PS3 Skyrim lag issues to be fixed next week...?

Gamers who have invested a significant amount of game time into the PS3 version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have likely experienced problems with frame rate and lag as the size of their save files increase. For some (myself among them), the issues are minimal, such as small stutters when exploring new areas that subside almost as quick as they come. For others, the game becomes unplayable, dropping to horrendous frame rates in the area of ~1-5 FPS at all times, and causing NPCs and quests to glitch out.

Bethesda has yet to release an official statement on what the actual cause of the problem might be, causing many in the gaming community to cry out against the developer. Many gamers claim that the PS3 version is a "poor port" of the X-Box 360 version and was not play tested as extensively as it should have been. Many have attempted to return the game, and some have even discussed the possibility of a class-action lawsuit against Bethesda for releasing an unusable product.

Many causes for the lag and glitches have been speculated on; save file size, PS3 HDD issues, glitched quests, an inability to dump old information, etc. It should be noted that Bethesda officially announced that a patch is estimated to be released for the PS3 and X-Box versions of Skyrim the week after Thanksgiving, though the announcement was not accompanied by the assurance that the patch would fix the problems with the PS3 version.

Ever try fighting a dragon at 5 frames per second?

Personally, I've put over 50 hours into one of my saves, and as stated earlier, have yet to experience any game-breaking lag issues. The current community estimate is that the issues begin to occur once a save file reaches somewhere between 5 - 8mb, though I myself have a save file at the 7mb mark. However, I've yet to complete much of the main storyline (I haven't even climbed up to High Hrothgar yet), leading me to believe that the issues might be caused by a glitch in one of the main quests.

Another prominent theory, and one that I support, is that Skyrim is frequently writing new information into the save file as the player progresses throughout the game, but is not effectively dumping unused or unneeded information. This results in an overabundance of data to be sorted through every time the game attempts to read or write new information, thus possibly causing the lag. Since information in the open world is constantly resetting, it's believed that the overload of information stems from individual interior areas (cities, buildings, and dungeons) being saved and not dumped as needed.

One community member on the Bethesda forums claimed that reducing the number of indoor areas he visited helped keep his game stable, and intends to stay in Whiterun and its countryside, exploring the outdoor areas and building skills such as alchemy, enchanting, and smithing while he waits for the patch. Skyrim delivers innumerable activities and quests that can be undertaken, even in such a limited area, which offer a great way to pass time while still building up your character while waiting for the patch. But that begets the question: what if the patch doesn't fix the issues?

For Bethesda's sake, I hope it does.