On the official Facebook page, Bonkohara announced the dates of the PSO2 Alpha Test.

• Alpha Test Start Dates
• August 18th, 16:00 ~ 23:00 [Test 1]
• August 19th, 18:00 ~ 23:00 [Test 1]
• August 23rd, 16:00 ~ 23:00 [Test 2]
• August 26th, 16:00 ~ August 27th 23:00 [Test 3]
• Please note the schedule above may change.

The alpha test is separated into 3 phases. In Test 2 and Test 3, more participants will be added towards the alpha test.

On a side note, It’s just a bit more to the alpha test.  Bonkohara would like to welcome you all,  in fact the  ______  also opens very soon! (Ya she censored it)

Excerpt from the email:

Relating to the information about the Alpha Test Players Site, and the date you can begin downloading the game, we will contact you soon in another email newsletter and the official site. I ask that you please wait a while.

Alpha Test Agenda

Alpha Test

• First Test (Inspection Items)
• Inspect for bugs that occur in specific situations, with many people logging in, and general gameplay.
• Inspect for bugs occurring within the lobby, forest, and the  general gameplay system.
• ※When there’s no problems in the first test, switch over to the second test.
• ※More participants are added.
• ※Fix bugs that occured in the first test..
• Second Test (Inspection Items)
• More people are added, (Continue) inspecting the same items from the first test.
• Inspect bugs that were corrected.
• ※When the second test continues to have no problems, switch over to the third test.
• ※More participants are added.
• ※Perform an Update inspection.
• ※Correct bugs that occurred from the second test.
• Third Test (Inspection Entries)
• Inspect an update with (new) field “Volcano Caverns”
• Inspect the logins of even more people.
• Inspect for bugs occurring within the lobby, forest, volcano, and the general gameplay system.
• Inspect bugs that were fixed, and inspect the continuous operation of the server.

PSO2 Android Wallpaper

Bonkohara posted a new Android background wallpaper, so she’s not entirely ignoring the foreign fans as it would seem.

Hello everyone,
Some funs asked us to how to get android’s wallpaper (960pxx854px) by facebook’s wall. So We made it for you last night hehe
This is same image as iphone’ wallpaper.
Please use it for your phone ♥
Thanks to post a lot of nice message for us always

PSO2 Keyboard Control Scheme

• Keyboard Scheme [Game]
• Character Movement: W S A D 
• Jump: Space
• Auxiliary Action: [Shift]
• Sub Palette: [1 ~ 10]
• Hold Lock On/Off [Q]
• Hold Lock On Switching [Tab]
• Pick up Item/ Conversation [E]
• POV Change [Z]
• Auto Run (Lock On Target) [V]
• Palette Selection [R] / [F]
• Palette Quick change [Numkey 1 ~ 6]
• Keyboard Scheme [Window]
• Main Menu [F1]
• Menu Shortcut [F2 ~ F12]
• Inventory (Item, Weapon PA Viewing) [I]
• Keyboard Help [H]
• Cancel [Esc]
• Keyboard Chat
• Chatting: [C]
• Scroll Log Window [Page Up/ Page Down]
• Log Channel Tab Change [Ctrl+Left Arrow or Right Arrow]
• Shortcut Text [Ctrl + F1 ~ F10]
• Keyboard Other
• Event (Screen?) [X]
• Map [M]
• Camera Zoom in and Zoom out [+] [-]
• Mouse Mode/Camera Mode Switch [T]

Game Pad Control Scheme

• Gamepad Scheme
• Character Movement [Left Stick]
• Auto Run / Following [Left Stick  Pushed In]
• Action Palette Switch:[ D Pad Up / Down]
• Sub Action Palette Target Switch: [D Pad Left / Right]
• Camera Rotation: [Right Stick] 
• Camera POV: [Right Stick Pushed in]
• Actions
• Normal Attack [Button 1]
• PA / Technic [Button 2]
• Jump / Cancel [Button 3]
• Selection / Item Pick up / Conversation [Button 4]
• Trigger Buttons
• Lock on / Lock off (Target) [L1]
• Sub Palette [L2]
• Auxiliary Action [R1]
• Step Movement (Strafing?) [R2]
• Other
• Text Over Character [Select]
• Main Menu [Start]

Mouse Management

• Mouse Usage
• Normal Attack (During Camera Mode) : Left Click
• Selection (During Mouse Mode): Left Click
• PA, Technic (During Camera Mode): Right Click
• Cancel (During Mouse Mode): Right Click
• Camera Movement (Camera Mode): Mouse Movement
• Mouse Cursor Operation (Mouse Mode): Mouse Movement

Each of the control schemes listed above were taken from Famitsu. The schemes listed above is from the writer’s playtest of Phantasy Star Online 2.