Is the 80 GB version of the PLAYSTATION 3 coming sooner than previously thought? It's possible.

We first broke news of the "elite" version of the PS3 nearly a month ago, based on a filing with the Federal Communications Commission and a tip from a reader, the first indication a new version was on the way.

Adding more fuel to the fire was Sony Computer Entertainment America's decision to phase out the 20GB model and Sony spokesperson Satoshi Fukuoka confirming that the company was looking at larger hard disks.

Then this shot, of which we are rightly suspicious but believe to be (gulp!) real, shows up in my mailbox showing a new model number (98004) and a larger hard drive spec (80 gigabytes/80 gigaoctets). According to the box, virtually nothing has changed save the HDD, and based on the dual-language descriptors, it looks to be a Canadian model.

Based on the quality of the shots and the lack of official confirmation from Sony, we're still calling this rumor for now. Michael McWhertor

Contact information for this author is not available.