Is 80GB PS3 Out?

There's no reason not to believe that the 80GB PS3 is coming sooner than previously thought. Although Kotaku is skeptical about this picture they've received in their mailbox, there is serious reason to believe that the high end PS3 is coming soon.

It all started when the Federal Communications Commission filed a report saying that a new SKU is on its way from Sony. Then, Sony pulls the lower end PS3 (20GB HDD) from the gaming market for good, although it still sells in Japan. Another reason, which unfortunately can't be verified, is the short amount of time Sony would perform such HDD-swapping operation. You didn't honestly think they pulled the 20GB PS3s to burn them and build new 80GB machines, did you?

Plus, Sony has all the reasons in the world to try a new strategy. I'm guessing that when this new 80GB PS3 is out, its price will not differ from the 60GB significantly. Who knows, if things go smooth, they may even drop the 60GB SKU too. No, I'm going too far with this one.

Finally, this picture. Given that it's not of very high quality and that Sony hasn't made any official confirmation, the site won't trust it to be anything more than a rumor. I disagree. Lack of word from the company responsible with making the systems is the last thing denying its existence. However, it wouldn't have been too hard for someone to use a photo editor and slap the black box with an 80GB red sign. It could be a sticker for all we know, or graffiti. OK, it might as well be a rumor, let's just wait for confirmation.