Halo 3 from Microsoft launched

Microsoft has started selling Halo 3 hoping the acclaimed alien shooter game will widen its lead over Sony Corp. in the battle for industry dominance. Halo 3 is seen as the $30 billion video game industry's equivalent of a new Potter book, and Microsoft is counting on the game to finally push its money-losing entertainment unit into profitability.

The first two Halo games have sold a combined 15 million copies and cemented Microsoft as a serious player in a video game industry that was dominated by Sony's PlayStation 2. Microsoft is backing the game with a marketing blitz that includes celebrity-studded midnight sales events at some 10,000 retailers across the U.S.

Halo 3 is targeted firmly at the core Xbox audience of young males, for whom realistic combat games are a staple.