Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Guitar controller compatibility

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was Delete. One of the keep votes was Useful information not available anywhere else. says it all really. Please see WP:ATA and WP:USEFUL. Spartaz ^Humbug! 22:49, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Guitar controller compatibility

Guitar controller compatibility (edit|talk|history|links|watch|logs) – (View log)

Not an article or a list. Wikipedia is not a video game controller comparison guide. This is what gaming websites are for. Mr.Z-man 20:19, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

• Delete per z-man and because Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information. Icestorm815 (talk) 20:28, 20 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep Useful information that is not really compiled elseware, merger into any one article makes no sense as multiple articles reference this information. Deletion of this would just end up embedding this large table into each article about each game, or a lengthy paragraph in each article re-explaining the same thing. Qapf (talk) 01:24, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep: since when is being an article/list the criterion for keeping or deletion? This information has been covered non-trivially in multiple reliable sources and this therefore notable. Furthermore, there's not really a reasonable place for it to go. Oren0 (talk) 03:01, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
  • "This is what gaming websites are for." I did not mention notability. That is not the only inclusion criteria. Mr.Z-man 03:30, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
    • As a notable subject, I don't see any reason for it not to be included. I don't see how this could be considered game guide material by any stretch of the imagination. It's factual info related to hardware peripherals. I don't see any Wikipedia policy that this violates, therefore it should stay. Oren0 (talk) 04:55, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
• Delete Let's not kid ourselves. This isn't an article, it's a table, and it's less about the concept of guitar controller compatibility in general and more a quick check sheet for guitar controller compatibility within the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series. While the information is indeed very useful to the enthusiasts of these series, the content is too brief and vague for a subject that's so specific. It all could very well be implemented into other articles. Pele Merengue (talk) 05:09, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
  • And I should add, the information in this article is almost exclusively useful to enthusiasts. Nowhere in the article does it mention what companies manufacture which controllers and which guitars were developed for which games. And as it is now, there are large, unoccupied sections of the table where savvy gamers could just use common sense to determine compatibility -- there's no reason why an Xbox 360 controller should work with a PlayStation 2. But all of this unspecified information lost on a casual consumer who wouldn't know any better. This sort of information only makes sense to a very select group of people; no attempt is made at making the chart's purpose or content clear and understandable to a large variety of readers. Pele Merengue (talk) 05:38, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
  • These are valid arguments for the table needing to be cleaned up and improved, but deleting it doesn't do either of these things. Instead, why not think of a way to convey the information, which is valuable, in a context which meshes with your designation of value in an article Qapf (talk) 12:40, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
• Delete on the basis that it's not a proper article. But I think it's a neat and very handy table, and should go somewhere. Maybe on the Guitar Hero or Rock Band page? `Zozart ^.chat 07:43, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

• Note: This debate has been added to the list of video game deletions. Someone another (talk) 12:01, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep. This is not a comparison of game controllers, this can actually be useful. But, we could use some prose to make it a bit more understandable, and maybe add the fact that you can't use GH controllers with GF either. ViperSnake151 14:42, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep. It does need more actual text added to clarify what it is discussing, but this is definitely not "just something for enthusiasts." KaneRobot 12:29, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
  • How is it relevant for anyone not planning on playing one of the games? Mr.Z-man 18:17, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
    • How is [1] relevant for anyone without a strong background in math and science? Since when is specialized knowledge a criteria for keeping vs deleting? Kuronue | Talk 07:55, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
• Delete. Firstly, the sensible thing according to Wikipedia policies like WP:NOT#INFO would be to delete. WP:USEFUL is not a valid argument. Worse is, however, that it is not even useful. It tells the reader that the PS guitars are usable with the PS, the Wii guitar with the Wii and the 360 guitars with the 360. How is this useful? The very few exceptions that are listed could easily be covered in the prose in the articles about the relevant games. User:Krator (t c) 17:47, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
• Delete. The information in this cumbersome table could very easily be conveyed with one sentence in the respective articles for the games. KyuzoGator (talk) 19:06, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep. This article deals with more than one game and more than one type of controller. There are seperate articles just for other peripherals of games, like the PS3 SIXAXIS controller. Also, it is notable because it is part of one of the most popular games and uprising portion of the gaming industry in the US. Ryn2me (talk) 02:48, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Again, not only did I make no mention of notability as a deletion reason here but that is not the only inclusion criteria. Mr.Z-man 03:15, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

• Keep. What controllers do and do not work with Rock Band is a confusing subject in and of itself; the table helps clarify that as well as other potentially confusing bits. I think it should be expanded, in fact, to cover beat-game controllers of all kinds; for instance, the Singstar microphones don't work with Rock Band (I'm told) and that might be useful someplace. Kuronue | Talk 07:57, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

• Keep. This is an important source of information. Wikipedia is a form of encyclopedia that allows users to gather information on any topic. A table with information regarding the compatability of guitar controllers is information that will be used more and more as this technology advances but if anyone disagrees with the facts that it should be kept then they do not understand the true meaning of or the concept behind wikipedia and also all encyclopedias. Tommo7 | Talk 20:49, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep. I wanted to know this information so I came to Wikipedia to find it. This is the sort of data one expects to find, so it should be provided. Though it should probably be either merged into a existing article or fleshed out into a full article. Technical information regarding why one controller is incompatible or not is relevant to the development history of this product. If this tabular data was turned into a template, it could be hidden/shown as part of more relevant article. -Dr Haggis - Talk 16:28, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
• Comment. I stand corrected, KEEP...if we add information that you obviously can't use Guitar Hero controllers with Guitar Freaks for the PS2. Okay? ViperSnake151 14:03, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep. Compatibility of one game's controller with another game is certainly notable information, but I don't think every game's article needs an entire section on what does and doesn't work. Breaking the info off like this works for me. -- Norvy (talk) 18:12, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

• Keep Tabor (talk) 20:10, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep. The information needs some reformatting to make it more user friendly. The question of merger is problematic as it incorporates information from several different games and looks to inform regarding all those games as well, indicating that the chart would be worthy of equal space in any Guitar Hero or Rock Band Article regardless of system. It is useful information to anyone who is not an enthusiast, but would want to know the compatibility of their equipment. Having sold millions of copies of the games mentioned, it seems to have a general appeal. --CKJ (talk) 21:56, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep. There's a section on PS3 controller compatability in the Guitar Hero (series) article that could be pared down and moved here. That would boost the prose content. The table could be pared down by, for example, removing Wii controllers from the table and replacing it with prose describing that because the Wii guitar interfaces with the Wii controllers, it is not compatible with any other game system. The article needs improvements, yes, but it isn't unsalvageable. —C.Fred (talk) 16:47, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

• Keep. This was not only informative, it was really useful. Although you can find some of this info in other sites, it was a relief finding it in one section. I agree that the article should be reformatted and somewhat cleaned out, but in no way deleted. — HitokiriGaijin 14:57, 25 November 2007 (UTC)

• Keep. Useful information not available anywhere else. --72.202.150.92 (talk) 15:43, 25 November 2007 (UTC)

• Keep. This is a useful table, although it needs some more context. There are countless other examples on Wikipedia where the compatibilities and features of competing programs are depicted in a table. Search for "comparison of" for similar tables. Kyouryuu (talk) 08:18, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

• Keep. This is a useful reference that can't be easily found elsewhere on the internet that can help potential Guitar Hero players decide which guitar or version to get. ~NeonFire372~ (talk) 12:46, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

• Keep. I agree that this is useful reference information, not likely to be found elsewhere in a concise format. Assuming that the folks who contribute this data do so honestly from actual experience, this is a much better way to obtain the information than reading endless appends to various individual gaming forums. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.134.128.208 (talk) 17:45, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
• Keep. This is highly useful and I found it only here. It's another example of the "new guard" of editors who seem eager to convert Wikipedia into their version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. We built Wikipedia to include not exclude. "Not an article or a list." Nope. It's a big, fat, easy to read table. Leave it alone. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.176.6.111 (talk) 21:46, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.