The fake NES Mini invade the web, and especially sites like eBay where scammers make them for real Nintendo consoles. A batch of copies of the old school gaming console appeared on the wholesale AliExpress website, with packaging that could clearly mislead users. But some details spotted by NeoGAF users can help to tell the difference between the real console and the wrong one.
A few months after the production of the NES Classic Mini by Nintendo stopped, copies from China were gradually replaced by eBay. Their packaging is very close to the real console and can easily deceive Internet users, who are still ready to spend between 150 and 200 euros to get the small edition of the great cult console. An ad on AliExpress, which had since been deleted, was selling a wholesale copy very close to the original.
On the NeoGAF forum, a surfer explains what are the small differences between the two consoles and what needs to be known to buy the right product. The box is identical to the original, so you will have to ask the seller of the photos of the console out of his box to be sure whether or not you are in the presence of a copy. There is first of all the quality of production, especially evident on silk screened elements like the logo for example.
EBay: watch out for the fake NES Classic Mini!
One can for example note that the Nintendo Entertainment System mentioned at the front of the console is not quite right, as on the original. On the joystick, buttons A and B are clamped with a small plastic platform that is missing from the real version. Once the console is connected and switched on, there are some differences on the interface. The size of the fonts is smaller, the Start and Select are not in the same font.
There is also the fact that on the original console shows when you turn it on 4 jackets + 2 x 1/2 jacket on each side. The copy shows five covers on the screen. It would use, according to the first investigations, the same emulator as the real NES, making the differentiation even more complicated. The problem is that these consoles sold at wholesale between 20 and 40 euros, do not have the manufacturing quality of Nintendo.
