Asustek Computer, one of the world’s largest producers of computer components, has reportedly begun to ship Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The fact that the consoles are being manufactured means that the hardware specs had been finalized and the launch will take place in mid-November.

The Chinese-language Apple Daily and Commercial Times newspaper reported late on Tuesday that Asustek Computer started shipments of PlayStation 3 (PS3) game consoles in small volume in the beginning of July, according to DigiTimes web-site. According to a report, about 200 thousand component sets were shipped to Asus in June, which means that the company is in position to build 200 thousand game consoles. It is also said that in July the Taiwanese builder will receive higher amount of component sets for the PS3, while in September and October the company will get “more than one million [component] sets.

Sony promised to have 2 million PlayStation 3 consoles available during the launch window and ship 4 million PS3s worldwide by the end of 2006. By March 2007 the company plans to supply 6 million game consoles to the market.

Foxconn Electronics is also projected to build the new generation game consoles for Sony. However, the news-paper did not unveil any shipment schedules for the company, claiming that the company will start assembly operations “when demand rises”. Given that the PS3 is not on sale just now, the demand may only rise until after the launch.

The two versions of the PlayStation 3 game consoles – for $499 and $599 – will be launched on 11^th of November in Japan and on the 17^th of November in Australia, Europe, U.S. and other regions.