New SKU for the PlayStation 3

In May, Sony confirmed speculation that a new SKU for the PlayStation 3 was in the works with news that an 80GB version would be coming to South Korea in June. Later that week, the Japanese giant said to the Korea Times that a video-on-demand service that takes advantage of the PS3's spacious new hard drive would also be available in the tech-savvy nation.

Now, Sony is preparing to launch a similar video-on-demand service in Japan, as reported by Japanese news service Nikkei Net (registration required). The service is currently slated to be available in the Land of the Rising Sun in early 2008, and it will reportedly focus on game-related programming.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which is currently slated to arrive in Japan on December 13, will be the focus of the first bits of content arriving on the service, with a BBC documentary on automobiles and races related to the game being available for download for 200 yen (about $1.80). The report notes that movies and other game-related content produced both in-house and from outside Sony will follow shortly thereafter.