Mass Effect 3 Private Beta live now for some Xbox Live users (Update: more pictures, more users)

According to a tipster, some Xbox Live users who received access to the Dashboard Preview Program today had another surprise waiting for them: early access to the Mass Effect 3 Beta. We haven't gotten official confirmation from EA yet, so we can't confirm with one hundred percent certainty whether or not this is really-real. The picture is, um, pretty convincing, though.

EA announced the Mass Effect 3 Beta/demo a short time ago, specifying that it would eventually be open to all, but available early to purchasers of Battlefield 3. We guess it didn't mean available earlier-est.

Update: Well, that didn't take long. Lightning fast posters over at NeoGAF have downloaded the client and have started posting pictures.

Posters also spotted these game options for the singleplayer campaign section of the beta:

"Action Mode: For those who want to emphasize action and combat and minimize story management. Action mode will set automatic replies in conversation and a normal difficulty.

Story Mode: For those who want to emphasize story immersion and minimize combat pressure. Story mode will set manually-selectable replies in conversation and a minimal combat difficulty.

RPG Mode: For those who want to explore both realms of story and combat. RPG mode will set manually-selectable replies in conversation and a normal combat difficulty."

It's worth mentioning that users are reporting broken animation, missing textures, and no sound in the beta, which clearly indicates that this was not meant for public consumption. We expect that it'll be taken down shortly. Also, oops.

(All images after the break courtesy of NeoGAF posters Wario64 and Timan.)