think.
