Yeh, the upgrade to version 9 is going to cost you more wonga - I think this is going to be quite a large upgrade though rather than the not so impressive upgrade from 7 to 8. Newtek have been talking of a complete core rewrite as the old core has been getting very long in the tooth.
http://www.newtek.com/news/releases/08-01-05a.html
Pricing details below:
Pricing and Availability
LightWave 3D version 9.0 is expected to be available in the 4 th quarter for US$795.00 for a single user license. The following purchase options are available for a limited time:
LightWave Full seats:
* LightWave [8] full seat, PDF manual, Vue 5 Infinite, free update to v9: $795
* LightWave [8] full seat, printed manual, Vue 5 Infinite, free update to v9: $895
For registered owners of LightWave [7.5] or earlier:
* LightWave [8] upgrade, PDF manual, Vue 5 Infinite, free update to v9: $395
* LightWave [8] upgrade, printed manual, Vue 5 Infinite,free update to v9: $495
For Registered owners of LightWave [8]:
* LightWave 3D v9.0 upgrade with PDF manual and Vue 5 Infinite: $395
* LightWave 3D v9.0 with printed manual and Vue 5 Infinite: $495