I would love to help make the good have a soomther launch, an open beta is the best way to stress test n such, NOT to use it as a demo because then you are cheating urself and the company since it would not be a final product.

I am going to strongly disagree with you that a beta is can act like a promo or demo. Game developers are starting to go away from beta testing with the public because people are starting to see them as free playing time in a finished game, they leak footage, and use the internet as a grand stage to talk about the things that are broken in the game and how terrible various aspects are. It is not a free play period, it's a time where people who are genuinely concerned with the games well being and playability help find problems in the game and give constructive criticism. I have been in about 20 beta's now over the years and it's not like it was years ago. It used to be a tight nit group of testers hammering out issues, now it's more like free play time without feedback or working on issues. I think the overall idea of beta or even alpha has changed in the eye of the public and it's outlived it's usefulness in most cases. Free preview weekends after a game has gone gold I believe are a more practical idea. We are all eager to play, and I would love to beta as much as the next guy, but I think playing your cards close to the chest is the way to go from a developer stand point. Feed the masses what is ready to be seen and stir the frenzy in a controlled environment.