As you surly read already, the release date is out!

22. & 30. September 2010

Why two dates? Because there will be two versions available which are:

FINAL FANTASY XIV

The, let's call it, standard version. It'll be released at the 22nd of September including the extra ingame item Garlond Googles!

These googles are said to help you gain skillups faster!

FINAL FANTASY XIV - Collector's Edition

The Collector's Edition contains not only the game but also 7 bonuses!
First one is the early access, already on the 22nd of September!
You'll get a DVD with a behind the scenes look, a travel journal to note down your adventures and which is full of awesome not yet seen concept artwork, a map of Eorzea, a Security Token with the FFXIV Logo on it and a guest pass to invite a fiend for free for a short time.
Also your game will be free for the first 30 days! :D
And of course, there's also an ingame item in this pack! The Onion Helm!

This helm is said to quicken your recovery after you got KOed.
As you can see, this really looks similar to the Onion Knight's helm from FINAL FANTASY III ^^^

BUT: This release date in only for the PC version! The PS3 Version won't come out before 2011!