Your pre-order earned you what you actually paid for - the game and the pre-order bonuses. And you'd rather feel special than own a better game? Because that's what a couple thousand extra testers for 3 weeks will get you.
What i'm saying is that this was clearly a marketing move to get those few extra pre-orders sold.
Of course more players means better feedback, but Lynx said "
Closed Beta will be limited to pre-order customers only. THQ code holders (from shows like Eurogamer Expo) will be phased in shortly later. We are showing priority to our pre-order customers as a thank you for supporting us."
What they should have done is let all the players in from the begining - which is what they actually did + plus sold a few more games.