Halo 3 Beta pushed back and extended? UPDATED

In the past hour or so, while some are busy finishing (the beta) fight, the rest of the internet is up in arms wondering where their Halo 3 beta is. So far, the official word is a collective, “We Know!” Bungie states, “With any luck this will be a short delay.”

Meanwhile, in the past hour or so, the Halo 3 Beta page on Xbox.com has changed. The site USE to read that the beta begins “May 16 at 5 a.m. PDT and run(s) through June 6 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.” It now reads:

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios today confirmed the multiplayer beta of Halo 3 will debut to audiences worldwide via Xbox LIVE on May 16 at 10pm EST and run through to June 7 at 4:59pm EST.

So if these figures are to be believed, you could be waiting up to another 10 hours to get your game on (if you are getting in through Crackdown, at least). It’s a 17 hour delay from the original time, but the 17 hour extension should make everyone stop complaining. Right?

Update: Turns out, the Xbox.com link is to an Australian page. I don’t know why it says EST (does it stand for anything besides Eastern Standard Time?), but 10pm in Australia, is roughly 5PDT that has always been promised. The time US Xbox.com page remains unchanged. However, the following notice has been added:

Customers are reporting problems downloading the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta via Crackdown. The Xbox team is well aware of this issue and working diligently to resolve it. Please check back for more information as it becomes available.

Patience, grasshopper.