No 80GB PS3 for Europe

A Sony spokesperson has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that an 80GB PlayStation 3 is to go on sale in Korea - but said there are no plans to launch the model in Europe.

News of the 80GB version emerged via a statement on the Sony Korea website, which said the 80GB version will launch there on June 16 priced at KWR 518,000 (EUR 412).

A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe confirmed that the information is correct, stating that the 80GB model will be the only one available in South Korea as there are no plans to launch the 20GB or 60GB versions there.

Nor are there any current proposals to make the larger hard drive-enabled model available here, according to the spokesperson, who told GI.biz, "At this moment in time, there are no plans to introduce the 80GB version of PlayStation 3 in Europe."

Rumours of an 80GB PlayStation 3 began to emerge in March after it was referred to in a filing issued by Sony to the US Federal Communications Commission for a class II permissive change.

The filing also included details of proposed changes to the console's Bluetooth feature. But according to the SCEE spokesperson, "The chassis of the 80GB Korean PlayStation 3 is identical to the chassis of the European version. The only exception is the larger hard drive."