First of all, I want to clearly state that I am not trying to argue. I just want to clarify the correct protocol.
VMU are not consoles, they are accessories.
The
OFFICIAL Style Guide states
hardware protocols, but nothing for accessories. I have always thought of accessories as hardware. Instead of informing us here, why not add this information to the Style Guide? Seems pretty important. The main reason I keep coming back to this site is because it's one of the few sites that allows you to track consoles, accessories, and variants that you own.
Also you are saying that the console name should
not be added to the item name? I do agree with this, but that does not seem to be the standard here. Every accessory category I look through has {Manufacturer} {Console} {Item name}. I understand how this can become very confusing because some accessories literally have the console name in the product name. Such as the
NES Advantage which, I might add, does not have the Manufacturer listed in the name field. Also, as another example, the
Sega Visual Memory Unit (blue) that you fixed does not use the console name even though on the side of the box (not pictured) it clearly states "Contains: Dreamcast visual memory unit". So do we omit the console name even if it's printed on the box and listed as containing the console name as part of the accessory's name? Other examples would be controllers,
Nintendo GameCube Controller - Black [NA] (note here that the color uses the hardware protocol of using a dash) Should it be Nintendo Controller - (black) [NA]? It's already in the Gamecube category so does it need the redundant console listing in the name?
Nintendo 64 Controller - Atomic Purple This one creates a new set of problems. Nintendo is the manufacturer but "64" is not the name of the console. So should it be Nintendo Controller (purple), or Nintendo Nintendo 64 Controller (purple)?
This brings up another question. In your fixed version, you go with a generic color description and not the color listed on the box; blue vs Clear Blue. I much prefer the manufacturer's given color name than a generic one.
I want to reiterate that I am not trying to ruffle any feathers here. I have made over 300 edits here, and I'm wondering if a lot of those have been incorrect. There are a lot of inconsistencies on this site, and I don't imagine that it will ever be cleaned up 100%. But we all do what we can.
Tripredacus, I want to personally thank you for all the time and effort you put into this site. You put up with so many of us "collectors" and "elite gamers" that you deserve some respect and thanks.My two cents: I think we should stick with the hardware protocol of using a dash for accessory colors. Also if the product has a given color name, such as Clear Blue, use that. As far as console names inserted into item names, I think the logical choice would be to leave them out (Sega Visual Memory Unit - Clear Blue, Nintendo Controller - Atomic Purple) but I feel like that would adversely affect search results. Unless the search function can be improved then the console names make it far easier to find the item your looking for (Sega Dreamcast Visual Memory Unit - Clear Blue, Nintendo Nintendo 64 Controller - Atomic Purple). That Nintendo 64 one looks messy, but if you don't do it that way then you're leaving the manufacturer out and that creates confusion.
There are lots of improvements that could be used to make things better, but it's beyond my coding ability and I feel beyond the person responsible for this site's ability.