AndrewDean84xX
Banned
Truth. Scalpers are scum, imo.
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Warning: Legit-looking NES Classic Mini console knock-offs appearing
- Thread starter Lupin the Third
- Start date
Truth. Scalpers are scum, imo.
So people are mad at Nintendo for making a limited product that they rather support a limited bootleg? I hate scalpers too, but come on.
Nintendo screwed up with the Classic, but there was plenty of opportunity to preorder the Zelda Amiibos and buy them post launch. Plus they recently went back on stock which kills the argument that Nintendo doesn't want to sell you something.
Nintendo screwed up with the Classic, but there was plenty of opportunity to preorder the Zelda Amiibos and buy them post launch. Plus they recently went back on stock which kills the argument that Nintendo doesn't want to sell you something.
SiegfriedFM
Member
You'd rather pay pirates than scalpers?
Also, Nintendo generally hasn't made these games available at every given time before this either. Was it okay to pirate them then?
Omegasquash
Member
This was bound to happen. I have a Classic Mini hooked up, but even if I didn't I wouldn't buy one of these, as I have a Pi setup as well, and at a glance this is straight up buying a knockoff. Not my style.
I think it's safe to say that Nintendo has anticipated that this would happen just because of the demand though. Will be neat to see if/how they react.
I think it's safe to say that Nintendo has anticipated that this would happen just because of the demand though. Will be neat to see if/how they react.
Knowing someone who bought 30 nes classics, wouldn't sell me one at a decent price, an then flipped them for a total of a couple thousand dollars, I'm hard pressed to care at this point about paying for a knock off. I tried my best to find one before Nintendo dropped the news that they cut production. I even considered paying up to $150 for one at a time and even then I couldn't find one.
Dude, that's $66 per unit.
I don't have an exact amount for how much he earned, but I believe he got close to 10 grand out of them all.
According to him anyway.
I rather pay Nintendo, but they don't want my money. I just want a cool NES looking box in my room which I could play with friends when they come over. Nintendo sold me on this vision and then created some BS artificial demand by having low stock. If they won't sell me one, I don't exactly have a lot of options.
Your friend, or whoever they are to you, is an asshole. Feel free to tell them that.
Lupin the Third
Member
A new listing on AliExpress has appeared: the Famicom Mini clone.
They're drunk with power though, because they're asking well over $100. I feel like this is an Austin Powers Dr. Evil moment.
They're drunk with power though, because they're asking well over $100. I feel like this is an Austin Powers Dr. Evil moment.
pretty done
Member
I'd like to gift one to my mom! She wouldn't even know the difference (hell, neither would I prior to this thread)
I'm interested in it just for the shell. As others may have mentioned I want it for my Raspberry Pi. Yes there are options for Rapberry Pi but they are not very good. For example the link in the quote. 😂
There's an obvious difference between that case and the bootleg one. We want accuracy in a tiny form factor.
adamantypants
Member
If the emulation is good, why not? The official is basically streaming stick guts in cute box anyway
digitalrelic
Banned
Yeah, honestly I'd be all over this. Where can we buy?
malboroking
Banned
Nintendo made their money off of these games 30 years ago. The fact the people think that companies should be able to profit off of their inventions in perpetuity is absurd. Sorry that I don't worship at the church of capitalism.
Nobody's saying they should be able to profit off their inventions in perpetuity. And that's not what's happening.
Fox Mulder
Member
Nintendo could have kept selling the NES classic, but said fuck you. So yeah, people should buy these instead of paying $300 to a fucking scalper for a real one.
This is all Nintendo's fault.
Z..
Member
How is this even worth asking? Of course.
Z..
Member
So you are saying that any behaviour that is within the confines of the law is immediately legitimized and beyond reproach.
Guess I'm a bigger scumbag than any scalper will ever be because I illegally smoke weed.
I don't condone or engage in piracy but I've seen alot of positives resulting from it first hand. Can't think of a single positive coming from scalping, frankly.
Ahahaha, the only rule of capitalism is to fuck people over. At that rate knock off's are all american apple pie.
When Nintendo is no longer interested in me buying their product, I'll buy it from whoever the fuck wants to make a version to sell to me.
You don't have to feed a scalper $400 for a NES Classic. If you don't like the offer, don't buy it. They can only sell it at that price because people are shelling out for it.
Bootleggers sell their product by imitating the real thing. You can say "I know this is fake, I don't care." But there'll be people entirely unaware that they're buying a fake, low quality product. They might have bought it directly from the Chinese manufacturers on Aliexpress, or they might have bought them on ebay from a savvy person who snapped up them up to resell as the real thing.
It's bad enough these things seem to be going for the price of the real thing but you then get enterprising folk who flog them off by undercutting genuine scalpers but are actually selling bootlegged fakes.
If you feel this is justified regardless, let me ask you this: do you also feel good about the flood of fake SD cards and other memory cards on ebay? Do you feel good about the fact that you have to run tools like F3X to be sure that the card you bought is what was advertised?
If your answer is no, then why do you feel good about these bootlegs?
People who steal IP for profit to scam people are scum. It's not just the IP owners who lose out, customers lose out buying fakes they think are real.
Bootleggers sell their product by imitating the real thing. You can say "I know this is fake, I don't care." But there'll be people entirely unaware that they're buying a fake, low quality product. They might have bought it directly from the Chinese manufacturers on Aliexpress, or they might have bought them on ebay from a savvy person who snapped up them up to resell as the real thing.
It's bad enough these things seem to be going for the price of the real thing but you then get enterprising folk who flog them off by undercutting genuine scalpers but are actually selling bootlegged fakes.
If you feel this is justified regardless, let me ask you this: do you also feel good about the flood of fake SD cards and other memory cards on ebay? Do you feel good about the fact that you have to run tools like F3X to be sure that the card you bought is what was advertised?
If your answer is no, then why do you feel good about these bootlegs?
People who steal IP for profit to scam people are scum. It's not just the IP owners who lose out, customers lose out buying fakes they think are real.
Android18a
Member
Pirates do what Nintendon't.
They dropped the ball on the supply for this thing big time.
They dropped the ball on the supply for this thing big time.
sixteen-bit
Member
I find this hard to believe, but impressive if true
Charles Brandon
Member
Well, yes it is. Obviously. But I understand the sentiment. What I don't understand is why anyone would want a knock-off. The charm of the original is that it is an official Nintendo product, collectible and pleasing to own. If you're going to buy a knock off why wouldn't you just make or buy a PI retro machine?
pretty done
Member
Truth.
Dunno how anyone can take issue with this thing when Nintendo stopped production so prematurely. The 'knockoff' only exists to feed the demand that Nintendo created then refused to supply.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
Please do share what it is called.
As far as i know all the gba sp fakes emulate.
And are extremely poor.
The only good one is the ks101 but that one doesnt look like a gba sp
And the gbboy colour backlit gbc (resolution of screen is slightly off)
Infernal Monkey
Member
lmao, it absolutely is piracy. This thread is fucking incredible.
Yup. Use a credit card. Pay for the 30 NES classics at $66 each that's $1980.
Sell them each for say $150 and that's $4500. Minus the initial expense of $1980 that's $2520 in profit not really doing much. That's like a months salary for some.
Lupin the Third
Member
They're saying that selling 30 consoles for $2,000 on eBay would only total $66.67 a unit, which is barely above the MSRP. Hardly a profit margin worth scalping over. The poster they were replying this to later clarified it was several thousand more, not two thousand.
100%
jts
...hate me...
My only issue is to pay people that are profiting off piracy and IP theft. Like mass buying Disney DVDs off some guy with a DVD burner that sells them at the regular Disney price.
Or buying a imitation watch at the MSRP.
Nintendo are very well off and this a drop for them that they don't even care about - that is not the issue. In fact if the purpose of the classic consoles is to raise brand awareness more than the profit, this may be even helping them (unless the experience quality is shoddy).
Lupin the Third
Member
You're the one who linked to the original AliExpress listing in the main NES Classic thread. At this point, that seller is now sold out of units from the supplier and removed their listing. So, you'd have to order direct from China on Taobao via a forwarding service or from Alibaba for around twice that, I guess?
Seems to be falling on a lot of deaf ears here. I really can't comprehend the line of thought that seems to be prevalent: that bootlegging is legitimised by Nintendo not meeting consumer demand and letting scalpers go wild.
One bad thing does not necessarily make another magically good and virtuous.
Where?
mindatlarge
Member
At a glance, I probably wouldn't have noticed any of this. Unless it's much more obvious in person. Ordering an item like this from Alibaba would set off red flags though.
Have you actually seen them on Taobao?, as i cant find them on there
Is alibaba reputable?, never used them before