When I look at a guard with a Ruger Super Warhawk in AR, does it look like he's carrying a pistol, with a hovering ARO for ammo counter and maybe safety indicator or something, or does it look like he's holding a tomahawk?
As I see it;
When you "just glance" at the guard (without spending any action) you will probably notice that the guard carry some sort of holstered weapon (but without taking a closer look you will probably not recognize details, such as the specific type and model).
If you are interested to find out more specific details, for example what type of type and model, you would typically "spend an action" to actually study the weapon more in detail. By doing this (and taking a perception test, either physical perception or matrix perception) you might find out that it is specifically a Ruger Super Warhawk.
My point is that it doesn't really matter if we are talking about a physically looking at the guard and his holstered weapon (observe in detail with physical perception), if we are talking about virtually looking at the guard's PAN and the weapon's icon via AR (observe in detail with matrix perception) or if we are talking about virtually looking at the guard's PAN and the weapon's icon via VR (observe in detail with matrix perception). In 6th edition we would typically treat all three scenarios in a similar manner.
Also, most device icons are probably just sculpted as the real deal - and if this make it easier for you to grasp then just rule that all device icons are always represented by an icon that looks like the real deal (in fact - that would make more sense to me as well...)
I am sorry if I confused anyone with the "Roman chariot" and the "Tomahawk" examples. Only reason why I brought them up in the first place was because 5th edition (unlike 6th edition) actually explained iconography and basic matrix protocols (on a few different locations). And it also gave use some very specific examples:
SR5 p. 219 Devices
Device icons in the Matrix represent electronic devices in the real world, from your music player to your commlink to your car and beyond. By default, a device’s icon looks like the object it represents, in miniature if the real thing is larger than a person. It has controls of some kind, often the same controls it has in meat space, but not necessarily. The Ares Mobmaster riot control vehicle, for example, is famous for its unorthodox Roman chariot icon complete with reins to drive the vehicle.Basic Matrix protocols require device icons to provide some hint of their real-life function. A firearm’s icon looks like a weapon (even if that weapon is a tomahawk, like the icon of the Super Warhawk pistol), a vehicle’s icon looks like a vehicle, a lock’s icon looks like a lock, a refrigerator looks like a cold box for food, etc. The restrictions on devices aren’t as stringent as on personas, as long as form suggests function at a glance.So
by default, in 5th edition, most icons simply looked like the real deal, but there were also some distinct exceptions (such as the Mobmaster and the Warhawk) that while still suggested function were not really miniature versions of the original object. Perhaps this is no longer valid for SR6. I honestly don't know (...but it seem to be the case as:
"Icons generally follow guidelines to resemble the class of object they represent" SR6 p. 173 Icons).
...but frankly it doesn't really matter how the specific icon is sculpted. Your character still instinctively know that a weapon is a weapon (just by glancing over the physical guard or the guard's virtual PAN) and your character know that a Ruger Super Warhawk is a Ruger Super Warhawk, not a Tomahawk (at least long as your character spend an action to actually, either physically or virtually, observe it in detail).
Hell..... since the Ruger Super Redhawk seem to have such an unique sculpturing then maybe (but perhaps only if you have the correct knowledge skill or owned one yourself) you would even realize that it is specifically a Ruger Super Warhawk just by glancing over the guard's PAN (while for other devices of the same "class" you would typically have to study them more in detail to find out... perhaps just because their icons would be more generic and harder to distinguish without first observing them in detail).
