The biggest video game launch of the year over and done with, "Halo 3" has now managed to beat US sales records in terms of the highest revenue ever earned by a newbie game within the span of a day.

Microsoft said "Halo 3" grossed an estimated $170 million within the first 24 hours of going to sale.

Which is higher than the record set by 'Halo 2', which managed to rake in around $125 million within the first 24 hours of going to market.

The record even beats earlier records set by movies, the likes of 'Spider Man 3' and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'.

This apart, Microsoft said over one million Xbox Live members played the game online in the first 20-hours on offer -- making it the biggest day ever in Xbox Live gaming history.

And, over 1.7 million copies of the game were pre-ordered in the US, again making it the fastest pre-selling game in US gaming history, Microsoft said.

No wonder, Microsoft is banking on "Halo 3" as a top-grosser for its Xbox gaming console, incidentally the only console capable of running the game. Microsoft holds that many people will buy Xbox 360s just to be able to play the new game.

Whether this theory holds water, only time will tell. But judging from the early response, the game per say, is doing well both commercially and critically.

"Halo 3", which was launched in 37 countries at midnight on Sept 25, is available in 17 languages. It retails for around $60.