I saw it, but why bring up this middle section than, It's why I specifically focussed on that part. It's incorrect, hologram isn't why we have so many different variants. There are plenty of actual unique differences in which you have different variations among the same game.
Why mention this statement at all? Because the conversation relates to outer labels, not specifically hologram labels. Because hologram labels were already mentioned, I continued to use that type of label as an example to highlight that they're needed because we track physical products which isn't cover art alone.
It's unlikely that the presence of a hologram label is the sole difference between two unique items, but it could be possible. That is not what I am arguing at any point, though. Like I've already stated, plenty of variants relate to labels, whether you acknowledge that fact or otherwise. Below are types of labels I've come across which would often be lost if relying on cover art scans alone.
hologram label
https://vgcollect.com/item/30113
https://vgcollect.com/item/239460
regional labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/247896
rating labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/243123
edition labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/212154
distribution labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/241042
bundled set labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/240417
barcode labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/236002
store labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/249194
https://vgcollect.com/item/249195
promotion labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/209394
correction labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/184081
design differences labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/9954
https://vgcollect.com/item/9955
general outer labels
https://vgcollect.com/item/228196
You have effectively proven my point with this list.
I 100% agree with you that in some cases the hologram or label can be a unique identifier to a specific release of the game. And your list is a nice resource to see alot of those possible differences
But, everyone who collects PS1 games knows that the standard Sony Playstation hologram on the front cover is totally generic, it appears on every official PS1 release. Now, there are a few exceptions to this rule, as i stated above, the 'bigbox' releases generally dont have the Playstation Hologram although Final Fantasy and a couple of others do. But the point is that the hologram doesnt prove a variance, its the standard.
Now, the PS2 releases are more interesting because there are two different Sony Playstation holograms. One is the Diamond Playstation logo and the other reads PS2. Although they both effectively mean the same as the PS1 releases, theyre on almost every game so they dont signifying anything, theyre also generic. They sometimes appear on the front with most of them appearing on the rear.
There are some holograms specific to certain games franchises, FIFA, NBA, WWE, usually sports governing bodies. And they dont appear on every release so I can see why including those holograms in the scan is definitely important. In these cases i agree with Dhaabi, although with regard to the standard PS1/PS2 hologram i agree with sworddude.
I think we will all have to agree to disagree on how useful the PS1/PS2 holograms are for the database entry, its definitely divided everyone lol
