Rumors have begun circulating the Internet that Sony plans to axe its high-end 80GB PlayStation 3 SKU. Last week, Best Buy suddenly removed the $499 version of the PS3 from its site, spawning said rumors. Since then, various sources throughout the Internet have chimed in with their own "inside" information on what's going on. Finally, though, we have word from Sony – you know, the company that makes PS3 – on the situation.

A Sony representative told Wired via e-mail that, "I caught up with all of the posts and news last night, and as you know, we don't comment on rumors and speculation."

Nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary, huh?

Just to spice things up, consider what Wired blogger Chris Kohler has to say on the subject. "If I had to bet, I'd say the 80 GB model will be replaced with a new SKU. The hard drive size may increase -- perhaps to 120 GB to match Xbox 360 -- but I'd wager that the remaining PlayStation 2 backward compatibility and possibly the flash memory card slots are on the chopping block, once and for all."

Whatever happens, expect to read about it right here in the near future.