Sony is determined to make their launch date deadline, it seems- paperwork has been submitted to the FCC for approval. This is normal procedure before being approved for shipment and is especially important to the PS3 due to the wi-fi capabilities. Also included in the submission is the label that will be placed on the bottom of the unit- one thing of note is there are 2 labels, one for units built in Japan and another for those built in China by Asustek.

Why have consoles built in 2 different places? The theory behind that is to ease manufacturing loads and make it easier to meet supply demands.

The FCC is the Federal Communications Commission, an independent U.S. government agency that was established to regulate all non-Federal Government use of the radio spectrum, radio and television broadcasting included. It also covers all interstate telecommunications (wire, satellite, and cable), as well as international communications that originate or terminate in the U.S.

Update- It has been learned the PS3 has passed FCC testing which should clear the way to get full-on manufacturing underway and make the launch date.