Fake NES Classic Consoles are Appearing Online

A year later and the fever for NES Classic units haven't died down among those who still really want one of Nintendo's now very rare throwback console. Just be careful you're not buying one of the fake consoles that seems to have entered circulation on third-party resale websites

A user on NeoGAF pointed out that some suspicious NES Classic units have found their way on Chinese retailer AliExpress (the listing has since been removed). These units come in authentic looking NES Classic packaging, and includes other signifiers of authenticity like Wii remote controller ports and the proper USB plugs. Even the emulator menu looks close enough to the real deal.

Look closer however and you'll begin to see some irregularities like the off-tan coloring, crooked logos and buttons which wouldn't pass the Nintendo quality guarantee. The emulation menu also features some slightly off details, and the controller features some noticeable differences like extra ridges, and again, some crookedness in logos.

NeoGAF users even found the counterfeit NES Classic booting up, which you can see below.

The NES Classic was a runaway success to its own detriment, with Nintendo retroactively announcing that the NES Classic was always meant to be a limited run item before shutting down production of the system earlier this year.

As a result, the NES Classic can often be found with huge markups in price on reseller websites like eBay, where consoles go for as much as $500 or more. However, as the users online have found, if you find an NES Classic being sold for a price that seems too good to be true, perhaps consider inspecting the device a little closer before hitting the purchase button.

Hopefully Nintendo can avoid this same aftermath when the company releases the SNES Classic in the fall.