Tips to Detect Counterfeit Products

  1. Nintendo video games are stored in two types of media formats: (1) cartridge based products that are used with the following hardware systems: NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS; and (2) optical discs that are proprietary to the Nintendo GameCube and Wii console systems
  2. Counterfeiters will often ship components separately, such as game packaging (plastic cases and/or boxes), instruction manuals, PC boards, optical discs, game labels and plastic game housings.
  3. For cartridge based games, there may be a missing or misspelled Nintendo trademark on the PC board and/or cartridge housing.
  4. For cartridge based games, a spot of black or grey epoxy glue is used to cover a counterfeit semiconductor chip on the PC board or an extra semiconductor chip is affixed to the back of the PC board.
  5. For optical disc games, the back of the counterfeit discs may be blue, green or purple or lack a SID code imprinted in the inner area of a disc; there may be handwritten titles on the discs and they may lack the professional silkscreen labeling found on all authentic Nintendo discs.
  6. Blurred printing, faded, discolored or poor quality ink found on game discs, cartridge labels or packaging.
  7. Missing or poor quality ink used on the Nintendo Seal of Quality trademark placed on the packaging and/or on the disc or cartridge label; lack of shrink-wrapping.
  8. Pricing is below normal wholesale or retail.