Dorky McDorkenstein here, letting you know that I’ll be spending the entire day immersed in the Halo 3 Beta. It’s kind of a big deal to a few people around the world, so it was especially sweet when they announced a Sept. 25 release date for the third installment of the XBOX mega hit yesterday.

Interactive entertainment will never be the same, with the launch of one title that has changed the way the world thinks about video games. “Halo® 3” has captured the attention of consumers worldwide and has made history as one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time.

Sales of exclusive Xbox 360 video game Halo 3 rocketed to $US170 million ($192 million) on opening day, marking an historic debut that outdid the final Harry Potter novel and the film Spider-Man 3.

Microsoft has begun its midnight sales of Halo 3, the acclaimed alien shooter game that it hopes will widen its lead over Sony in the battle for industry dominance.

Despite having the red ring of death syndrome Halo 3 sales may save Microsoft Xbox 360 games.

Starting tonight “Halo® 3,” the final chapter of Microsoft Corp.’s epic video game trilogy, finally goes on sale around the world. By the end of the week, fans in 37 countries will be playing the game Wired magazine recently called “a cultural touchstone, a Star Wars for the thumb stick generation.”

As the countdown continues for the entertainment event of the year — the launch of “Halo® ” — the video game continues to set records and establish new precedents for an entertainment launch. Today, Microsoft Corp. announced that preorders in North America for the exclusive Xbox 360™ title have exceeded the 1 million milestone.

Microsoft's greatest surprise for gamers, Halo 3, will be released on September 25 and will be available for Xbox 360 worldwide players immediately.