As revealed last week, Final Fantasy XIV will be taking its first step into the realm of closed beta testing on February 25th.

Legacy members will have the luxury of joining right off the bat, but registration is still open for those hoping to get in at one of the three other times. To assist players further, Square Enix will be launching the official FFXIV benchmark client today. The benchmark will allow players to test their computer’s set up against the game’s brand new graphic engine. To give you a taste, Square Enix has prepared a new “Exploration” trailer that highlights real-time footage captured from the final client.

Those who take part in the closed beta will have the chance to try the game’s new Full Active Time Event (FATE) system, which creates opportunities for random events without the assistance of a party.

Additionally, a sort of “Tour of Eorzea” video allows for a broader view of the game realm – comparing both PC and PlayStation 3 versions. While the PC version is currently up to speed, the PS3 edition is currently 75% optimized, so please remember that when viewing the video.

Along with a look at the PS3 version, Producer/Director Naoki Yoshida introduces us to the new gamepad user interface – the Cross Hotbar. This mode will be available through both versions of the game and will allow for a unique play style never seen before in an MMO.

We recently had a chance to check out the latest updates to the game, and will be posting our own previews, interviews, and impressions throughout the day. FFXIV is truly the first MMO to ever have been rebuilt from the ground up, and following beta testing, the game is expected to launch this summer on PC and PlayStation 3.