The past several weeks the argument on the timed exclusivity of the beta have been plastering forums. I don't expect to stop it, However I would at least like to address it. Before that however I would like to note that I am a Playstation gamer (though I do game on my cousin's Xbox One several times a month) and if you're here to flame Playstation or Xbox you might as well go find something else to do. I will not sensor you but neither will I respond to blind hatred. Now then, to the matter at hand. I would like to start by saying that I can empathize with those Xbox players who feel betrayed by Bungie, however I cannot bring myself to agree with them. Bungie hasn't turned it's back on its old family, it's trying to expand it. I get it. Many people are upset about the exclusive content, especially when for years before, the studio itself had been totally exclusive to you. On that same note though, I have a hard time listening to all of the Xbox users frustrated due to the lack of protest from the PlayStation Nation. For years Xbox has picked up exclusives, timed and otherwise, without so much as a peep in protest from those benefitting from it. For PS gamers it became so commonplace that it has been accepted by the PS community as a norm. It is for this reason that many in the PlayStation Nation feel generally indifferent (or even worse, has developed a sense of satisfaction) to your plight now, as many see it as arrogant and hypocritical. I personally agree that the timed exclusivity of the Beta is ridiculous, but not nearly as much so as all the griping it has received. PS will also have access to some exclusive weapons and armor, however this will not likely be useful past the early game sequences, and should not be viewed as anything more than a hook for the PS community, a point to which I will return shortly. This brings me to my next point: Why did Bungie do this? While I do not claim to know the mind of the studios Execs. I can make an educated guess. The first obviously enough, is money. This however had more to do with the publisher than the studio itself, as it is, in fact, the publisher that usually makes decisions on exclusivity. A hefty sum was quite likely paid by Sony in order to secure it, though, before any crusades begin on the part of Microsoft's Defenders (who I will openly admit are not always incorrect), it is likely that Sony merely outbid Microsoft, rather than was the sole applicant for it. Secondly, and, quite honestly, more importantly is this: Bungie trusts its fans! The players of X-box know Bungie, know what incredible experiences they can make. They know how adept their writing is, they know how smooth their gameplay is, they know how amazing the studio really is. Bungie knows you know, and that is why they trust you to be at their backs as they continue to push forward. But what about the PlayStation Nation? What about the community whose last Bungie game was two generations past? What about the community that hasn't experienced Bungie's masterful works? Although some (like myself) have glimpsed their masterful art, for many, indeed most, PS gamers Halo might as well be a myth. We hear stories, rumors and whispers, but most, have never seen it with their own eyes and played it with their own hands. this leaves an enormous unreached market, much of which has not the slightest idea of what Bungie has to offer. It is this market, these individuals Bungie is trying to reach. They're trying to answer the question: "Why should I get this instead of CoD, or Battlefield? Why should I care?" Bungie is trying to enlarge its family not alienate it! They're trying to bring us together, not widen the gap! They're trying to bring great games to everyone, not just these guys or those guys, everyone! Don't hate them for it, embrace them! The good will come with the bad, it always has and always will, but, like it always does, the good will outweigh the rest! The pyros will still flame, and the console warriors will still charge in to battle, but what Bungie has given us is a chance. A chance to change the way we view each other. A chance to incorporate rather than exclude. A chance to grow our, not your or my, but our community together and make it great something incredible. We can accept their gift and go into greatness together, or we can refuse and bring this whole amazing tower of possibilities toppling down around us. The choice is mine and yours to make, each as an individual, but I beg you, we have been given an opportunity to something amazing, lets not squander it. At the end of the day were all just gamers. Just people who want to have fun, or challenge themselves, or explore something new, and whether your on X-box or Playstion, that doesn't change. So, my friends, my brethren, my fellow brothers at arms in the war for peace, this is DrakeFangFord saying: Be Bold, Be Brave, and, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you want to see."