Shack PSA: Gears of War 3 beta now live

Just in case you forgot among all the hubub of a new Nintendo console and the PlayStation Network exploding, this is your friendly Shacknews reminder that the beta for Gears of War 3 is now available for all -- at least, all those who pre-ordered from GameStop.

This week, you're limited to the Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill modes across three maps: Thrashball, Checkout and Trenches. Next week brings back Capture the Leader mode and the Old Town map. I say "brings back" because they were already available for the Bulletstorm-based beta testers. Finally, the last week of the beta starts May 9, and lets you use all three game types on all four maps.

You can score gear for your Gears through the beta, which unlocks weapon skins and character variants like Thrashball Cole. The beta also promises "special events and surprises" throughout the beta, one of which we saw over the weekend with the bunny head Easter egg.