65 hours to Reach

Requirements: All you need is your Halo 3 ODST campaign disc. Once the beta is active, there will be a menu item that says "Play the Beta." You can test this out now, there should currently be a menu item that says "Preview the Beta." That's where you'll begin. You don't need anything else to get in. It is a 1.2 GB download, so it will take some time, and you'll need the hard drive space available.

When: The beta will become available to the general pubic "late morning PDT on Monday, May 3." That means NOT midnight. Friends and Family codes started become available between 10-11am on Thursday, so that's as good a guess as any. The beta is currently slated only to run through May 19, so play it while the playing is good.

Friends and Family: You may have seen chatter about special access codes. Bungie made hundreds of codes available allowing people early access into the Beta. Check your bungie.net inbox, you might have one. The codes unlock the beta, and do NOT require the ODST disc.

Bootcamp: IGN has written a comprehensive gameplay guide to the Beta. It covers everything and most importantly highlights the new stuff. Read it here.