80 GB Playstation 3 on the way

Tokyo (Japan) - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc has announced that it is working on a new PS3 model with an 80 GB hard drive. It will hit Korea first, but may also be heading to other regions.

Currently, the only version of the PS3 contains a 60 GB hard drive. The newly announced 80 GB model will be available in Korean markets on June 16 for a price of 518,000 won (roughly $557). This is the first confirmed unit to make use of Sony’s FCC filing in March for a PS3 with 80 GB of internal storage.

Although Sony has said there are no solid plans to bring the new console to any other region, the Washington Post quoted Sony spokesperson Satoshi Fukuoka as saying, "It could be an option to introduce it in other regions but it needs to be decided by each region."

When the PS3 launched last November, it boasted the highest internal hard drive among the three console competitors. Last month, though, Microsoft released a new version of the Xbox 360 with 120 GB of space.