About a year ago, I bought a black Nintendo DS Lite console off an eBay seller in Hong Kong. One would probably be put off by the fact that the seller is located in Hong Kong, but I didn't think much of it. Because it's a
console I'm buying - not anything designer and consequently counterfeit. Plus, back in 2007, my family and I bought a pink Nintendo DS Lite off eBay and had no issues with the transaction or item.
But when the black DS Lite arrived, I was extremely disappointed.
It was a
fake. Honestly, I didn't even know that there were fake consoles on the market?! Seems like a lot of effort since consoles are pretty intricate items. But sure enough, a simple Google search of "fake Nintendo DS Lite" brings up plenty of results - and a large majority of these fake consoles were bought off eBay.
So I decided to blog about my experience, with photos too, in the hopes of aiding others who suspect their DS Lite is a counterfeit item. Here are the tell-tale signs I noticed!
Firstly, immediate alarms bells went off by the way the Nintendo DS Lite was packaged. The photo below shows
everything I received.
A bunch of things aren't right!
- ☑ Nintendo DS Lite console
- ☑ Charger
- ☐ Instruction manuals
- ☐ Spare stylus
No paperwork with an electrical appliance is pretty unheard of. Not even warranty information was included.
Now, having a look at the box itself ...
No barcode in the designated area.
Completely empty.
The box is not the size of the console plus its charger, so you'd expect some sort of cardboard "shelving" to keep things from rolling around during transit. There wasn't any kind of partition system in this box, so the charger was squeezed in next to the console, kinda making the box bulge.
And onto the console ...
Notice how the bottom-most cover is way too big for the console. In authentic boxes, Nintendo DS Lites come in a tight and well-fit cover, with a short flap at the opening. What I received instead was this too-big cover which was probably 'concealed' by the extra padding the bubble wrap cover gave. There's the other thing; no bubble wrap cover is used in official consoles.
To a person who hasn't had a lot of exposure to the physical console itself, this fake Nintendo DS Lite might actually go by undetected. But since I've had a couple over the years, and have interacted with them over long periods, it definitely was not what I was used to.
Default Japanese setting.
After being very gutted by the fact that I was sold a fake DS Lite, I went back on eBay and searched for an Australian seller in an effort to minimise the chances of buying another counterfeit. Not long after, I had bought and received a pre-owned black DS Lite, in very good condition. And that is what enabled to me to compare and put to rest that the Hong Kong console was indeed not authentic.
The fake DS Lite has far too much wording in comparison to the real DS Lite. However, this may be due to the fact that they're from different regions.
It is best to check what letters
should start in the serial number as per your region. Though the most prominent feature here is that the fake console includes a barcode.
The differences above might be a bit hard to see, but if you look at the edges of the touch screen, you can see that the fake console is more sunken.
In an authentic Nintendo DS Lite, the physical edges are smooth and fit up tight against neighbouring parts. Whereas in the fake DS Lite, there is a noticeable gap. This is further emphasised when particles (like dust) wedge themselves between the components.
The cover for the GameBoy Advance slot is a very good replica of its authentic counterpart. Actually, the only differences which I can tell from the above photos are the font discrepancies. More close-ups later.
Several defining factors are seen in the top right-hand corner of the closed console. Mainly ...
The LED battery and power indicators are of a different shape. You can see that in authentic DS Lites, they fit very well in their slots. Also, the corners of each indicator are slightly rounded. I'd venture that rectangular indicators are cheaper to produce, which is why they're present on the fake console instead.
The hinges are slightly different too. In the fake Nintendo DS Lite, the parts somewhat curve in upon meeting. Whereas the authentic DS Lite shows that parts are straight and, again, tight-fitting.
An aerial view of the closed consoles shows that there is an odd gap just behind the hinge on the fake DS Lite. My guess is that this is another case of non-tight parts.
On a real console, you will notice that the external extension connector (charger port) features metal plating with a split at the top. Also, the slots for the pins are flat and rectangular. None of these are seen on the fake Nintendo DS Lite, which instead has square-ish slots.
Onto the font. You can see that for the Start and Select buttons, there are slight discrepancies. Firstly, "Start" and "Select" are a few millimetres too far away from their corresponding buttons. Second, the words themselves seem to tilt in an anti-clockwise direction. And finally, the authentic console uses a white font, instead of the blue-grey colour seen on fake DS Lites.
Again, font discolouration. Notice also how the period is round on the authentic Nintendo DS Lite. Further, the sliding button for volume has a more 'snug' fit, and is grey-toned. The cut of the physical columns are also precise whereas on the fake console, the corners and rounded and chipped.
For the headphone symbol, the colour differences are stark. Whilst the fake console has a basic and thickly printed design, the authentic DS Lite shows intricate details such as the cushion support for the upper band.
The reverse applies for the Nintendo logo etched onto the consoles. Here, authentic consoles will sport thick font, with letters closely positioned next to each other. Notice how the gap in the "d" is a taller shape in comparison to that of the fake console's.
A very easy giveaway is the quality of the rubber stoppers. In the case of those internal (that is, on the same surface as the screens), they are flat and quite inconspicuous. However, the fake DS Lite has very obvious stoppers which are poorly wedged into their positions. The material also attracts dust quite easily.
As for external rubber stoppers, the fake DS Lite's are cut sloppily. The fit is
so appalling that one of these actually fell off whilst I was handling the console. This has never happened with any authentic Nintendo DS Lite I have had - even those years and years old.
In summary ...
- The box should have clear, unpixelated font for all languages. It should also have a barcode of some sort. Interally, there should be partitions to keep items in place.
- Box contents should have paperwork (warranty information, instruction booklets for the console itself and Pictochat, plus "Health and Safety Precautions Booklet"). As well as a spare stylus.
- The console's packaging should be a tight fitted foam cover only.
- Barcode and/or serial number should correspond to your region's specifications.
- The touchscreen's frame should be on a similar level to the console's surface, not sunken.
- The console's parts are all tight fitting, with little-to-no gaps between components.
- The charger port should feature a slit in the middle of the top plating.
- The Nintendo symbol physically etched onto the console's surface should employ thick, somewhat-tall font, with minimal space between each letter.
- Printed font should be white (not blue-grey), thin and intricate where possible - such as the symbol for headphones.
- Rubber stoppers should be subtle and well-fit.
And a note on how I dealt with the fake Nintendo DS Lite!
I contacted the seller on eBay and stated that they sold me a fake console and wanted them to do something about it before I left feedback (or filed a claim with PayPal if needed). Their reply was that I had "misunderstood"; "this is not a brand new console like your local game shop We imported the item from HongKong. It is made in Hongkong. The console is unused item with absolutely no signs of wear. The item is a factory second. But it can work fine." Whilst I agree that the console did play games just like an authentic console would, I paid for and expected an authentic console - nothing less. They provided a return shipping address for me to send the item, after which I would receive a full refund. I'll add that they offered to send me a free game card as well, but I was not going to accept it since it couldn't possible amount to the price of a Nintendo DS Lite console.
In the end, I sent off the fake console which put me out of pocket over twenty dollars for registered shipping. This is advised! You don't want the seller claiming that they never received the item when you clearly have returned it. After this, I was fully refunded. And a couple of weeks later, I received three ... knick-knacks as compensation for my trouble. One had a missing part and the other was nearly broken, but I appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.
I was glad to have had a no-fuss return and refund. And was thankful that the seller was apologetic and cooperative.
So there you have it. I am definitely a lot more aware of the counterfeit consoles market, and hope that this post has helped you become more wary of buying off eBay too!
P.S. I just had a look at the eBay seller's shop - a year on from the fake transaction - and am pleased to see that they are no longer selling Nintendo DS Lite consoles.
