Persistent, Niggling Questions

[MaverickZer0]

Speed Racer. Yes. Provided we were walking home; I don't want to get into a car with a driver who just saw Speed Racer.

[Nate the Great]

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Miracl...-Blu-ray/5584/

The original black and white version of Miracle on 34th Street on Blu-ray?

PNQ1: Can a sixty-year old black and white movie possibly be restored to a quality (colorized or not) beyond what DVD can do?
PNQ2: Doesn't a Blu-ray have enough room in it to present both a B&W and a color version on the same disc? After all, there are some connoisseurs that prefer their movies to be the original version. And the director shot the movie to be B&W in the first place.

[Nate the Great]

I'm watching Stuart Ashen's review of the Nintendo 3DS and he raises a valid point...

PNQ: How long should a portable gaming console expect you to play in one sitting? Should all portable games be able to stop and start in short increments (say ten or twenty minutes)?

[NAHTMMM]

I dunno, but that Rocky & Bullwinkle Game Boy game we have ought to allow saved games. <_<

[Nate the Great]

It's a valid concern. Even taking the 3D out of the equation, how often are we playing handheld consoles with the view that we're going to be lying on our bed doing it for hours at a time? I thought portable consoles were supposed to be able to provide enjoyment in smaller chunks than that.

[Nate the Great]

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/30/ru...itial-release/

I'm just gonna quote on this one:

"Japanese retail news blog Sinobi (translated by Andriasang) reports Nintendo has a somewhat surprising supply strategy for its upcoming, three-dimensional remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. According to the blog, Nintendo's initial shipment of the title to retailers will be "extremely small." Furthermore, Nintendo supposedly isn't letting retailers order extra units of the game, and is allotting a limited number of copies for all retailers, regardless of their respective size.

It seems bananas to limit supply on the 3DS' most anticipated title to date, but Sinobi suggests this could be a reaction to the overstocking of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, which ended up in Japanese bargain bins faster than the franchise is likely used to. If that's the case, then Nintendo is forgetting one very important factor: Spirit Tracks is a pretty okay game, while Ocarina of Time is the best game ever made."

PNQ1: Is this a valid criticism?
PNQ2: If a retailer wants to buy X units and a game company is able to manufacture X units, should the game company be obligated to sell them X units?
PNQ3: Isn't there a certain ratio of "number of pre-orders" to "number of games sold in the first three months of release" that's pretty consistent? If X million people have preordered OOT 3D, should this be considered a hint to Nintendo to manufacture 5X (or whatever) copies of the game?

[NAHTMMM]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

PNQ1: Is this a valid criticism?

Never played any of the games, but the implied logic seems sound to me.

PNQ2: If a retailer wants to buy X units and a game company is able to manufacture X units, should the game company be obligated to sell them X units?

Not unless they have an agreement to that effect. The retailer can make it clear to the consumer that the company is the bottleneck, though.

PNQ3: Isn't there a certain ratio of "number of pre-orders" to "number of games sold in the first three months of release" that's pretty consistent? If X million people have preordered OOT 3D, should this be considered a hint to Nintendo to manufacture 5X (or whatever) copies of the game?

I would guess that that ratio varies from one game to the next. That said, I don't think of Link and Zelda as being a niche game series (strong, broad name recognition), so I would expect the actual number in place of your 5 to be fairly large.