For reasons beyond mere human understanding, even in the face of evidence saying otherwise, Sony has continued to deny the existence of a third PlayStation 3 SKU. However, whether it's in an attempt to counter the Xbox 360 Elite, or perhaps to make up for the shortcomings of their own 20GB PS3, Sony will indeed introduce an 80GB PS3 to the market...at least in Korea.

The existence of the 80GB model initially came to light back in March, when Sony filed a new edition of the PS3 with the FCC; changes were to include, in addition to the bolstered hard drive, an alternate Bluetooth antenna. The confirmation, such as it is, comes from Sony’s Korean PlayStation homepage. Unfortunately for Korea, the 80GB SKU is the only version being released; however, it will also serve as a launch platform for Sony’s new IPTV service on the system. The price of the system is 158,000 WON, or roughly $555 USD.  This is roughly $45 cheaper than the 60GB model is in North America, which at worst seems like a good deal for Koreans, and at best could hint towards the long-rumored price drop on the 60GB model in North America in the coming months.

At this time, there is no confirmation that this upgraded PS3 will even see release in any of the big three territories (North America, Europe and Japan), as it hardly seems justified at the moment. While the Elite was certainly a welcome edition to the Xbox 360’s lineup, Sony’s PlayStation Network is hardly as robust as the Xbox Live Marketplace. However, the 80GB PS3’s mere existence gives Sony a bit of an ace up its sleeve if consumers start to tire of the current 20GB or 60GB versions of the system. As always, we will continue to follow this story, so be sure to check back at VGGEN often!

Source: PlayStation Korea