Sony Announces 80 GB PS3 for Japan

In what may be a sign of things to come, Sony has announced it will offer a PlayStation 3 with an 80 GB hard disk drive in Japan by the end of October.

Japan is the home turf for Sony’s PlayStation gaming line, so the company has a tendency to introduce new models and hardware in the Japanese market before migrating them overseas to North America and Europe.

But this time, the situation is a little reversed: Sony has announced it will begin offering a new PlayStation 3 model in Japan at the end of October. The unit will feature a 80 GB hard disk drive…and a ¥39,980 price tag. That puts the new unit at the same price as the currently 40 GB PlayStation 3.

Sony has been offering 80 GB versions of the PlayStation 3 in Europe and North America.

The 80 GB version of the PS3 currently marks the top storage capacity available in the gaming console. Sony launched the PlayStation 3 in late 2006 with two capacities: 20 GB and 60 GB. The company quickly phased out the 20 GB model, claiming the bulk of its sales were for the 60 GB unit. Then, as gamers initially shunned the pricey in favor of the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, Sony reduced prices and eventually brought out a 40 GB edition of the PS3. Sony then launched the 80 GB version of the PS3 in North America in mid-2007, at an initial price of $599, phasing out the 60 GB model.

Sony says it hopes to sell 10 million PlayStation 3 consoles during its current fiscal year, which ends in March 2009.