What you will get is a kind of "service offering with premium content and services" that you can't get in the free edition, but what that is is unclear. But it's unlikely that Sony will charge for the services they give away now, such as the ability to play for free online. [Gamespot via Engadget]

We're no longer in production for [the 60GB PS3], so once that product is gone from the retailers shelves, then we're back to the $599 SKU only, so it's not like we have a two-price strategy here in the US market, which we found out very early on, that consumers react mostly to having one SKU as opposed to two.

So in short, the 60GB will be around for a while, and if you want the hardware backward compatibility with PS2 games, you'd better get the $499 model. [Kotaku]

The appointment of Hirai could be the start of a shift from hardware to software. I cannot now imagine a PlayStation 4.

Of course, this is just an analyst's opinion, and the more outlandish a prediction they make, the more attention is given to them. Like we're doing now. Damn it.

Five years is a long ways away, and even if the PS4 won't be disc-less, there probably will be a lot of changes in terms of content delivery and hardware between now and then. – Jason Chen

Is the PS3 Sony's Last Console [Kotaku]

"Generally speaking, over the past twelve years or so, there has been a consumer expectation that disc-based games are maybe $59 on the high end to $39 on the low end. So, what I can say now is, I think it would be a bit of a stretch to think that we could suddenly turn around and say 'PS3 Games now $99.99.' I don't think consumers expect software pricing to suddenly double. So, the quick answer is that we want to make it as affordable as possible, knowing that there is a set consumer expectation for what software has cost for the past twelve years. That's kind of the best answer I can give you. So, if it becomes a bit higher than $59, don't ding me, but, again, I don't expect it to be $100."

PS3 Games Bling-Bling Expensive? [Kotaku]