WTH at the first reply to the thread

if this is true then I'm not buying it

This

Thanks for pointing it out, why aren't the other threads locked... Are the mods too busy?

I don't know, I want this game probably more then everyone on this site combined. But I really dislike it when facts about games are twisted based on speculation with no sufficient facts to back it up. Only time will tell, we will most likely get pricing deals at TGS or the SE 2009 Party.

It's not confirmed either way,

the speculation that it might be free came from this

"I talked a little about the subscription model for the game yesterday, but today I received word from a source that a Square Enix rep at the booth have indicated that Final Fantasy Fantasy XIV will use a Free-to-Play (F2P) model, which has been gaining popularity recently. There are no details yet, but apparently Sony and Square Enix is currently in discussion regarding the subscription model."

Sony is probably pitching them the idea of F2P or Micro, using their model of Guild Wars or even Free Realms. Sony has also said DC Universe might be F2P. Maybe this is why it is currently only announced for PC/PS3 and the 360 version of the game might hinge on what the subscription service is like.

Another speculation would be like what runescape does. You can play in "free" areas but you need to become a member to experience the full game. But either way, with that photo I still believe that there will be a fee, or it wouldn't be on the website.

is it hard to understand that the PS3 version could be F2P and PC version be subscription based?

Yes, because you had to pay a subscription fee on the PlayStation 2 for XI and the internet was free, just like the PlayStation 3. They wouldn't charge one platform and not the other.

I think Sony is quite conscious of the fact that a subscription fee of around $12 - $15 is going to really take away a good chunk of potential sales. So i think they will be trying hard to make this F2P or even just cheaper, maybe get the subscription fee in the $8-$9 range through a mix of in-game advertising and other venues.

Guild Wars shows that a F2P game can work, as that is successful and fun. (although i only played it for around 3 months) However, FFXIV is going to be a bigger game then Guild Wars with much more content if one uses FFXI as a gauge.

A wise decision to keep the game subscription-based. FFXIV is the successor of Square's biggest money maker, and one of the most popular MMOs ever, and it would be silly to waste such a big name on a F2P game.

Subscriptions will allow FFXIV to spread it's wings as high as possible, and give MMO fans a much better service than F2P.