G4L01 Posts: 61 Registered: 12/16/2019
gamerforlife21
# 1 - Posted on 1/5/2023 1:00:57

Hindsight I would've put all these in one thread, but I didn't come across them at the same time

dhobo Curator Backer Posts: 1965 Registered: 1/5/2015
darwinsocialism
# 2 - Posted on 1/5/2023 17:42:07

I don't believe they qualify as platforms, due to being peripherals that can't be used as a standalone. The games that come out for them will get a "VR" play mode tag, and the PSVR/PSVR2 themselves should get entries as Accessories though at some point.

Physical hardware like accessories and peripherals are generally a bit lower on the priority list over games, which is likely why PSVR/PSVR/Kinect, etc... don't have dedicated entries yet.

G4L01 Posts: 61 Registered: 12/16/2019
gamerforlife21
# 3 - Posted on 1/5/2023 19:10:23

I’m thinking of it more along the lines of other system accessories that are listed in platforms.

Nintendo 64DD, Nintendo E-Reader, Sega CD, Sega 32X etc all require the base console with an extra layer to actually play the titles. PSVR-only titles are pretty much the same.

dhobo Curator Backer Posts: 1965 Registered: 1/5/2015
darwinsocialism
# 4 - Posted on 1/5/2023 19:53:06

I can see your point of view here and there is merit to it. What trips me up is that with those older accessories/expansions I believe that they all had a fairly cut and dry separate library with unique physical media, whereas many games are vr-hybrids that still play just fine with a base console while others can't be played without the necessary gear at all.

As with a lot of game database situations, it's not clear cut and I think boils down ultimately what's easiest to implement or makes the most sense from an organizational point of view, which is my way of saying... as always it's all up to moho_00! lol

moho_00 Curator Backer Posts: 6844 Registered: 6/10/2011
moho_00
# 5 - Posted on 1/5/2023 22:15:55

I agree that I don't really see PSVR / Kinect as separate "platforms". On the surface, I can see why the comparison would be made with things like 32X, Jaguar CD, and so on, but there are a couple of key differences:

  • PSVR isn't really treated as a separate platform by Sony. The 32X, Sega CD, etc were all handled as completely new platforms with their own library of games. They had different box art, branding (which PSVR does, to some degree), but they were clearly distinct from their base console. If you look at a 32X box, you generally don't see anything about the Sega Genesis, other than it's required to play the 32X game you're looking at. They put "Genesis" around the 32X logo, but in a much smaller font. Conversely, if you look at PSVR games, they're still presented as PS4 games...they just have PSVR features.
  • Speaking of features, sometimes that's all it is. For example, Concrete Giant has the PSVR branding, but it's only a small portion of the game. At least, I don't remember being able to play the "main" game in VR mode. Obviously other games are VR only, but still, that's different from the likes of 32X, Sega CD, etc because those were ONLY for that particular platform / addon. (I'm generalizing here and not trying to say there aren't exceptions, but for the most part...I think my previous statement is accurate.)

Additionally, there a few other factors that should be considered:

  • This might seem a little wacky, but I think a better comparison would be something like the N64 Expansion Pak. That was an "addon" that was required for certain games and could optionally enhance others. Nintendo had an indicator on the N64 game box if it supported the Expansion Pak (in an admittedly less obvious way than how Sony showcases PSVR), but the games were very clearly still N64 games...even if they required the addon.
  • From what I've seen on other gaming sites PSVR is almost never split out. There may be a tag or something to sort of highlight them in a way, but they're still considered PS4 games. We don't have to adhere to any database modeling standards set forth by other sites, but it's always good to compare.
  • If PSVR were split out, it would make filling out metadata on the games a little...tricky. Is Concrete Giant a PS4 game or PSVR? It's primarly NOT a VR game, but it does support the headset. It would seem odd to me if I didn't own PSVR and had to add PSVR games in that instance.

All that being said, I think it's important to always have an open mind for change and just because PSVR isn't a platform today doesn't mean it won't be at some point when there's a paradigm shift in how we handle platforms.

Something I've considered in the past is introducing a new field of sorts that could further categorize games, almost like a "sub platform". That would help identify games that support optional peripherals like PSVR, the N64 Expansion Pak, even light guns and so on. Depending on how deep it went, there might need to be multiple sub platforms It would be especially useful for the super generic "Magazine" platform, so each publication could be a sub platform or something. But I digress, this isn't on my radar at all...but it's something I've noodled with

Post Edited on 1/5/2023 22:19:09
G4L01 Posts: 61 Registered: 12/16/2019
gamerforlife21
# 6 - Posted on 1/6/2023 0:04:36

Gotta say I appreciate how thorough and thought out your post is haha The division between sometimes-optional peripheral vs add-on device with an exclusive library does make a lot of sense. Luckily it’s a select few so I can use put PSVR in the edition or something to stand out. I do like the idea of a peripheral field, fwiw.

Thanks for talking it out!