The countdown has begun for the release of Halo 3 with the close of Bungie Studios’"massively successful" Halo 3 multiplayer beta.

A first for the acclaimed Halo franchise, the public beta saw more than 820,000 unique participants and more than 12 million hours of online gameplay in its short test period, equivalent to more than 1,400 years of continuous play by one player.

Now that the beta has closed, consumers worldwide can gear up for the game's release with a variety of new merchandise, including two new Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers designed by Spawn and McFarlane Toys creator Todd McFarlane, as well as an Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset.

The controllers and headset will be available starting in early September.

“The participation in the Halo 3 beta was staggering,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “Witnessing such a great reaction to a small portion of the game has been inspiring. It’s a testament to the fervor and anticipation that surrounds Halo 3. We’re confident that on Septemer 25, Halo 3 will drive an unprecedented wave of new gamers to the Xbox 360 platform and Xbox Live.”

The Halo 3 beta, an early look at parts of the multiplayer gameplay, debuted to Xbox 360 owners worldwide on May 16. The users who played the beta resulted in more than 350 terabytes of data downloaded from Xbox Live, equivalent to more than 82 million digital music downloads from the Internet.

Also telling was the players’ response to a new saved-film feature, which was unveiled in the beta and saw more than 580,000 saved films created by users, representing more than 2.7 terabytes of data.

Bungie says it now has an exhaustive amount of data that will be used to improve the overall game experience.

Two new Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers will be available starting September 18. Designed with original artwork by Spawn artist Todd McFarlane, they will be available in either the Covenant Brute or Master Chief themes. Each controller will be packaged with a limited edition Halo 3 collectible figurine created by McFarlane Toys will sell for an estimated retail price of US$60.

A Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset will sport the Spartan green and gold and for US$60.

Fans can also look forward to the latest book in the Halo saga, Halo: Contact Harvest, published by Tor Books and due October 2nd. Written by Joseph Staten, the Bungie Studios cinematic and writing lead for the first two games, the newest piece of fiction precedes the current New York Times’ best-selling book series, telling the tale of the first encounters between UNSC forces and the alien Covenant race that threatens to destroy all humanity.

Bungie Studios has also teamed up with Marvel Comics to release the monthly mini series Halo: Uprising. The four-issue mini series, featuring original storylines and artwork from the Eisner Award-winning team of Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev, will launch with issue one on July 25.

Encased in collectible packaging, a Zune-Halo 3 edition digital media player will also be made available, and comes preloaded with artwork, trailers and music from all three Halo games, as well as an exclusive new episode of Red vs Blue from machinima creator Rooster Teeth Productions LLC. The Zune-Halo 3 edition will be available for US$250 in limited supply through exclusive channels.