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Warning: Legit-looking NES Classic Mini console knock-offs appearing
- Thread starter Lupin the Third
- Start date
Azure Phoenix
Member
Aside from colours the front of the box appears to be identical, so it seems you can no longer trust listings with just the front of the box shown. The back however does have at least have some problems, specifically with the text list of games. The spacing between the large + sign and all the bullet points are wrong, they should be perfectly spaced. Compare these two images:
FAKE
GENUINE
FAKE
GENUINE
No, as standard Nintendo don't seal any of their hardware in Europe. That's likely just a retailer specific security seal.
Lupin the Third
Member
Good eye!
Lacking StarFox 2 final would make it quite difficult, no? I mean, I suppose they can just substitute the leaked betas and call it a day.
Impotaku
Member
News to me i have played mine a crapload and not noticed anything of the sort, then again not noticed any lag either & people were making out like it had a crapload of lag too.
Lupin the Third
Member
Besides the weird "welᶜome" boot screen, the second video in the OP featuring Ninja Gaiden is also interesting because the gameplay is stretched to 16:9. The genuine NES Classic Mini does not have a 16:9 stretch option. So one (or more?) of these things are likely:
a) the clone has a 16:9 stretch option in addition to what was on the legit Mini, or similar
b) the clone doesn't really have video options and defaults to 16:9
c) the system seller deliberately set the HDMI signal to "16:9 stretch"
d) the device he play tested on-camera is something different altogether
(b) is the one I would probably be most concerned about.
EDIT: I've also found some different photos of the clone. Check out how beat-up the box is on the US-box clone:
a) the clone has a 16:9 stretch option in addition to what was on the legit Mini, or similar
b) the clone doesn't really have video options and defaults to 16:9
c) the system seller deliberately set the HDMI signal to "16:9 stretch"
d) the device he play tested on-camera is something different altogether
(b) is the one I would probably be most concerned about.
EDIT: I've also found some different photos of the clone. Check out how beat-up the box is on the US-box clone:
The amount of hoops you have to jump through at this point to setup a raspberry pi are far, far fewer than the effort it takes to find a genuine NES Classic.
chronic_archaic
Member
It's a really good looking and genuine hardware clone. We haven't had shit like this since the 16 bit era unless you count stuff like Treamcast but that used real Dreamcast parts gutted. Since it's ARM based it was probably really easy to do it with how little encryption this thing actually has.
sixteen-bit
Member
I'm sure the cardboard is super flimsy compared to the rigid OEM version
I appreciate that the shell has the right openings for a RPi board, but its NES-likeness is rather lacking.
BTW has anyone opened up this clone? I'd like to know how its innards differ from the legit version.
You can buy a fully built raspberry pi, yes. Even ones loaded with all the software and emus.
The kit is super simple though and will save you some money. It's really not difficult, and I'm someone who buys pre-built PCs as I don't have the patience to deal with building one.
Lupin the Third
Member
You should be fine, thankfully; these clone-makers say they won't have a Famicom version of their replicas available until August.
Agreed on the first point.
No, we're still waiting for anyone to report what this bugger is like on the inside, or see any footage not produced by the manufacturer themselves.
WordAssassin
Member
I wonder if, given time, knock offs would be able to just copy the OS off of the actual NES Mini? Like is that possible? Not even hack or change it or anything, literally just copying the OS from the NES Mini's chip or whatever (clearly I have no fucking clue how this actually works) and paste it onto a blank chip in a knockoff shell? The thing that was so enticing to me about the NES Mini was that it apparently had the best emulation of the NES yet as opposed to just putting a Raspberry Pi into a little NES case.
Lupin the Third
Member
I suspect that whatever product this ends up being will be the only one we'll get. Look at the NES hardware clones out there. They're basically all using identical NES-on-a-chip configurations, some with extra tricks to get them a bit better. But the existing chip is "good enough" so no one has made an accurate new one in the past decade-plus. The Minis will get this "good enough" clone with whatever issues it has like the wonky load screen, and that'll be all they'll ever make going forward.
spazchicken
Member
If they cared, they'd still be selling it.
Yeah, I don't have a problem with this. There is demand here and Nintendo walked away from it.
Lupin the Third
Member
The main menu on the clone indeed shows a command for accessing Suspend Points, so I expect it does.
WordAssassin
Member
Ah, I guess that makes sense. Disappointing though.
If I had $75 I would bite the bullet for GAF and order one. But not only do I not really have it right now, but Splatoon 2 is out in a couple weeks and I'd rather get that than take a chance on a dodgy NES Mini knockoff.
If someone else gets one and they're decent, though, and they eventually drop in price, I'd probably get one. Fuck paying over MSRP for an authentic NES Mini though, let along a goddamn knockoff.
Hamster Plugin
Member
All blame goes to Nintendo for making the product rare on purpose. They came up with the idea of making these small classic versions of old consoles and could have made plenty of money by selling genuine versions, but they didn't. Nintendo isn't actually losing any sales over this, they already sold out their real NES classics.
One thing that makes these clones interesting to me is getting to play the NES games with a NES controller clone. Are there any NES or SNES controller clones available for cheap, that have a USB plug for PC use? If there are, I won't need these classics.
Its not just a case of since Nintendos not making money then its fair game though. These people are profiting off stolen software. Those product shots showing the printing on the controller really bad by the way.
Even through these people are illegally selling software I can't find it in myself to feel bad for Nintendo when there's still high demand for this product and they refuse to make more.
jts
...hate me...
It's really not about feeling bad for Nintendo, they could just produce more if they were hurting. It's about feeling bad for supporting an illegal business that steals IP for profit. Not liking Nintendo is not a justification for that.
Or to buy this "collectible" that in the end is not more than a "PolyStation" kind of fake. If you're not going to have the real thing, might as well get a Raspberry Pi.
Weltall Zero
Member
Pretty much. I mean, how are these clones hurting Nintendo if they're not even making them themselves and all stock is sold?
Dunnymeister
Member
I saw this listing on eBay yesterday. It has a couple of pics of the insides,. Supposedly a Raspberry PI hooked up to Wii Classic controller ports? Also lots of glue to hold it in place 😧
Edit: Actually, is this listing full of crap? Sure doesn't look like a Raspberry PI...
Edit: Actually, is this listing full of crap? Sure doesn't look like a Raspberry PI...
Lupin the Third
Member
That also isn't the same box. That has the Australian release box. The bootleg in the OP has the PEGI and (massive) German rating board icons in the corner.
Lupin the Third
Member
The Spanish forum I linked earlier has a lot of discussion. Apparently the AliExpress reseller delisted because they sold out of stock already (someone on that forum said they had sold about 230 units before delisting).
Also the shipping on them is taking forever. Several people in that thread said they ordered one back in mid-June when they were first listed. Only person I've heard of actually getting one so far is a guy with family in China who bought directly from a Taobao listing. Who knows if this device will ever even be widely available? Haha it might be like the legit NES Classic in ways we didn't expect.
Also the shipping on them is taking forever. Several people in that thread said they ordered one back in mid-June when they were first listed. Only person I've heard of actually getting one so far is a guy with family in China who bought directly from a Taobao listing. Who knows if this device will ever even be widely available? Haha it might be like the legit NES Classic in ways we didn't expect.
sixteen-bit
Member
Shoulda told everyone there was limited stock, lol
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
AndrewDean84xX
Banned
I mean, Nintendo doesn't want to sell me one, so why not purchase one of these.
Just like they don't want to sell me Zelda Amiibos, so I purchased the Action Replay Amiibo accessory.
Just like they don't want to sell me Zelda Amiibos, so I purchased the Action Replay Amiibo accessory.