Of course, you didn't think Bungie would just shovel the Multiplayer Public Beta date at you on a post-it note and call it done? No, of course not. So while Bungie.net now has a story that leads with this ultra-salient fact:

The Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta will go live on May 16th at 12:00 AM PDT and run through June 6 th at 11:59 PM PDT.

The goodness does not stop there. We now know the beta will contain the maps Valhalla, High Ground, and Snowbound, spruced up since we last saw them. The beta plays matchmaking only-- apparently that means no LAN play and no split-screen without Live.

But wait, that's not all! The latest Video Documentary, or VIDOC in Bungiese, reveals not only the story behind the making of Halo 3's multiplayer, but the mysterious function of the X button, speculated about these many months. (There's an age verification page before the actual video links in the story, so don't right click to save where it suggests you should; wait until you pass the age verification and get the "view content" link.)

Thanks Frankie for the heads-up in #hbo.