From what I've seen of the early FFXI logs, you can call it "paying for a beta" but it's no different to the Japanese getting the game early or any other MMO at release - there will always be a lot of problems early on. So many people are pulling this "we're paying for a beta!" card that it's tiring now. No, you're not. From what I understand, very few if any MMO's have ever had an AH at release.
The current rumour/theory is that SE will time the AH, player houses etc. for the PS3 release. Which means that you guys could say, for the initial month, that you're beta testing the AH & housing. But really, everyone knows you're paying for a game and it's pretty much as simple as that.
I don't mind people saying they'll wait until things are smoothed out, but it's not a paid beta as a beta is gone once everything smooths out, and you start again. This will be the real deal! I'd be more annoyed about a delay in release date than having to play without an AH, but that's just me - I know a number of people feel differently.
There are very few problems with the game for me. The biggest is the UI lag, but it's improving day-by-day (but crafting is still a bitch). Other issues include the lack of AH, but so long as everyone is in the same situation then I don't mind too much - I'd rather an AH at release but the game works without it so far. The only other real issue I have is the lack of sorting options for your 80-item inventory. To start off with 80 auto-stacking slots is naturally an improvement on FFXI but with that large number comes a desire to be able to manage the items effectively. Hopefully they fix that at some point.
The software mouse some complain about is a non-issue for me as there isn't enough lag to make it annoying at all for myself. Not sure what they're complaining about, but oh well. The only other issues I once had were all to do with chat, but they've been ironed out now so yay for progress in beta.
