sounds like it. Microsoft is all about trying to get people to buy an old game just to try out the demo of a new unreleased game....
What happend to "No Purchase Required" .. sigh..
Well, to Bungie's credit it was announced when ODST came out that purchase would get you beta access.
I'm not trying to be a Bungie apologist here, but I can see their point. It's a beta, they want feedback primarily from Halo players who are likely to buy their game. Feedback from everyone would be nice, but feedback from people who are likely to be paying customers gets priority.
I see the quick buck argument, and it's valid. Still, think there's a little more to it.