Nintendo made the NES Classic Mini not long ago and it was released in very limited quantity. It was a small NES pre-loaded with classic games. Soon after production, the console ceased production, making it quite the collector's item. But bootleggers are here to save the day.
Finding an NES Classic Mini today would be difficult at best, and very expensive at the worst. But for those who wish to just relive the classics and can't be bothered to fork over hundreds of dollars to someone who bought ten when they were commercially available, there are unofficial NES Classic Minis on the market that do the same thing.
NeoGAF members found listings for a Chinese knock-off on Chinese sites AliExpress and AliBaba. The AliExpress listing has already been removed, but can also be found on eBay. The best part is, the knock-off seems near-identical in presentation and design to the original.
The unfortunate thing is that it looks to be made of lower quality materials. For the most part, however, the functionality is about the same, with a few key differenced.
NeoGAF member Lupin the Third notes the differences:
- Game title font size is smaller
- Different spacing above the icons at the top
- 1P/2P boxes use a different pixel-font
- Font on Select and Start button icons is different
- Five full game boxes are visible at once instead of only four with two cut-off on the sides
The most notable difference is the controller. It's no secret that Nintendo makes good controllers. Heck, they invented the D-Pad for home consoles. But this knock-off's A/B buttons aren't particularly up to snuff, but they still work. Here's a video for comparison.
So if you're in the market for an NES Classic Mini, but don't want a bootlegged version, be wary, as it's sure to be out there. If you're more interested in just reliving the past console, your budget may have just been met.
