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Gaming FAQ says this: Game-specific hardware and utilities under acceptable questions.

I asked this question on Gaming, but it was closed (I deleted it so as not to make a duplicate by posting it on SU - I realize SU is not the place for it either): https://superuser.com/q/559682/160458

Technically, the question seems to apply to computer hardware as well but I was more curious about the answer in how it related to the PS3.

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    What does yanking a battery have to do with gaming? – Frank Mar 4 '13 at 15:59
  • I'd recommend taking a look at this answer as well. Just because it involves a gaming console doesn't automatically make it on topic. – Frank Mar 4 '13 at 16:05
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    My followup question would be - Than where would a question like this go? The FAQ clearly states the non-related to gaming "Game-specific hardware and utilities" item. – Enigma Mar 4 '13 at 16:13
  • Perhaps it might be acceptable on Electronics? I'd recommend double checking. As for "Game-specific hardware and utilities", read that answer I linked. A question about a gaming console doesn't automatically make it on-topic. – Frank Mar 4 '13 at 16:19
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    I did look that over. The FAQ item should read "Game-specific hardware and utilities as it relates to gaming" then. As it is now, it is literally referring to the hardware and utilities used in/on game-specific hardware (ie consoles) so any hardware or utility question should be valid on that basis alone. – Enigma Mar 4 '13 at 16:39
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    @Enigma The SE network is not all-inclusive. Not every question has a home here, for better or worse; It's a network of narrowly defined subject areas. – LessPop_MoreFizz Mar 4 '13 at 16:40
  • Narrowly defined - okay - the people are saying no while the FAQ is saying yes in this case. I could accept that there is simply no place on SE for this question but not when the FAQ is inclusive to this subject at this moment. Am I supposed to be reading between the lines or taking it literally? – Enigma Mar 4 '13 at 16:47
  • "Game-specific hardware and utilities" can be interpreted in just about any way you want; adding the caveat isn't going to help, as people will still interpret it to include your question as on-topic. – Frank Mar 4 '13 at 16:57
  • @Enigma I wasn't addressing why your question may or may not be on topic here with that remark. I was merely seeking to the refute the "if not here, then where" argument that is often made. It's a non-starter, and does not advance your point in any way. – LessPop_MoreFizz Mar 4 '13 at 16:59
  • @fbueckert - Some examples of what does fall into that category and is considered on-topic? There's many questions about PS3 media servers and 360 fan problems. How is my question different than those? I'm interpreting it literally. – Enigma Mar 4 '13 at 17:02
  • @LessPop_MoreFizz - Thanks for clarifying that point; I have long assumed there was an SE for everything. – Enigma Mar 4 '13 at 17:03
  • Take a look at questions just tagged PS3. We may want to review some of those, though. – Frank Mar 4 '13 at 17:05
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    @fbueckert - lots of questions on peripheral hardware (hard drives [stores game data], controllers [controls gameplay]). lots of questions on utilities (backing up games/saves, transferring game data). a question on getting a stuck disk out of the PS3 (this has nothing to do with gaming but lack thereof). a question on VMRAM & RAM (holds game data when being played). a question on disabling PS3 boot warning due to system update. PS3 bios/CMOS battery (without this there would be no bootable PS3 on which to install games, control them, or save them. Where is the line here? – Enigma Mar 4 '13 at 17:17
  • I seem to have crossed it but I don't know when or how. – Enigma Mar 4 '13 at 17:18
  • Much of it is going to depend on the effort required to get at it. You have to crack open the PS3 to yank the battery, while swapping the hard drive is as easy as popping the cover and unscrewing the mount. It will also depend on the ability to encounter the problem; gamers are much more likely to encounter things that happen due to wear and tear (or in the software itself), than they are things that require disassembling a PS3. For the record, I have done that. It's not fun. – Frank Mar 4 '13 at 17:21
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As someone who voted to close your question, let me preface this by saying the following:

I did not vote to close the question because it was in any way off-topic.

The consensus, historically, is that hardware, and yes, even limited hardware repair questions, are acceptable here. I'm not personally terribly fond of them, for a host of reasons, much as I'm not fond of tech support questions in general, but I understand that I'm in the minority in that respect, and I don't vote to close questions on those grounds. I see the conversation going on in the comments, and I feel it's going down a road that is not representative of the communities historic handling of these subjects, because it is fundamentally a conversation between two people, one of whom has a long track record of tending towards a more restrictive interpretation of site policy than is common.

So, why did I vote to close your question?

Because I couldn't figure out what the point of it was. It felt like a thought experiment that wasn't backed up by any sort of practical problem. So, I voted to close the question. Not because questions about the PS3's hardware or disassembly are off topic en masse, but because your specific question was, I felt, a poor question.

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