Update: XBOX.com is saying that the staff is working for the next 24 hours to fix the problem.

Update2: Bungie says an update will be ready before midnight EST

Update3: You can download the H3 beta via Crackdown now. Beta end date moved to Sunday, 6/10, at 11:59 PM PDT.

There is currently a delay from downloading the H3 Beta through the Crackdown method. Frankie states on Bungie.net that they are working on the problem.

"Folks are reporting problems downloading the Halo 3 Beta via Crackdown this morning. We have alerted the appropriate Live authorities and they are taking care of the problem as we speak. More news as it comes in."

What are your initial thoughts about the full version of this game?

The following information was provided by one Gamestop manager in Oceanside, California. I have no evidence to suggest it applies to every game retailer in the US, but it is conceivable that it might.

I'm one of the losers who had to purchase Crackdown to get in on the Halo 3 Beta. Not taking any chances, I pre-ordered my copy. Today I went to pick it up when my local Gamestop opened at 10 AM. After getting my copy I asked the manager, whom I have talked with before and appears to really enjoy discussing video game retailing, how many copies of Crackdown she had for general sale that included the Halo 3 Beta. Zero.

Update: Except for the Bungie friends and family members, EVERYONE will start on the HALO 3 beta at the same time. This means that Crackdowners are supposed to get in at the same time as everyone else. Also, there is no NDA with this software.

It is confirmed by Microsoft Game Studios in an interview with Game Informer. The purpose of the HALO 3 beta will be to put stress on their systems. "You want to make sure that you know where your bottlenecks are and you attack those bottlenecks prior to going live with the retail version". "It will scale over time" said Phil Spenscer of MGS. Microsoft also suggests that "hundreds of thousands of people" will play the beta.

I was discussing upcoming XBOX 360 games with FoulBreed and we had the revelation that this year is going to be expensive for those of us wanting to play all the new "revolutionary" games.

Games I am sure I want:

Halo 3
Crackdown
Assassin's Creed
Bioshock
Forza 2
Oblivion Shivering Isles Expansion Pack

Games I might want:

GRAW 2
Mass Effect
The Darkness
PGR 4

Games that may or may not make 2007 that I probably want:

Shadowrun
Too Human
Halo Wars

Decided to dig through my old motorcycle riding gear that I no longer need and sell it on Ebay to help finance this habit (my gear for sale on eBay).

Unless you've been specifically invited into the HALO 3 beta, you will need to have the Crackdown disc in your drive if you're going to play the beta. Yes you'll download it to your hard drive, but you'll only be able to launch HALO 3 beta via a menu in Crackdown. The HALO 3 beta won't show up in your "Games > Demos and More" blade on your XBOX 360.

My guess is that you'll be able to rent Crackdown and play the beta so long as you have the disc in your drive.

I also guess that Crackdown'ers will be the last group to get to participate in the H3 beta until, if ever, it goes wide open to the public.

Only initial shipments of Crackdown will have the HALO 3 beta code. There have been conflicting reports from major gaming news sites. Many sites have given misleading information. I'll say again: only early copies of Crackdown will have the HALO 3 beta code. So, pre-ordering Crackdown is the most certain way to get in the beta. Given that H3 has such a fanbase, Crackdown could sell out on launch.

Most likely, you'll get a code with the game and go to the "redeem code" section of the XBOX Live Marketplace menu. You'll submit the code and it will take you to the HALO 3 beta download.

How's the Crackdown demo working out for you?