As previously reported, the Starhawk public beta will begin today for PlayStation Plus members. (Private beta users have continued access to the public beta.) You'll have about four months to hone your skills before the official release of LightBox Interactive's spiritual successor to Warhawk. Sony has announced that Starhawk will be on store shelves on May 8th.

So what's changed since the private beta? There's a new mode, for one: "Classic Arcade Flight-Mode" is a returning favorite from Warhawk. In addition, the public beta sports host migration, so when the host leaves the game, you can continue playing. Finally, you'll be able to use "Skills" during the game. And of course, tons of bugs have been addressed.

Here's an overview of what to expect from the beta: