Halo: Reach multiplayer beta coming this afternoon

Last week, searches were off the hook for the trailer for Halo: Reach (and Chris hooked a brother up.)

The multiplayer beta opens today, and according to the official Halo: Reach page, in order to participate, you need an Xbox LIVE Gold account, the Halo 3: ODST campaign disc, and approximately 1.2GB of free hard drive space. Gamespot has a few other details about the beta:

Running from May 3 to May 19, the beta program will allow players to try out a variety of new play types and features. At the same time, those gamers will be getting an advance look at Bungie’s final Halo project for the foreseeable future, as the developer this week announced a 10-year deal with Activision to publish and distribute games using the studio’s as-yet-unannounced new intellectual property.

While gamers are a bit anxious to get the Halo: Reach beta into their eyeballs, it looks like you might have to cool your heels for a few more hours. According to Major Nelson’s Twitter feed, the beta is expected to go live in the “late afternoon” (EST) or “late morning” (PDT.)