Remember Bill Gates stating that the PS3 would ‘walk right into’ Halo 3? It took a while for anyone to rescind the big mans comments didn’t it?

American uber retailer, Best Buy, are now stoking the fires under that rumour once again, dating Halo 3 for release on November 16 2006… one day before the North American drop date for the PS3!

Do they really know more than than us or are they just updating their online arm on the basis of old news? Unfortunately for all us Halo-heads, its likely to be the latter. With the E3 trailer of Halo 3 clearly stating that we would ‘finish the fight’ in 2007 and Bungie themselves commenting that any release date for the next Halo would come directly from them, our dreams of a Covenant crushing Xmas are set to be dashed.

Alternatively, by alluding to a 2007 release date for what is undoubtedly the most anticipated Xbox 360 game thus far, only to then have it in stores just as your closest rival launches their inugural next-gen machine could be one of the most pivotal marketing swerves in history.

Despite our wishful thinking, what are your thoughts? Do you think the original plan was to have Halo 3 out by the end of the year or are Microsoft more concerned with letting Bungie get it right than get it released? Tell us in the comments box below.