This is the one thing that might make me re-think my SPECIAL assignments --- PERK requirements. Like, if I have to have STR 5 and END 5 to get the extra Carrying Capacity perk, then I have to decide if that one perk is WORTH putting STR and END at 5 when otherwise I would keep them at 1. If there is a perk that requires 2 STR, then, sure, maybe I can sink a point in there.
Considering the way Gun Nut and Science! and Local Leader are ~ranked~ (at least up to three) it may be that you have to have a 6 AGI to get Gun Nut 3 and to get Science! rank 2 you need INT 4... makes me wonder if there will be any use in developing a SPECIAL stat to 9 or 10. If there ARE higher ranks, like Gun Nut rank 5, which requires an AGI of 10, say, then I wonder how they make that WORTH investing 10 pts in AGI without making it SO good you almost feel you HAVE to get 10 AGI.
I suspect that the vast majority of perks will only require a moderate SPECIAL value to unlock, except for those rare and powerful perks that may require you to invest more heartily in SPECIALs. It WOULD be nice to know, though. Especially the way they're changing up what abilities DO, like having PER and END affecting Action Points, now.
EDIT: Of course, it could be you need a 4 INT to unlock Science! at rank 1 and then after that you can spend your Perk gains to boost it to rank 2 and rank 3, instead of spending those perk points on something else like Gun Nut rank 1 (assuming you met the baseline SPECIAL requirement it may have).
Regarding the loss of skills entirely ---- I agree it's not set in stone, yet, but I don't see a problem with it. Hacking and Lockpicking, for example, were largely binary: you had the 50 skill you need, and succeed, or you don't have the 50 skill and you fail. Sounds like the difference between Rank 1 and Rank 2 would give the same result.
I just hope that if they HAVE done away with skills in favor of a lot more perks, that they don't chain perks togther or make one perk dependent on another (except higher ranks of the same perk, obviously). Like, maybe to unlock the Sniper perk for doing extra headshot damage (making this perk up), you have to already hve Gun Nut rank 2 AND an AGI of 5 or higher....