Call of Duty Elite Beta launches for PS3

Activision announced today that its Call of Duty Elite service has begun the beta phase, with PS3 Black Ops players given the first chance to explore the functionality currently on offer. Invitations for the first round of testing went out today, with successive phases to bring in further testers. Limited core features of the service will be tested between now and November 8, when the service launches alongside Modern Warfare 3.

The full complement of services won't be available until launch – and even then, a continual stream of mystery content from the likes of Jason Bateman and Ridley Scott ought to keep things interesting. For now, however, it's the vital bare-bones features such as stat tracking, player groups and video sharing that are getting stress-tested.

It's not too late to sign up for the service and become eligible for an invite, with Premium subscribers assured that the paid membership includes 9 months' worth of DLC for Modern Warfare 3 – 20 items in all. If you really want to throw yourself into this thing, a pre-order of MW3 will earn you “Founder” status, allowing an XP boost and access to Founder-exclusive events and groups. See why we think the subscription's worth considering, or jump straight into beta registration at Activision's site.

Sep 19, 2011