HORI Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Forever Clock

First of all, I knew that it didn't link with the game so I wasn't disappointed like many others. I actually wanted to buy this clock when I saw the ad in the Chains of Promathia expansion pack for the PC when it came out years ago. I recently started playing again and decided it'd be fun to pick it up and try it out.

First of all I am VERY impressed with how easy it is to set up. For those of you who have problems, I suggest using http://www.pyogenes.com/ffxi/timer/v2.html to set it up. It needs to be down to the second, so it may take a couple tries. All you do is put in your time zone (based on a chart they give you), the date, and the earth time (again this has to be to the second.) and it automatically calibrates all the Vana'diel info i.e. Day, Moon Phase, Time.

Four alarms can be set as countdown timers or just your standard alarm. They can be set to Earth time OR Vana'diel time. For instance, you can set the alarm for 8:00 Vana'diel time so you know when the Mhaura ferry arrives. You can set the Countdown timer for 2 hours earth time to notify you when your 2hr is ready to use again. Alarms are super easy to set and turn on and off.

The cons. You can leave the alarms on so they will perpetually go off every time they're scheduled to. However, the timers must be turned on again after they've completed their countdown. This isn't a huge deal but say if you wanted to synchronize them with a specific airship and have it go off every fifteen minutes and automatically start over again, you can't.

The screen can be difficult to read from certain angles and in certain lighting. The light isn't as bad as most people say though.

The alarms seem too loud for the speakers. They are very loud and, especially during high notes, distort a bit. It's a shame because they're actually quite pretty. They sound like music box versions of the various nation's themes. I don't know why they made them so loud as most people will have this sitting a foot or so away from them while playing.

All in all, I'm very happy with the purchase, the cons are more just little annoyances than anything to deter a purchase. This is a surprisingly sophisticated little device and I recommend it to anyone who avidly plays Final Fantasy XI. Buy HORI Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Forever Clock!