In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, SCEE President David Reeves let us in on the truth behind the 60GB PS3's price drop -- apparently, the 60GBs are getting the markdown in America because Sony's going to stop selling them here.

How concerned are you about possible criticisms that you should have given European consumers what SCEA has given US consumers, i.e. the option to pay a lower price?

Well, they're not really are they, because what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a USD 599 version with one game. All they're doing is taking their stock in trade that they've got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.

So once the 60GB is gone, that will be the end of the 60GB then?

In America, yes.

Well, that explains that, doesn't it?

Reeves also explains that, owing to a lower cost of memory in Europe, the difference in cost between a 60GB PS3 and an 80GB PS3 there is "just Euro cents; it's nothing," and that therefore it makes more sense to just stick to one model:

Probably we could have gone for 80GB, but does it really make any difference? We just know that we get a better supply on the 60GB than we will on the 80GB. So we chose to continue with the 60GB until we find that we can get something better, maybe lower cost. It just didn't seem necessary to us.

He also says the fact that their 60GB "has about 88 percent backwards compatibility," compared to our 100 percent.

Looks like if you want a discounted PS3, you should grab one now. 

[Via GamesIndustry.biz ]