The first rumors about a better PS3 with a 80 GB have emerged for the first time shortly after Microsoft unveiled its Xbox 360 Elite versions. At that time, Sony denied the rumors, but it seems that all it was just a marketing game, as the company announced an 80GB hard drive-equipped PS3 to be launched in South Korea.

The official date is June 16 and the new PS3 is priced at KWR 518,000 (EUR 412 or $556) which is about the half of the price for which the gaming console is sold in Europe.

According to the technical specs posted on the Korean website, the new PS3 will be delivered without the Emotion Engine chip, the controversial chip which was also removed from European versions.

A Sony official confirmed the information, but he added that the company has no plans to bring the new version to North America or Europe.

According to a Sony’s filling made at the at the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) during March, PS3 may get also a new Bluetooth module.

Sony’s filling refers to “a reverse F Antenna� which is due to be added to the Bluetooth module. The filling speaks about an “original model� codenamed CECHA 01 and about “an addition of model� codenamed CECHE 01, which are to be separated “by the difference of the capacity of the hard drive�.

Speaking with Gameindustry.biz the Sony spokesperson confirmed that the larger HDD was the only thing changed from past units, squashing rumors that the Bluetooth features had been update.

In April, Sony officially terminated the sale of the 20GB PlayStation 3 in United States. The 60 GB version was the only one launched in PAL territories.

For the moment, PS3 is lagging behind its competitors. Last month, Sony sold only 92.000 units in North America.