Ever think you have a knock-off?
Posted: July 15th, 2016, 10:00 am
I recently broke my Nintendo DS Lite (my fault). In ordering a new one, even the same color, it has a host of minor differences. The plastic seems different (you can make out the speakers now), the screen has a small matte that is different. Some of the plastic is different color. The shoulder buttons feel different. The back panel has different screw insets. The volume switch is smaller and not at all smooth. The clear plastic shell seems of very different thickness, which is notable in the headphone jack particularly. The power slide is not as large, and being so small its far more awkward to use. Lots of minor changes, but everything works. It plays the games, the buttons are responsive, etc.
The biggest flag is that the back panel also does not say 'Nintendo'. In my first one, there was an embedded sticker between the colored plastic and clear plastic, with the brand and other information on it. This one only has the bar code. In fact, the word 'Nintendo' is not on the portable at all. Yet the build quality is not that much less to suspect a knock off. Did the NDS Lite have a minor less quality built model late in its lifespan? That does not sound very Nintendo.
Minor variants and reproductions or knock offs are just another thing to think about as a retro gamer. For instance, I knowingly bought a knock off GBA SP as a backup. Its brand new, it cost less than a used SP, I wanted to guarantee I got a backlight, and its arguably better than the original as lcd screen and backlighting technology have improved. Having options are fine, but just like in reproduction cartridges, we have to be able to tell the originals from the new versions, and make our own decisions about relative value.
Ever experienced this?
The biggest flag is that the back panel also does not say 'Nintendo'. In my first one, there was an embedded sticker between the colored plastic and clear plastic, with the brand and other information on it. This one only has the bar code. In fact, the word 'Nintendo' is not on the portable at all. Yet the build quality is not that much less to suspect a knock off. Did the NDS Lite have a minor less quality built model late in its lifespan? That does not sound very Nintendo.
Minor variants and reproductions or knock offs are just another thing to think about as a retro gamer. For instance, I knowingly bought a knock off GBA SP as a backup. Its brand new, it cost less than a used SP, I wanted to guarantee I got a backlight, and its arguably better than the original as lcd screen and backlighting technology have improved. Having options are fine, but just like in reproduction cartridges, we have to be able to tell the originals from the new versions, and make our own decisions about relative value.
Ever experienced this?