Xbox Gaming in South Africa

Armour up: The Call of Duty: Elite beta is live, giving selected gamers a chance to "connect, compete and improve" their Call of Duty experience, starting with Call of Duty: Black Ops.

"Call of Duty Elite is all about connecting our amazing fans around the globe in ways never before possible and we are excited to get their feedback so they can help us further develop, tune and test the service, as we head into our launch in November with Modern Warfare 3," says Chacko Sonny, Studio Head, Beachhead Studio. "A public beta with the massive Call of Duty community is the best way to generate the scale we need for end-to-end testing.  While Call of Duty Elite will continue to evolve post-launch, we want to deliver the most polished, complete and rigorously tested service possible on day one.  We're looking to get as many participants in the beta as possible, so we ask that fans stay patient as we ramp up in the coming weeks."

The Call of Duty: Elite beta will test "select features and functionality", including stat tracking, custom player groups, competitive events and video sharing, with the full service launching this November along with Modern Warfare 3.

Gamers can still sign-up for the beta over on the official Call of Duty: Elite site, with invites being sent out in stages over the the next few weeks.

Check out the walkthrough videos below for an in-depth look at the new service with OneOfSwords' Dan Amrich and developer Beachhead.

Call of Duty Elite Beta Walkthrough - Part 1: Career

Call of Duty Elite Beta Walkthrough - Part 2: Improve & Connect

Call of Duty Elite Beta Walkthrough - Part 3: Compete