As reported briefly during the Sony E3 2008 briefing Sony is offering a new PS3 console with 80GB for the price of the currently available 40GB PS3. We have now got the retail box image and more details about the new PS3 console offering.

Sony positions the new 80GB PS3 as the only PS3 console version moving forward. Like the 40GB PS3, the new 80GB version will have no PS2 backward compatibility.

Sony describes the functionality of the 80GB PS3 with: "The new 80GB model will be a complete entertainment system comprising of a Blu-ray player, HDMI output, an integrated Wi-Fi connection, Cell Broadband Engine and a built-in 80GB hard-disk drive. The multi-functionality of the 80GB PS3, combined with more than 140 exclusive and third-party titles and the PLAYSTATION Network, is a comprehensive entertainment value designed to appeal to a wide range of consumers from hard-core gamers to general entertainment enthusiasts." The story gallery shows both the current 80GB PS3 bundle and the new 80GB PS3 coming September.

You should hold off on buying a 40GB PS3 console as you get double the hard-drive space for the same money in September.
But if you want to use the new Playstation Video Service heavily, you might want to anyway upgrade PS3 HDD beyond 80GB.