Fake NES Classic consoles are being found at online retailers

If you’re still trying to get your hands on the now discontinued NES Classic, be wary of picking up the console through an online retailer, as fake versions of the still highly sought-after system have begun appearing.

News of these fakes, which closely resemble the official console sold and manufactured by Nintendo, originally appeared in a neoGAF post and then were subsequently reported on by Business Insider. 

The eBay listing, posted by a seller named AliExpres, has since been removed, but still closely resembles the look of the original remake console. Listings for fake NES Classics have also appeared on Alibaba and eBay, though it’s worth pointing out that they have not yet made their way to Amazon yet as far as I’ve been able to tell.

Minus a few subtle differences, these fakes consoles reportedly look and perform very similarly to the legitimate NES Classic. For instance, Nintendo’s logo looks a bit different, the controllers feature a slightly different design and the software that runs on the console has been revamped. Also, the fake version looks like a classic SNES or NES with faded, yellow plastic.

The funny thing here is that to most these changes really won’t matter, especially considering early impressions indicate that these fake NES Classics offer an experience that, with a few differences, replicates the original device. Also, it’s likely that it may soon be easier to buy a fake NES Classic than a real one as these devices become more prevalent.

Still, those that are still hoping to get a legitimate version of the NES Classic should be wary of online listings.

Nintendo announces the successor to the NES Classic, the $99 CAD SNES Classic, just a few weeks ago. The SNES Classic is set to feature 21 games, including notable, difficult to find retro titles like Final Fantasy III, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Secret of Mana and the unreleased Star Fox 2.

Source: neoGAF, Business Insider