Don't have a date to the ball? Fuck that, play Reach's Beta

The Halo Reach Beta Date of May 3 is soon apon us.
Don't have a date to the ball? Here's the next best thing to do that night - get in the Halo: Reach Beta!

The official word from the boys of Bungie (who are making the game) is this:

"Buy Halo 3: ODST

and receive an invitation to participate in the Halo: Reach Xbox LIVE multiplayer beta. If you want in, hold onto your copy of Halo 3: ODST and stay tuned to Bungie.net and Xbox.com for more details.

So there you have it, dust off your copy of Halo 3: ODST

and jam in that xbox hard drive. It's easier than your cousin.

You may also have access to the Reach beta if you have been a keen Halo 2

player. XBL members who met the criteria of playing a lot of Halo should have by now got an email from XBL giving you a code key to enter.

Update: as suggested in the comments and referred to in Bungie's Beta Q&A

"Microsoft has informed us that they will begin mailing out those codes on Monday May 3rd. However, please note that due to the large volume, it may take a few days to reach everyone."