Halo 3 Beta Downloads via Crackdown are fixed!

It’s been a long day for a lot of people but we’re happy to announce that effective immediately, a title update for Crackdown is available on Xbox Live that will fix the issue that previously prevented you from downloading the beta. The Microsoft team just deployed this fix and when you launch Crackdown you should receive a prompt to download the update.

Please note that it could take up to four hours for your console to receive this update based on various factors. However, the good news is that we’re in the clear and Halo 3 gameplay is just over the horizon.

We realize this has been a pain for many and an inconvenience at the very least. Given the circumstances, we’ve decided to extend the duration of the Halo 3 Beta from June 6th to June 10th at 11:59 PM PDT. So, you lost almost a full day of play today but to make up for it we’re tacking on four more days (and a weekend at that).

We apologize for the delay and hardships this issue has caused and hope that it quickly becomes a distant memory clouded by good times playing Halo 3 with your friends.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We’ll see you online!

Note : A rare bug has been discovered that sometimes results in improper text display in the game UI. Basically, you won’t see any text at all. If you encounter this issue, you can fix it yourself by doing the following:

1. Restart your Xbox 360
2. Boot up the Halo 3 Beta
3. While the Halo 3 Beta is loading, immediately press up on the D-Pad and hold the A button until you see the Bungie logo. If you perform this correctly a dialog box will appear confirming maintenance has been done to your system.
4. Resume the Halo 3 Beta!

Assuming the test pass goes according to plan, the fix will come in the form of a Crackdown title update within the next three to six hours.

We understand many of you were eagerly awaiting your chance to jump into the Halo 3 Beta and this technical issue has put a damper on your plans. Thankfully the fix is incoming and we’re sincerely sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. Ultimately we hope this will all soon be a distant memory once you pick up the Spartan Laser, launch yourself from a Mancannon and enjoy online shenanigans with your friends.

As a reminder, people who already have the Halo 3 Beta are unaffected by this issue. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we have more information.

Posted by lukems at 5/16/2007 5:22 AM PDT
SketchFactor writes: This just in! The Microsoft team has identified the issue that was preventing the Halo 3 beta from being downloaded via Crackdown. This problem is expected to be fixed within the next 3 to 6 hours. New information as soon as we have it!

Posted by SketchFactor at 5/16/2007 5:22 AM PDT
Frankie writes: This just in! The Microsoft team has identified the issue that was preventing the Halo 3 beta from being downloaded via Crackdown. This problem is expected to be fixed within the next 2 to 4 hours. New information as soon as we have it!

Bungie and the Live Team are on it. that’s about all i can say and all i’ve been told. the right people are on it.

rumors happen…it’s the nature of the beast. you just have to filter out the BS and roll on lol but hey, as soon as i’m told anything new i’ll let you guys know.

I don’t want to stir the pot but to say it should be fixed soon and no one has gotten in as of yet does seem a bit odd. I really wish they would just say what the issue is and let everyone know to avoid the bashing, bogus post and rumors?[/quote]

A secondary disc wouldn’t have made a difference since the whole concept is getting access the the content on the marketplace and downloading it. Some of us, with keys, are able to get access that way. There’s just an issue with the disc method. Give them time. It is a ‘beta’ afterall.

I don’t want to stir the pot but to say it should be fixed soon and no one has gotten in as of yet does seem a bit odd. I really wish they would just say what the issue is and let everyone know to avoid the bashing, bogus post and rumors?